Submitted by Dominika_4PL t3_z8b8ss in explainlikeimfive
I've been seeing a lot of posts on social media about weighted blankets lately and I've been wondering: what actually happens to the brain when you sleep under one/how does laying under a weighted blanket calm someone down?
Also, why are they all in that same shade of gray?
I have sleep anxiety. As in, I literally get panic attacks from realizing that I almost fell asleep. Its pretty annoying to try to go to bed and be totally exhausted, and then suddenly get an adrenaline burst and full panic mode because sleep is spooky. A weighted blanket helps me stay calm as I fall asleep. I love it. I get so much better rest with the weighted blanket, it really changed everything.
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Could this have happened due to someone very abruptly waking you up while you were younger? Almost like not letting you achieve REM sleep and shocking you in waking up
Oh my god, I've never met someone else with sleep anxiety! I've tried to describe it to people before but end up conflating it to hypochondria because it's so hard to explain.
Is it possible you have sleep apnea? I had a similar issue for many years but now that I wear an appliance to bed it doesn't happen anymore.
I got bullied pretty bad at school and I also never did my homework, so the teachers would shame/embarrass me for not doing the work. So I was always just worried about how miserable the next day would be. Then as an adult, my ex-wife tried to kill her self twice. Both times were while I asleep and had to wake up and suddenly find her in unconscious and unresponsive in a puddle of blood. Sleeping is surprisingly very stressful for me.
Yeah, people don't really get it. But it is a very silly condition tbh.
No, I've been tested for apnea. This isn't me saying " I am afraid of sleep" this is an actual Dr's diagnosis of a real thing called Sleep Anxiety. It is kind of a silly thing tho, tbf.
Ok, just asked because it sounded similar to what I experienced. Hope you get it sorted out!
Just watched the Temple Grandin bio movie starring Claire Danes! Our 3 year old daughter was diagnosed ASD last year. This movie was very insightful in ways that all the therapists & literature have not been able to illustrate. Our daughter’s ASD is exhibited in many atypical ways that the movie touches on. Definitely an additional ray of sunshine added to our perspective of our daughters future journey. Great reply!
Jormungandrs-bite t1_iyat8tx wrote
Why do babies enjoy being held?
Why does someone rubbing your head or playing with your hair relax them?
There are things that are hardwired into our bodies from the time we're born and they just don't go away..
Being (lightly) smashed or squeezed is one of those things.
A weighted blanket is close enough to get a response in some people.
Others, not so much.
A weighted blanket doesn't do a whole lit for me (m) but really helps my wife's anxiety.