We Tested 5 Weighted Blankets. Here's What We Found.

“I have patients who like weighted blankets and others that don’t,” says Rafael Pelayo, MD, a sleep specialist and clinical professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University in California and author of “How to Sleep.” “Those that like them, really like them. I suspect that the weight of the blanket is associated with comfort and helps the person feel better.”

Because comfort is a subjective matter, we focused our testing on weight. Manufacturers say you should choose a weighted blanket that’s around 10 percent of your body weight. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should choose a 15-pound weighted blanket. That’s the weight we tested. The makers of the five blankets we tested sell options ranging from 15 to 35 pounds.

In the lab, Deitrick weighed each blanket and recorded how close each came to the claimed weight of 15 pounds. Some were under, and some were over—you’ll see the differences below.

While all five blankets are similar in weight, they vary in size, with the smallest measuring 70x40 inches (almost the size of a twin mattress) and the largest 80x60 inches (the same dimensions as a queen-size mattress). Keep in mind that they’re smaller than a regular comforter. If you’re using a weighted blanket to sleep, look for one that’s close to the dimensions of your mattress, so it’s not hanging off the edge of the bed. Plus, spreading the same weight over a larger area changes the pressure you feel: The smallest blanket weighs about 10 ounces per square foot and the largest about 7 ounces. The polyfill comforter we used for comparison weighs 2.5 ounces per square foot.

We also wondered whether the weighted blankets would “sleep hot.” Deitrick enlisted the “tin man,” a series of temperature-controlled metal boxes that he developed to measure heat retention in our recent tests of mattress cooling pads. Deitrick measured the insulation level of each blanket and compared the level with that of a down comforter.

“Models that come with duvet covers were slightly warmer than the down comforter; those without were slightly cooler,” Deitrick says. “But all the blankets were fairly close to the warmth that you would get by adding one fluffy down comforter to your bed.”

Finally, we tested how easy the blankets are to wash and whether a typical washing machine can handle such a heavy load. All the blankets came through with flying colors and with no damage. But our front-loading washing machine had a harder time than the top-loader—the load in the front-loader became unbalanced during the spin cycle. Note that all the blankets have loops in each corner to attach a duvet cover (which is easy enough to wash on its own), but only two models come with a cover.

If you’re thinking about that warm hug and considering using a weighted blanket, Deitrick says that you can experiment with sleeping under a heavier blanket by piling on several comforters—three to four would be the approximate weight—to see whether you find the extra weight comfortable. Of course, you will sleep hot that night, so crack a window or turn down the heat while you’re giving it a try.

At least one maker, YnM, cautions that weighted blankets take some getting used to, so give yourself two days to a week before you decide whether you want to keep it. Worth noting: All the manufacturers below allow you to return the blankets within 30 days, though some require that you pay return shipping.

Here are the details of the five blankets we evaluated, listed in alphabetical order.