Weighted blankets help sleepless older adults
Can weighted blankets help older people with sleep problems sleep better? Yes, according to a new doctoral thesis from Halmstad University, weighted blankets can not only have positive effects on the sleep of frail older adults in nursing homes, but also contribute to increased well-being.
"It was inspiring to hear how they became more active in social contexts and were able to participate more actively in conversations and joint activities."
Eva Hjort Telhede
The fact that sleep is crucial for our health and well-being is no secret. For older adults, especially those living in nursing homes, sleep problems can be a struggle. Insomnia, with nocturnal awakenings and lack of rest, can affect quality of life and well-being.
Can you reduce the minimum of sleep medications and promote a more natural sleep with the help of weighted blankets? That is the question Eva Hjort Telhede, doctoral student at Halmstad University, asked herself. She wanted to explore how the use of weighted blankets affects the sleep of older adults living in nursing homes. And can weighted blankets thus also affect the quality of life, the ability to cope with daily activities, the nutritional status and medication use of these people?
Increased well-being
In her research, Eva Hjort Telhede has seen that weighted blankets can have positive effects on sleep, as they primarily reduce the number of awakenings during the night.
“In my research, I have seen that in addition to improving sleep, weighted blankets can also contribute to increased well-being, calming of emotionally troubled states, improving cognitive functions and increasing nutritional status and daily activity”, says Eva Hjort Telhede.
The older adults in the studies described how the weighted blanket affected their everyday lives.
“It was inspiring to hear how they became more active in social contexts and were able to participate more actively in conversations and joint activities. In addition, it was exciting to see how the weighted blanket could contribute to pain relief and calm worrying thoughts. It really shows the broad potential of this”, says Eva Hjort Telhede.
Addition to traditional treatments
But the benefits don’t stop there. Eva Hjort Telhede also points out how the use of weighted blankets can reduce the need for medication for sleep problems and thereby reduce the risk of side effects and addictions. This method of improving sleep can be a welcome addition to traditional treatments.
“Weighted blankets can be a versatile tool for improving the quality of life and well-being of older adults in our society”, says Eva Hjort Telhede.
Text: Hilda Liberg
Photo: Istock
More about the research
The results are based on four different studies.
The weighted blanket was used for 28 days.
- In study 1, 19 older adults were interviewed after they slept with weighted blankets.
- In study 2, 20 care workers who were contact persons for the frail older adults were interviewed.
- In study 3, 68 older adults participated. Instruments were used for self-assessment to assess and report sleep change, quality of life, ADL ability (to take care of personal and everyday activities such as eating, personal hygiene, etc.), nutritional status and medication use, before and after use with weighted blankets.
- In study 4, 31 older adults participated. Sleep was measured with the help of sensors that measured motor activity and self-rated sleep and perceived health 28 days before the weighted blanket and during 28 days with the weighted blanket.
The study was conducted in Halland at 12 nursing homes.
More information
Research at the School of Health and Welfare
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