Enhancing muscle growth in recovery is not just for athletes. Everyone can benefit from taking care of their body after the stress it experiences. While over-the-counter medications used to be a popular go-to, many of us are looking for natural remedies that work just as well, if not better.
One of these approaches to improving your sleep by enhancing muscle growth and recovery is using a weighted blanket. By understanding the benefits and its scientific processes you will understand why it’s such a great option. Let’s take a minute to dive into this!
What Is a Weighted Blanket?
Weighted blankets often weigh 5 to 30 pounds and are filled with plastic or glass beads. The added weight is meant to be distributed evenly so that the user can fully enjoy the benefits.
Weighted blankets are meant to apply pressure to the muscles and body, which can act as the ultimate stress release. Well, not the same as a massage. some of the benefits overlap.
Nowadays there are many products like weighted blankets. Consider trying a huggable weighted pillow.
Benefits of Using a Weighted Blanket
The list of benefits can be long, but many play off each other, making it the ultimate stress release. Let’s talk about it.
Improved Sleep
Part of how our muscles recover is through sleep and rest. Weighted blankets do a great job of improving our sleep by regulating our nervous system. This is because the gentle pressure from a weighted blanket can stimulate the production of serotonin.
This hormone helps put our body in a relaxed state that gets us sleepy; this is one of the reasons why getting the right amount of weight is important
For example, if you have a smaller body type and a blanket that’s too heavy, you can feel suffocated, which creates anxiety instead of calmness. Often, companies will recommend what weighted blanket you need based on your own weight.
Reduced Stress
When our body produces serotonin, it allows our cortisol levels to lower. Cortisol is our stress hormone, and when it’s too high, it can create inflammation in the body.
Inflammation can get in the way of enhanced muscle growth in recovery, which is why weighted blankets are great for regulating our entire nervous system
Muscle Recovery
While the previously mentioned benefits, they do help promote muscle recovery. There is a more direct benefit here. The gentle pressure of a weighted blanket can help stimulate blood flow to certain areas.
This is why some athletes may use heavier, weighted blankets on their legs after a long workout. The blood flow helps with cell turnover and muscle recovery by healing areas that have wear and tear.
Improved Focus and Attention
As an added benefit, some people have reported that weighted blankets improve their focus and attention. Well, this doesn’t directly benefit the muscles in our bodies. It can help us stay seated in one place longer.
In order to fully take advantage of the benefits of a weighted blanket, we must give it time to work With less attention and constantly move out from under the blanket. This would disrupt the process of muscle recovery. That’s why many people sleep with weighted blankets.
How to Use a Weighted Blanket
Using a weighted blanket is similar to using a regular blanket; however, there are a few tips and tricks that one should keep in mind.
- Layer the weighted blanket out flat so that it evenly covers your body. Because it’s weighted, folding it over can apply more weight than intended to one area.
- Never cover your head with a weighted blanket. This is a safety issue and provides no benefits to your head.
- Consult with a doctor to choose the right weight for you so you can enjoy the full benefits.
As mentioned, you can use a weighted blanket during resting times.
Immediate and Long Term Benefits
When it comes to using a weighted blanket for muscle growth and recovery, you will have immediate and long-term benefits. You may feel immediately rested and better after using it just once.
Growth and recovery take place over days and weeks. This is why it’s important to be consistent with it. Once you find the right one at first weighted blankets may feel unusual to some while to others.
It may feel immediately comforting. It may take one or two uses to feel good.If at any point, the blanket feels too heavy or suffocating immediately remove yourself.
Written by Olivia Wolfe ([email protected])
