Weighted Blankets for college dorms

The best investment for your college days?

Pursuing a higher education can bring up many challenges as you learn how to deal with an exorbitant amount of assignments, exams and readings. On top of this, you’re getting used to a completely new environment and social scene, often far away from home – sometimes for the first time. All of these sudden changes can amount to increasing stress, overwhelm and nervous system dysregulation. 

You are learning how to take care of yourself as a young adult along with the added pressure of new responsibilities, and you may not have been taught much about self-care by your teachers or family. You may fall into the common trap of doing impulsive things that feel good in the moment to cope with your challenges, only to realize that you feel worse the next day, perhaps due to pulling one too many all-nighters. Unfortunately, with all of this combined, students often end up struggling with some degree of anxiety or insomnia at some point in their college years. 

If you could do something to change this, would you? 

Well, it turns out there’s something that can help: weighted blankets! 

Many studies have been finding that using a weighted blanket can help people with common issues such as stress and sleep challenges. The Deep Pressure Touch (DPT) provided by these blankets immediately calms the nervous system and returns the user to a parasympathetic state. Earth Blankets use calming color tones and natural materials to add a calming effect. 

Why you could benefit from having a weighted blanket in college?

1. They have a “not so magical” power to calm the mind

Weighted blankets apply proprioceptive input to your body, immediately taking you from a dissociated mental state into a more embodied physical state. As you feel your body more fully and become aware of your surroundings, the mental chatter slows down and a sense of calm ensues. Your breathing and heart rate decrease and you are able to be more present. From this place, your mind can become still and focused, ready to move onto the next task with more efficiency and ease. Keep your blanket on your lap as you dig into that next reading or essay and see for yourself how it can benefit you!   

2. Shown to reduce anxiety

Busy schedules and full credit loads require students to do many things in a short amount of time. Many students worry that they won’t perform as well as they’re expected to or that they might even fail. This can cause a build-up of worries and daily stressors that compile into anxiety due to the higher than usual presence of the stress hormone cortisol. Weighted blankets signal to the body that you are safe, no longer in danger of stress, so cortisol levels decrease and the happy hormones serotonin and dopamine increase. 

3. Improve your quality of sleep

Being a college student is not easy. Many people often feel pressured to perform their best and spend more and more time studying. Some students can’t sleep well because they are too worried or have pulled one too many all-nighters, disturbing their natural circadian rhythms (sleep-wake cycles). We all know that a lack of sleep has many negative repercussions such as lack of focus, fatigue, and even depression. Through DPT, weighted blankets trigger the release of the sleep-modulating hormone, melatonin. People who use weighted blankets have been shown to sleep deeper and longer, which causes them to feel more rested and refreshed the next day. Earth blankets are made with breathable, organic cotton and glass beads, so you won’t overheat like you might with other weighted blankets.

These are some great benefits that Earth Blankets can provide, but REMEMBER: weighted blankets alone will not take away life’s challenges! But they sure can help when the going gets tough... 

If you’re serious about wanting to reduce stress and improve your sleep, here are some tips for other ways you can do so by practicing 3 new habits. 

1. Stay off technology 30 mins to 1 hour before you go to bed and right after you wake up. 

Studies have shown that the blue light emitted by digital screens restrains the production of melatonin, a key hormone needed for sleep modulation. Plus it’s important to let your eyes relax after straining all day and while adjusting to being open again after many hours of shuteye. 

2. Remember to breathe! Take 5 minutes to relax and focus on your breath at least once a day. 

The breath is essential in regulating our autonomic nervous system. Slowing down the pace and increasing the depth of your breath will automatically calm your nerves. 

3. Schedule in “me time”

Self-care helps us maintain our physical, emotional and mental health. Just as you schedule in a date or a haircut, start adding “me time” into your agenda. It’s important to make time where you can be free of expectations and duties and can feel at ease with simply doing the things you love. This makes life worth it!

So, after reading all this, why not give yourself the gift of added calm with your very own Earth Blanket today?!