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The other day the FedEx guy knocked on my door and held out a large box addressed to me, from Layla. He warned me it was heavy, but for some reason I didn’t believe him—boy was I wrong. After dragging the large box into my house, I examined it for clues, eventually discovering I had just received in a 20lb weighted blanket from Layla. I was so excited to try it out, I could barely wait until that evening to get started.
I’ve heard so many great things about weighted blankets, and to someone who used to sleep with a comforter all year round (except in Portland, Oregon, where some heathens decided AC was unnecessary) it seemed like a Comforter 2.0. I cut open the excessive tape to find a nice Layla zipper bag with handles—great for carrying around 20 pound blankets.
I extracted the contents (and almost pulled a back muscle): an airtight plastic bag with the blanket vacuum sealed inside. I cut open the seal and air came rushing into the package; I was ready.
The weighted blanket has two sides: quilted cotton on the bottom and quilted polyester fuzz on the top. The top layer is super soft, like a high quality blanket I once had years ago, but the bottom layer feels more like a pair of pants—coziness was not its #1 purpose.
The blanket is weighted with a new material comprised of 95% glass beads and 5% polyester fiber, which made it weigh a metric ton.
The sheet fell short at 60” x 80”—just smaller than my queen-size bed—but I guess it doesn’t really need to spread across the whole bed. The size discrepancy may look kind of unsightly laid out on top of the bed, but functionally a smaller blanket is easier for someone to wrap themselves up in. I originally thought it was supposed to serve as a bed layer (like a regular blanket), but now I see that it’s more of a personal accessory. The tag told me to wash it in cold water with a low heat dryer cycle, but I was worried so I put both machines on gentle. When the blanket came out I was ready to give it its first official test drive.
Before hitting the hay, I contemplated using my duvet in conjunction with the weighted blanket, worried that the Layla blanket wouldn’t be warm enough in my 57F room. Turns out the blanket was perfect without the duvet, in fact it overrode the Eli & Elm Whitney (cooling) sheets a bit, but just enough to where I was warm and not hot. I stretched the warm, fuzzy, heavy blanket across my bed (and 5 pillows) and hopped under the covers. At first, I couldn’t sleep. It felt like the lead apron they make you wear when you get x-rays—it pinned me to my mattress and I felt trapped (this blanket is completely lead-free). But an hour or so later, I finally opened my mind and relaxed, drifting off to sleep. After a couple days of getting used to it, the feeling of being trapped turned into a feeling of security, and the weighted blanket soon fulfilled a need I didn’t even know I had.
Sleeping with the Layla weighted blanket is bit like sleeping next to someone, but without the overheating. With a weighted blanket you don’t have to take turns as the little spoon (the best spoon), because the blanket is just one giant spoon and you are one warm burrito. Layla explains on their website that this feeling of security is called “Deep Touch Pressure” (DTP), which like a hug, causes your brain to release serotonin. Weighted blankets are great for people with ADHD, anxiety, and depression, which gives me blanket bingo, so you know I mean it when I say it works. Goodness knows I could use a little extra serotonin.
The only negative thing I can think of when it comes to this blanket is that I can’t bring it everywhere. After trying out the blanket for a couple weeks, I visited my cousin in New York and it a bit challenging to stay asleep without the security of 20 pounds of glass beads weighing down on me. I did however wake up one morning with her roommate’s miniature pitbull mix laying on top of me, but it’s just not the same.
The weighted blanket may cost $129 – $179 (depending on size), but this is one of those sleep accessories that is worth every dang penny. It’s durable and well made, which promises years of comfy, calm sleep. I raved about Layla’s bamboo sheets and I’m going to rave about this weighted blanket—it’s all fantastic. Use them together or use them separate, Layla is a doing a fantastic job adding onto their signature mattress products.