Can Weighted Blankets Cause Nightmares? (Find Out!)

It’s certainly possible, and they can have an impact on your dreaming. There’s clearly a connection, and there are multiple reasons why this might be. Weighted blankets can make you fall into a very deep sleep, but whether this is worth the trade-off for nightmares is often up to the individual.

So, the short answer is yes.

Many people have reported that they’ve found themselves much more likely, even certain, to have nightmares when they use a weighted blanket.

That said, this won’t be a universal thing, and there could well be a different cause at work.

Let’s look further into this.

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Do weighted blankets cause nightmares?

They certainly can, yes.

Many people have reported that, when they first purchase and use a weighted blanket for the first time, they then immediately begin having nightmares.

Even people who never have nightmares ordinarily report they have them without fail every time they use a weighted blanket.

Others report that they get very hot under the weighted blanket, and this then leads to nightmares.

Either way, it is quite clear that weighted blankets have some chance of causing nightmares.

Though no peer-reviewed study has ever been done into the phenomenon, enough anecdotal evidence exists to be sure that there is something to this.

The exact functions and mechanisms of dreaming are still quite poorly understood, even today.

So, when we look for an explanation, it can often be quite difficult to find a satisfactory one.

Nonetheless, let’s look into some possible reasons weighted blankets might cause nightmares.

Why do weighted blankets cause nightmares?

To answer this question, we first need to consider what exactly dreaming is.

When we sleep each night, we go through cycles of sleep.

The deepest of these is REM sleep, where most dreaming occurs.

It also seems to be the case that our dreaming is a function of memory.

It is a way for our brain to figure out what is important and what is not.

Compartmentalizing, if you will.

So, when you put on a weighted blanket, a deeper sleep state is induced.

In this deeper sleep state, dreams are far more vivid and memorable—which, for many, translates directly into discomfort, terror, and even pain.

Weighted blankets increase the deepness and instance of REM sleep, and also manage to keep the dream recall high enough.

Indeed, dream recall is usually what our dreaming is—we dream every night, but if we are more deeply in the dream, we will feel we have had a more vivid dream, even a nightmare.

So, again, it’s not entirely clear, and there is very little direct evidence, and we can only work with theories.

Anything which increases the deepness of your sleep has a good chance of increasing the instances of nightmares, especially if you are already predisposed to them.

So, how can you stop them?

How to stop nightmares with weighted blankets

The first thing I would say is to simply stick with it.

If you have only just started using your weighted blanket and are having nightmares, try and keep using it for a while and they may eventually pass as you get used to them.

On the other hand, you can employ some basic techniques to try and make your sleep a bit more relaxed and lighter.

Falling straight into deep sleep under a weighted blanket from being awake could make nightmares more likely.

Try and spend about an hour getting ready for bed.

Go to bed at the same time every night, too, to help your body get into a pattern.

This will make your sleep a bit more balanced and more relaxed.

Ultimately, though, if you simply can’t stop them, weighted blankets may just not be for you.

Do weighted blankets cause night terrors?

It’s very, very unlikely.

Indeed, unless you are already predisposed to night terrors, there’s very little that can induce them once you reach adulthood.

They are extremely rare among people even over the age of 6 or 7.

Furthermore, something that increases the deepness of your sleep is very unlikely to bring on night terrors.

That said, if your child is already predisposed to night terrors, it may be worth considering a different solution than weighted blankets.

It’s not impossible that the deeper sleep, if suddenly awoken from, is even more likely to cause night terrors.

Consult a doctor if you aren’t sure, especially with young children.

Weighted blankets can be a bit of an expense, so it’s understandable if you’re hesitant to buy one because you’re concerned it will give you nightmares.

Overall, though, it is not at all guaranteed that using it will, so it’s well worth a try—they work wonders if you have trouble sleeping.

It’s also always worth considering whether there may be something else at play that is causing the nightmares.

It may not be the blanket at all!

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2 thoughts on “Can Weighted Blankets Cause Nightmares? (Find Out!)”

Marie C.

July 18, 2022 at 2:52 pm

As soon as I got a heavy blanket I started having nightmares and so I googled this topic. Eventually the nightmares went away. At first I thought it was the blanket. Now I’m not so sure. I have noticed a negative energy on things that I have purchased that were shipped from China. Factory workers in China suffer many abuses. I wonder if the bad energy from these blankets, etc made in China is what is causing this. Just a hypothesis.
Corinne

October 28, 2022 at 1:12 am

I had extremely vivid dreams (not nightmares) every night after adding an extra blanket. The dreams stopped after I removed the extra blanket. So I definitely believe there’s a connection. I very much doubt it has anything to do with the mental state of the people handling the blanket!