Can’t Sleep? Cozy Calm Blankets Will Put You on a Cloud

Whether you or someone in your family have insomnia, Restless Leg Syndrome, stress, anxiety, fibromyalgia, ADHD, autism, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) or you just like to feel cuddly, Cozy Calm blankets can help you sleep.  They can also help calm your children too!

In a special patented design, these weighted blankets feel like a “long hug” according to the website. Inventor Eileen Parker designed the blankets for herself after experiencing the calming of a weighted blanket during occupational therapy for her own autism and SPD. She was, however, greatly unsatisfied by the feel of the blankets themselves.

“It felt like I was on clouds. It was wonderful. But then I whipped it off because the fabric wasn’t right; it had bumps and lumps. From a sensory perspective, it was not very good. It kind of felt like I had a mattress on me,” Parker tells Family First.

She decided she could do it better so she began working with people who could sew to design a prototype. She had the design skills and they had the sewing skills. “From a feeling perspective, I had to have soft fabrics, and I wanted the blanket to be cuddly,” she says.

After several versions, she came upon the right design and now they are selling like crazy. She recently made the jump to wholesale after making the blankets solely on a custom basis since she started the business.

The weight is created by tiny plastic beads in several chambers sewn into the blankets so the beads don’t all collect in one area. The beads are made from medical-grade virgin plastic, the kind milk jugs are made from.

The weight of the blanket blocks the messages to the brain by overwhelming the sensory input from mental and physical stresses on the nervous system through a process called proprioceptive input. When these messages are blocked, the body can relax, calm itself and you begin to feel sleepy and calm.

While there has not been a large, comprehensive medical study done on this effect, according to Parker, there have been small studies that show this kind of therapy helps release calming neurotransmitters in the brain.

This is why the blankets can be very helpful for children – either with autism or not. She says she has had moms tell her the blankets really help with bedtime as well as with keeping kids asleep during the night. This makes moms happy too.

Parker does warn the blankets should never be used on a child younger than three years old.

Lap-sized blankets are also available. This size works great for kids at church, on long car rides or during dinners out. It helps them stay calmer and sit still longer.

In addition, they offer neck calmers for weight on your shoulders as well as standard bed sizes such as Queen and Full size. Because each blanket is custom-made, they ship between 4 and 7 days after ordering.

The blankets are available in 14 different colors – you can even choose one color for the top and bottom of the blanket for a two-tone effect. There is also a weight chart so you can decide which weight is best for you. They offer free replacement if you order a weight that doesn’t work for you. Also check with your insurance carrier or state programs; it’s possible they will cover the blanket.

So, if you’re plagued by insomnia, stress or any other sensory condition or you know of an autistic or ADHD child, a Cozy Calm blanket could help everyone sleep better.

Read more at www.cozycalm.com or on their blog at www.cozycalm.info where they offer specials, coupons and announcements. You can like them on Facebook here.