For sleep problems and/or stress, anxiety or grief, or for people with autism for example, try a weighted blanket before trying medication, if medication has failed to help as much as you would like, or if you need or want to stop taking medication, ( but do not stop taking prescribed medication without first discussing it with your doctor). Weighted blankets are good to use when sitting in a chair or on the sofa, as well as on the bed for sleep.
Weighted blankets start from about £20. It is essential to get the right weight of blanket for you. As a guide, this should be between 8-15% of your body weight and no more than 10% for children. For your health and for safety, do not get a heavier blanket than that. A heavier blanket is also just not necessary and would be harder to handle to clean and dry it too. For two adults sharing a bed, two individual single weighted blankets are much better than one large double or king-sized one.
For children and adults with autism especially, weighted blankets can also be tried with stretchy, sensory sheets - sometimes called compression sheets.
Some weighted blankets are machine washable and/or come with detachable, machine washable covers. The covers have little ties inside to attach to little loops on the weighted blanket to keep it in place and prevent the weighted blanket from slipping about and bunching up inside. Velour covers are better for winter and/or cold sleepers, and cotton or bamboo covers are better for summer and/or hot sleepers. It can be a good idea to get a velour cover for winter and a cotton or bamboo cover for summer.
They can help adults and children over the age of 3 years. The person using the blanket should be able to lift the blanket off themselves easily. For their health and for safety, weighted blankets are not suitable for babies and toddlers under the age of 3 years, because of the increased risk of overheating and suffocation. If you have a serious medical condition, it is wise to discuss using a weighted blanket first with your doctor. They are generally not suitable during pregnancy or for people with respiratory disorders, such as asthma, sleep apnoea, or circulatory disorders including type 2 diabetes.
Here are some examples of retailers, but other and cheaper options are also quite widely available. We've had one in daily family use from Calming Blankets for three years with a cover and it is still in great condition:
calmingblankets.co.uk/
www.johnlewis.com/search?search-term=weighted%20blanket
Some people take to a weighted blanket immediately, but be ready to try it for a few nights, or even a few weeks, as it can take some getting used to and for the benefits to begin to be felt.