Sleeping a little longer and more peacefully: the largest study on weighted blankets for children with ADHD
The largest study to date on weighted blankets in children with ADHD followed 94 Swedish children. In this article, you’ll learn what changed in their sleep, what didn’t, and what the study cannot say.
Through:Koen Dolron -
- Reading time: 6 min
Published: 13-10-2026 - 2026-10-13T09:14:24Z
Updated: 13-10-20262026-10-13T11:54:42Z
Your child is finally asleep. At two in the morning, you hear the door to the child's room: your child is awake and can't get back to sleep. You take them back and sit on the edge of the bed for a while longer. In the morning, your child is tired, and so are you.
This is often what it is like for children with ADHD. According to a review article in the Journal of Psychiatry, 25 to 50% of children with ADHD have disturbed sleep patterns, with more difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep and getting up than other children. A weighted blanket is one of the things parents may try. In Sweden, ADHD is even the diagnosis for which children most often receive such a blanket through the healthcare system, write the researchers of the study on this page.
In their 2023 study, 94 children with ADHD and sleep problems, aged 6 to 14, slept under a weighted blanket for four weeks and under a lighter blanket that looked the same for four weeks. With the weighted blanket, they slept an average of almost 8 minutes longer per night and lay awake for almost 3 minutes less, but they did not fall asleep faster. Two later publications followed the children for up to sixteen weeks.
These are small differences over nights of more than eight hours. Below, you can read what was measured and how this compares with a Danish study that did find faster sleep onset.
Why this was studied
Children with ADHD in Sweden were prescribed weighted blankets, but earlier studies in these children were conducted without randomization and without a lighter comparison blanket. As far as the researchers know, this is the first randomized study of weighted blankets in children with ADHD.
How the study worked
The children came from an ADHD department at a child and adolescent psychiatry clinic in southern Sweden. They had no major co-occurring problems, were not using melatonin anymore and had never used a weighted blanket before.
It was a crossover study: each child slept under one blanket for four weeks and under the other for four weeks, with randomization determining which one they started with. Two occupational therapists selected a 6- to 10-kilogram weighted blanket for each child; the lighter blanket weighed 2 kilograms and looked the same. The weighted blankets were filled with fibers rather than small glass beads.
During the final week of each period, the child wore an actigraph, a small device worn on the wrist that measures movement and thereby shows when a child is asleep. Parents and children also completed questionnaires. Afterward, each child kept using the blanket of their choice for another eight weeks.
What the researchers found
With the weighted blanket, the children slept an average of 7.7 minutes longer per night, with an average sleep duration of 489 minutes at the start.
After falling asleep, they lay awake for 2.8 fewer minutes.
They did not fall asleep faster than under the lighter blanket.
Parents reported slightly fewer sleep problems. The children themselves did not, although they were clearly more satisfied with the weighted blanket.
Children aged 11 to 14 and children with predominantly inattentive ADHD slept about 16 minutes longer. This analysis was exploratory.
Four children reported a side effect: panic, anxiety or pain.
In the 2024 publication, 48 of the 94 children used the weighted blanket at least four nights per week during the final eight weeks. Their sleep duration remained the same, while it decreased by 24 minutes in the others. Both groups reported fewer sleep problems, with the most loyal users reporting the greatest reduction; according to the authors, simply taking part may help.
In the 2025 publication, at the start, 73% of the parents of 45 consistent users considered going to bed a problem, and 62% considered falling asleep a problem. After sixteen weeks, these figures were 31% and 29%, respectively, while the wrist monitor did not measure a shorter time to fall asleep. According to the researchers, parents may have experienced bedtime as smoother, even without faster sleep onset.
What this study does not say
The differences are small, and the study was not truly blinded: parents and children could feel which blanket was heavier. The improvement in sleep duration was mainly seen in children who started with the weighted blanket.
The study involved children aged 6 to 14 without major co-occurring problems. It says little about children who also have, for example, autism or an anxiety disorder, and nothing about younger children.
The 2024 and 2025 publications did not use randomization, and the 2025 publication had no comparison group.
The blankets were heavier than the rule of thumb of 10% of body weight: approximately 19% on average. We do not know whether a lighter blanket would have the same effect.
How this fits with other research
A smaller Danish study from 2011 did find that children with ADHD fell asleep faster (read the summary of the Danish study on sleep onset). It compared nights with and without a blanket, and parents and children probably knew when the blanket was being used. In Sweden, the lighter blanket looked the same, allowing researchers to better measure the effect of the weight itself. We do not know whether that explains the entire difference.
In 2025, the Swedish Health Technology Assessment agency SBU called weighted blankets for children with ADHD and sleep problems a knowledge gap: more studies are needed. In Denmark, a study involving 340 children aged 5 to 12 is comparing a weighted blanket with a sham blanket, a blanket that is not heavy; completion is scheduled for 31 March 2027. A second Danish study is testing a regular store-bought blanket without a comparison group.
Does your child with ADHD sleep poorly? Talk to your family doctor or healthcare provider first, because a blanket is not a substitute for treatment. This study points to slightly longer and more restful sleep, with small differences and no faster sleep onset. Evening tips can be found in this article about quieting the mind with ADHD; blankets can be found in the collection for children.
