A blanket that makes you feel like you’re being held or hugged is meant to help me fall asleep. Will I sleep like a log or like I’m under one? Let’s find out.
«Heavy» blanket
Whether you’re single or not, this blanket is not made for sharing. At 182 × 121 cm, it’s really only suitable for one person. You want the blanket to be 10% of your own body weight to give the right pressure and the feeling that another body is snuggling up with you. The lightest version of the «Gravity Blanket» is 8 kg, medium is 10 kg and the heaviest 12 kg.
The blanket comes in a bag with its own duvet. Before using the duvet for the first time, I wash it in cold water and put it in the tumble dryer on a low temperature. You can wash the blanket by hand or have it dry cleaned. The first plus point is you’re allowed to iron it, but you don’t have to. The duvet comes out of the tumble dryer without any creases. It looks high quality and the grey hues along with decorative seams give it a chic look.
Although the duvet might seem like a bulky weight when you unpack it, the opposite is true. In fact, it reminds me more of a traditional down duvet and it feels like one too thanks to the cotton cover. Each section provides a pocket for the glass micro-beads surrounded by soft polyester fibres to help distribute the weight. The duvet feels like sand and is designed to improve air flow. It also has tiny holes from the decorative seams that stop the heat from building up.
Making the bed used to take so much time and effort
Testing the Gravity Blanket
Soothing, yes but cooling, nope
More than a self-care gadget
Weight comes at a price
Verdict: I slept like an «old» log
The Gravity Blanket might not replace a hug but it still reminds me of something nice. Like when I was little and my parents or grandparents would let me cuddle up in bed with them and I’d feel like the duvet cuddled me in a cocoon. I slept well then and I’m sleeping much better again now.
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I’ve always been a night owl. But recently I’ve started being a morning lark too, which is a strange, new concept to me. In the evenings I struggle to fall asleep, but in the mornings I’m waking up well before my alarm despite having blinds. And I’m not catching up on the sleep. So what’s causing my sleep disturbance? It's hard to say. What I have noticed is that it coincided with the covid pandemic. Since then, physical contact has been limited to a minimum because I’ve been following social distancing guidance. I’ve also put all dating on hold. I didn’t realise how important touch was to our health until I talked to sci-fi artist Lucy McRae about her «Hug machine» (content in German) design. That’s probably what’s having an effect on my sleep. I actually like sleeping alone, but maybe my new sleep pattern is trying to tell me something.
The feeling you get from a hug can calm your nervous system. And this is where the «Gravity Blanket» comes in. This heavy blanket is meant to improve your sleep by applying light pressure on you. It was developed by the British brand Gravity. All the positive reviews encouraged me to test out the blanket. Given I’m trying this out in summer, I decided to test the later model «Cooling Duvet» rather than the year-round model that has a microfibre cover.
In terms of the packaging and how it looks, you’d think it was a normal blanket. The weight is the only thing that gives it away.
The fabric cover is attached to the cotton blanket on the inside. It’s made of faux tencel, which is known for absorbing sweat and regulating temperature.
Doubly sure: ties and buttons ensure nothing slips out of place.
Making the bed isn’t an easy or quick game. With the Gravity Blanket, you’ve got buttons and ties to keep the duvet in the right place within the cover. I start by spreading out the duvet and holding the ends of the duvet cover that I’ve turned inside out in each hand. Once I’ve attached one of the long and short sides, I turn the cover the right way round and attach the other sides. While the ties do open quickly, it did take me three times as long to get the cover off when it was time to wash it. Eventually, I just closed the zipper on the long side and tugged a bit at the corners. That being said, you don’t need to shake it as much as a normal duvet nor does it take as much effort to get the cover to lie flat.
The zipper on the long edge makes it easier to change the bed.
This test run isn’t any kind of scientific experiment. I’m not using a device to track my sleep and I’m not going to a specialist sleep centre. It’s enough for me to fall asleep easier and feel rested when I wake up. To get used to the weight of the blanket, I test it out while reading for about 20 minutes and let my arms be uncovered. What was really noticeable was the light beating of my heart under the blanket. It was also the last thing I remember before the alarm rang when taking my first power nap. I normally need a bit more time to fall asleep during the day. But with the Gravity blanket, it’s easier to switch off and have a snooze. It was mostly the same every other night I used the blanket. I’d doze off in the shortest time.
Although I like to sleep on my side, the weight of the blanket feels nice when you’re lying on your back. Except I often stretch out my feet in this position otherwise the pressure on them isn’t so comfortable. It takes more effort to change your position when you’re awake so I get myself organised quickly. What’s a lot more important is that I don’t disturb myself when I’m asleep by trying to change my sleeping position. After a few weeks trying out the blanket, it really does seem like I’m sleeping like a log as well as under one.
According to Gravity’s description, «the design features revolutionary cool fabric that’s optimised to deflect moisture and make you feel rejuvenated.» But how is my duvet supposed to cool me down when it’s nestled around me? As far as I’m concerned, this is a promise Gravity doesn’t keep. With the current summer temperatures, I find I’m getting warmer under the blanket than I’d like. In fact, I’m having to push my arms and legs out from the blanket to stop me from sweating. And that reduces the hugging effect. To compare the two duvets, I try sleeping one night with my normal summer duvet, which has a linen cover and feels much cooler.
Gravity Blanket might not be an official therapeutic tool but, unlike a lot of other sleep aids, the idea behind it is based on long-term studies. In deep touch pressure therapy, they use weighted blankets to ease various symptoms, including anxiety and ADHD. Studies show that intense pressure on the body promotes serotonin production. This happiness hormone gives you the feeling of inner peace and being content while also reducing fear and distress. Serotonin later transforms into melatonin, one of the elements that controls the day-night cycle of the body and prompts sleep.
You don’t need an iron to flatten out the blanket once you’ve washed it – just give it a bit of a tug.
When you first see how much the Gravity Blanket costs, it can seem a bit steep. But it’s priced that way for a reason. Details such as the stitching and concealed zip elevate the design and make it elegant. Not only that, the fabric cover and the filling are obviously both high quality. According to reports online, cheap models usually only use plastic beads, which you can feel and hear, rather than glass ones. I’ve also read that cheap models don’t distribute the weight evenly, which reduces the hugging effect and makes it harder to adjust the blanket. Compare this to the Cooling Duvet, where all I have to do is walk once around the bed, pull at the sides and run my hand over to flatten it down. And that’s the bed made.
The glass micro-beads inside feel like sand.
But before you spend so much money, I’d recommend doing a dry run. Try lying under your duvet with a pile of clothes on top of you to see how you react to the weight. You’ll also want to make sure that a weighted duvet is suitable for you and any medical conditions you have. Unfortunately, weighted duvets can be dangerous for people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma or heart problems. The same applies to children. They have to be able to remove the weight themselves.
It’s like a massage because I feel like I’m doing something good for my body and health by using the Gravity Blanket. That’s why I find I’m happier and fall asleep quicker. In the first few nights especially, I focused on how the blanket felt. That helped me switch off. I obviously can’t tell how much I move about when I’m asleep but I often wake up in the same position, and I’m not waking up before my alarm now. That’s why I now factor in about another 10 minutes more when I’m setting my alarm so I can perk up and feel more awake before I get up. However, I wouldn’t agree with Gravity when they say the cover is rejuvenating or cooling. I’m thinking of sewing a linen cover for summer and adding ties and buttons to it. With any luck, Gravity will start offering covers in different fabrics because I actually liked the fact the duvet arrived with a cover that fit perfectly.
