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• Posted September 2, 2026

Weighted Blankets Help Ease Hospital Anxiety, Study Says

It’s natural to be anxious when you’re stuck in a hospital bed suffering from a serious illness.

But that anxiety might be eased with one cheap and easy strategy, a new pilot study says.

Placing a weighted blanket over hospital patients appeared to help calm them down, researchers reported Sept. 1 in the American Journal of Critical Care.

The 15-pound blankets cut patients’ anxiety by nearly four points on a 10-point scale, researchers found.

“Hospitalized patients often experience heightened anxiety, which can negatively affect their recovery, sleep and mental health,” senior researcher Marci Ebberts said in a news release.

“Our study found that a short treatment period with a weighted blanket can ease their anxiety significantly more than other nonpharmacologic methods, even after the blanket is removed,” Ebberts said. She is director of nursing research at Saint Luke’s Health System in Kansas City, Missouri.

Initially used to calm patients with autism, weighted blankets have surged in mainstream popularity, researchers said in background notes. The heavy blankets offer relief from insomnia, stress and other conditions.

“Weighted blankets have been shown to provide therapeutic benefits in a variety of settings, including dental offices, inpatient mental health facilities and occupational therapy clinics,” Ebberts said.

For the pilot study, researchers recruited 54 patients treated at the hospital between March 2023 and February 2025.

All the patients were placed under a weighted blanket for 20 minutes. Half were put under the blanket immediately, and half waited 20 minutes before receiving the blanket.

In both groups, patients’ self-reported anxiety levels dropped immediately after time spent under a weighted blanket, the study found.

The patients also remained calmer for at least 20 minutes afterward, suggesting a continued carryover effect even after the blanket had been removed, researchers said.

In an exit survey, more than 80% of patients found the blanket calming.

However, 26% felt the blanket was too hot, and 33% thought it was too heavy, researchers said.

Larger studies involving more patients will be needed to verify the potential benefits of weighted blankets, researchers said.

“Further research on weighted blankets in hospitalized patients should focus on more specific patient populations or settings,” researchers concluded in their paper. “Weighted blankets may be particularly useful for patients suffering or recovering from critical illness.”

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has more on weighted blankets.

SOURCES: American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, news release, Sept. 1, 2026; American Journal of Critical Care, Sept. 1, 2026