A weighted blanket is not suitable for babies or children under 3 years old. For older children, the rule of thumb is approximately 10% of body weight; this is a practical guideline, not a finding from this study. The child must be able to push the blanket away independently. Read more in the article about choosing the right weight and on the safety page.
Source
Lönn, M., Svedberg, P., Nygren, J., Jarbin, H., Aili, K., & Larsson, I. (2024). The efficacy of weighted blankets for sleep in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A randomized controlled crossover trial. Journal of Sleep Research, 33(2), e13990. Published online in 2023. DOI
Lönn, M., Svedberg, P., Nygren, J., Jarbin, H., Aili, K., & Larsson, I. (2024). Changed sleep according to weighted blanket adherence in a 16-week sleep intervention among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 20(9), 1455-1466. DOI
Lönn, M., Erlandsson, L.-K., Aili, K., Svedberg, P., Jarbin, H., & Larsson, I. (2025). Parents' perceptions of sleep problems in children with ADHD when using weighted blankets. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 32(1), 2538474. DOI
Checked on 2026-10-12.
Written by Koen Dolron, owner of Novaline. Koen is not a doctor, and Novaline does not provide medical advice: this page is intended for informational purposes. The summary is based on the original publications, which you can read yourself via the links above. Are you unsure whether a weighted blanket is suitable for you or your child, for example because of a medical condition or medication? Talk to your family doctor or healthcare provider first.
Safety first: our bedding carries the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification. This means that every component - from the fabric to the zipper and filling - has been tested for harmful substances and is 100% safe for your health.
Free from harmful chemicals
Strictly tested by independent institutes
Better for your skin and health
Did you know? Products used directly on the skin, such as bedding, must meet the strictest OEKO-TEX® requirements (product class I).
That way, you not only sleep better, but also more peacefully!
Het deken is mij aangeraden via een buur. Hij sliep er zalig onder maar ik had er mijn bedenkingen bij. Toch nam ik het risico en gebruik het nu gedurende een week. De eerste 5 minuten is het wennen, maar daarna voel je het gewicht niet meer en slaap je beter dan voorheen. Heb geen spijt van mijn aankoop.
Hoi! Wat geweldig om te horen dat de deken zo goed voor je werkt en dat je er beter door slaapt. Bedankt dat je je ervaring deelt, dat waardeer ik zeer! Groetjes, Koen
Ik raadde als arts zelf al langer het verzwaringsdeken van Novaline aan voor mijn patiënten bij stress en slaapproblemen, maar ik had het echter zelf nog niet uitgeprobeerd. Ik bestelde het voor mezelf in een periode waarin ik door omstandigheden zelf last had van angsten en hierdoor minder goed sliep. Ik kreeg van patiënten meestal goede feedback over het deken, maar toen ik zelf de voordelen ontdekte, raad ik het echt aan iedereen aan. Ik slaap nu in 1 stuk door tot aan de wekker, waar ik voordien toch 3x per nacht wakker werd. Ook de angsten in de ochtend zijn een stuk minder heftig aanwezig. Het deken geeft een gevoel van veiligheid en geborgenheid. Ik slaap alvast niet meer zonder!
Wat geweldig om te horen, Karen! We zijn blij dat onze dekens zo een positieve invloed heeft op jouw slaap en dat van je patiënten! Dat is een erg mooi compliment.
- Koen
Dit is mijn derde verzwaringsdeken en qua kwaliteit is dit absoluut de beste van de drie!
Ik ben voor Novaline gegaan omdat ik op zoek was naar een kleine verzwaringsdeken met hoes, die alleen natuurlijke materialen bevat en geen polyester.
Als volwassen vrouw van 1,70 m en 50 kg heb ik gekozen voor een kinderverzwaringsdeken van 5 kilo. Uit eerdere ervaringen weet ik dat ik mijn voeten graag vrij wil hebben. Een grotere deken is daarom voor mij onhandig.
Ik ben er ontzettend blij mee! Overdag lig ik er tijdens het rusten onder en ik voel direct meer kalmte. Wat een genot. Ook de bamboestof voelt heerlijk aan op de huid.
's Nachts werkt de deken helaas niet voor mij, omdat het gewicht tijdens mijn slaap mijn vecht-of-vluchtreactie activeert. Dit kan natuurlijk een kwestie van wennen zijn.
Voor nu ben ik in ieder geval ontzettend blij met de deken om er overdag onder te rusten. Soms vouw ik de deken zelfs twee keer op, zodat ik een soort verzwaringskussen heb dat ik op mijn borst en buik leg. Ook dit geeft me veel kalmte. Het voelt een beetje alsof je een knuffel krijgt van je huisdier, alleen loopt deze deken niet weg wanneer hij buiten een vogeltje hoort.
Ik heb een prikkelverwerkingsstoornis en de deken helpt mij oprecht om te kalmeren.
Qua kwaliteit vind ik dit echt een topdeken. Ze bieden ook de mogelijkheid om de deken te retourneren of te ruilen en geven advies.
WhatsApp
@novaline_dekens
@novalineverzwaringsdekens
