KDTime: Get Your Comfy On

Episode 59

What’s important about blankets?

By using a blanket it helps us to deal with our lower nightly core body temperatures. It also increases the serotonin and melatonin levels in our brain which helps relax us and fall asleep. Are you a hot sleeper? At some points while sleeping you feel too warm. Did you know that even if you are a hot sleeper you should still sleep with a blanket? Sleep experts and scientists have said that it has been ingrained in us practically since birth that most of us associate blankets with comfort, relaxation, bedtime, and sleeping. Do you find that you fall asleep faster when you are covered compared to being uncovered? If you are like me and you need something covering you in order to fall asleep you are in good company. Registered nurse Terry Cralle says sleeping while covered is in our brains from infancy, and therefore, it serves as a cue that it is time to sleep. 

Okay here’s some facts. That familiar feeling of being “tucked in” there’s also the scientific fact that our core body temperature drops during the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep. Cralle says we lose the ability to regulate temperature so a blanket, sheet or duvet can help keep your temperature from dropping too low and disrupting sleep.

So, friends no matter how hot you sleep, warmth is always going to be an essential part of getting a good night’s rest. Our body clock is also known as circadian rhythms, and first off how many clocks do we have? There’s biological clocks for women wanting babies and internal clocks etc., anyway our body clock can make us sleepy or alert depending on the time of day. So it’s not necessarily a thing that you get tired at the end of the day because it’s the end of the day you are actually tired because you did so much or were awake during the alert time of the day and you get sleepy after that! Because there are people who work at night so their alert time is between those hours! The more ya know!

So yes, our circadian rhythms are always connected to body temperature. The lowest point our body temp is at is only a couple of hours before we wake up in the morning and that’s when a blanket comes in handy. I know for myself I grab my blanket a little tighter waking up! 

So what did we learn? That using a blanket helps us to deal with our lower nightly core body temperatures. It also increases the melatonin and serotonin levels in our brain which help us to relax and fall asleep. 

Now I know I'll use a blanket just to chill on the couch, a nice comfy, cozy, fluffy throw blanket is perfect for watching tv and eating ice cream. I could use a snuggie, a comforter, quilt, a blanket sweater, it doesn't really matter. I mean I guess I wouldn't use a sheet unless it’s scorching outside and both the fan and a/c are on. 

Weighted blankets help put our autonomic nervous system into “rest” mode, reducing some of the symptoms of anxiety such as a quickened heart rate or breathing. The pressure of a weighted blanket can provide an overall sense of calm.