Bear Hugs or Heavy Blankets for Good Sleep

Nice fluffy comforters are warm and cozy. And normal thinking would suggest that we sleep best with lots of room and freedom to move around when we sleep. And the bigger the bed, the better. But is that a cookie cutter answer to the modern-day problem of how to get a restful and good night's sleep?

Many people today are faced with stressful lifestyles and fast paced living. Winding down at the end of a stressful day isn't always easy. The process can be very difficult, especially when you are looking forward to another mirrored day, with the same stressful situations to face as you had the day before. A known fact is that lack of sleep adversely affects mental alertness, quality decision-making skills and productivity, not to mention fluctuating moods and irritability.

So we may take sleeping pills or anti-depressants, a hot bath, drink warm milk or try other sleep enhancing methods. But some of these have no lasting effects and may even have dangerous side effects.

Deep pressure touch stimulation or DPTS has become a viable solution to physical and psychological disorders. With the same feeling a hug can give to bring comfort, a sense of security and well-being, it has been found that DPTS can calm disorders like post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and all types of anxiety and sometimes even physical pain. When a child is overstimulated with some of the conditions such as with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and sensory processing disorder (SPD) or ADHD, calming them down and channeling their thinking can be a very challenging task. Children with these conditions have been known to respond positively to DPTS while medications for these conditions can leave them mentally handicapped and their caretakers majorly frustrated.

One of the most basic of human needs that in practice is known to calm emotions is when we are being held, and held or hugged tightly, as in a loving bear hug. It had been a practice in native America to swaddle babies, meaning wrapping them tightly in a blanket. It soothed them when they were fussy, giving them a feeling of comfort and security. Things were tight in the womb before they were born and swaddling creates basically the same emotional comfort and well-being effect. So does the loving bear hug.

While we are not inclined to hug someone who is irritable and stressed out, there is another avenue to the desired results. Heavy blankets can have the same effect as a hug. The brain responds the very same way. Scientifically, it has been found that when certain areas of the body are stimulated by pressure or weight, the chemical serotonin is released by the brain. This neurotransmitter in the brain positively affects moods and thereby results in restful sleep. While many solutions to restlessness in sleep are out there, lots of heavy blankets on your bed will bring calming, peaceful rest with virtually no side effects, just a good night's rest and waking up to a new day with a fresh outlook with well-being having been once again restored.