I’m now addicted to my weighted blanket

Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am addicted to my weighted blanket. 

For most of my life, I would say I have struggled with anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, it was not until the last few years I have really been able to put a name to those feelings that I felt and the ways that it affected me. 

This summer I was really having a hard time sleeping or rather staying asleep, so for my birthday my husband gifted me with a beautiful Harry Potter themed 20LB weighted blanket. 

 

It only took one night and I was HOOKED! I slept so much better, and woke up so much less (that is unless there is a child standing by my side of the bed in the dead of night staring at me….why do they do that?) It is small enough that I can use it while my husband uses the main comforter on our bed, and if I get extra cold at night I will pull the comforter over top me and the weighted blanket. There is also some sort of magic going on with the beads that they use for the weights, they catch the air and it keeps me and the blanket cool all night long. 

Each night when going to bed I will wrap myself in my cocoon as my husband likes to call it and happily drift off to sleep. Here is the problem, I can no longer sleep without it. I tried once because it was in the washer and it was probably my worst night of sleep in 4 months. 

It doesn’t really bother me that I now depend on my blanket to sleep at night but I have a trip coming up shortly that will require me to fly and everything I have read says I won’t have much luck getting my blanket through TSA, also I don’t think I would enjoy heaving a 20lb blanket plus my luggage through an airport anyway.

So here in lies my dilemma, do I wean myself off of my dependency now or do I just white knuckle it once my trip comes? 

Have you considered getting a weighted blanket to get better sleep or aide in dealing with anxiety more naturally? I will still recommend them to anyone and everyone but I will now caution you to use it only on the nights when you really need it rather than having it become just something else that you are dependant upon to sleep.