‘The closest I’ve come to heaven while falling asleep’: the best weighted blankets in the UK, tested

Anyone who’s ever nodded off under the weight of a purring cat or snoring dog already knows how weighted blankets work. The warmth, the softness, the hefty pressure that renders you unable to fidget or indeed move. Worries subside, and you have no choice but to slide into slumber.

Studies have demonstrated some success for weighted blankets as sleep aids, but where these hefty quilts seem to excel is in alleviating anxiety – and not just according to TikTok influencers. Scientists, medics and the NHS are trialling them to comfort dementia patients, soothe neurodivergent children and even relieve chronic pain.

I’ve long been intrigued by weighted blankets. The list of maladies they’re said to soothe is like looking in the mirror (anxiety, check; restless legs when I’m trying to fall asleep, oh, very check), and I’m always open to drug-free remedies. However, being pinned down never struck me as relaxing, and weighted blankets can even be dangerous if given to the wrong person. NHS guidelines caution against their use by children with learning difficulties and mobility problems that might prevent them from removing the blanket by themselves.

To find out what these blankets could (or couldn’t) do for me, I assembled 10 bestsellers and set about cocooning myself in the name of research. Here I reveal which weighted blankets lifted a weight from my shoulders, and which ones just weighed me down.

Why you should trust me

I’ve spent three decades reviewing products, from smartphones to hay fever remedies, so I’m professionally sceptical of manufacturers’ claims to magically improve our lives by buying their stuff. I also have a solid background in napping, insomnia and swearing at alarm clocks, so I always welcome the chance to sleep on the job for the Filter.

Weighted blankets claim to directly target problems I’ve struggled with for years. I’ve been on anti-anxiety meds since the 90s, and HRT has taken the edge off my sleep issues, but some non-medicinal interventions on both counts would be most welcome.

How I tested

Weighted blankets are less diverse than mattresses or heated clothes airers. They do the same thing, and most are the same size – 150 x 200cm, a bit smaller than a double duvet (200 x 200cm). They even tend to be a uniform shade of light grey. Ranking them would require some careful nit-picking.

“Weighted” is very much a part of the product description, but I was still surprised by how heavy the blankets were. At about 7kg each, that’s 70 kilos of bedding I faced hefting up the stairs – although after reviewing so many mattresses for the Filter, carrying a few kilos of fabric felt like a day off.

I began by weighing each blanket while still in its (weightless) plastic carry case, then whipped out the tape measure. Some blankets weren’t quite the advertised weight and size, but only one came up short.

My husband and testing partner, Alan, then joined me to rate the samples on factors such as fabric softness, warmth and construction quality. To test how well the weight was distributed, we pulled each blanket over us while lying on our backs and sides, and noted how easily we could turn over in bed under it.

We also deployed dirt (a smudge of compost from a houseplant) to test the ease of spot cleaning. Some weighted blankets are machine washable, but I wasn’t prepared to test this by risking my machine. One brand I tested, Allure Bath Fashions, says blankets over 5.5kg should be washed in commercial machines, and I’m happy to follow that advice.

Then came the cocooning. We spent three cosy evenings on the sofa, wrapped in a series of test blankets and taking care not to spill TV snacks, given the aforementioned cleaning caveat. Next, we slept under each blanket for a few nights in September and October. A full-size weighted blanket isn’t big enough for two adults to share as their only bedding, so we used a 2.4-tog summer duvet underneath to ensure we were both covered.

Autumn’s night temperatures were occasionally too warm to keep the blanket on all night, but I was still able to test them as a way to soothe restless legs. Each morning, I recorded how well each one had helped me fall asleep, regulate my temperature and stop fidgeting.

After testing, I donated my sample blankets to the Southampton Hospitals Charity, which passed them on to the hospital’s Bassett Ward for dementia patients. “They were so well received,” says hospital engagement officer Shona Brooks.