Weighted blankets in nursing homes: better sleep for older adults, no measurable effect on dementia

Your mother has been living in a nursing home for a few months. When you visit, the caregivers tell you that she is often awake at night and sometimes gets out of bed to walk along the hallway. During the day, she sits tiredly in her chair, dozing. You wonder whether there is something that could make her nights more restful.

According to Alzheimer Nederland, approximately 80,000 people with dementia live in a nursing or residential care home. For agitation or poor sleep, a weighted blanket is one of the things you can try. In western Sweden, people were prescribed such a blanket through their care provider, and according to a registry study, people with dementia kept using it longer than others.

This page covers two studies from nursing homes and a specialized dementia ward. In Sweden, 110 older people with sleep problems used a weighted blanket for four weeks. The 68 who continued, most of whom had dementia, subsequently woke up less often at night, and their quality of life increased on a scale from 13 to 52, from an average of 26.4 to 30.1. In Australia, 14 residents with dementia and agitated behavior used a blanket for two weeks and went without one for two weeks. The researchers found no measurable effect on sleep or behavior, but the blanket proved safe and easy to use.

The Swedish result sounds promising, but that study had no comparison group, and more than a third stopped within the first few days because the blanket felt uncomfortable. Below, you can read what was measured in each study and what conclusions you can and cannot draw from it.

Why these studies are considered together

Both concern nursing home residents or residents of a specialized dementia ward and examine sleep and behavior. The Swedish researchers write that people there often sleep poorly, and that medication frequently causes side effects in older people.

Hjort Telhede 2022: older people in Swedish nursing homes

How the study worked

Between 2019 and the summer of 2021, 110 residents of nine nursing homes in southwestern Sweden took part. They were over 65, with an average age of 87, and slept poorly. People with serious lung or heart problems or those receiving palliative care did not take part.

The blanket was filled with chains and weighed 4 to 8 kilos, approximately 10% of body weight. Care staff first placed it over the feet and checked whether the person could remove it themselves. If that went well, they moved it higher, but never doubled it over the chest and never wrapped it tightly around the body. If someone showed that it was uncomfortable, they removed it.

Before and after four weeks, the researchers completed questionnaires about sleep, quality of life, nutrition, cognitive function, and independence, and they reviewed the medications. People who could not answer themselves did so together with a caregiver or family member.

What the researchers found

Of the 110 residents, 68 completed the four weeks. Of these, 32% had moderate dementia and 57% had severe dementia. Four dropped out for medical reasons, such as hospitalisation. For 38 residents, the blanket was removed because it did not feel comfortable, as they said or indicated, on average after just one and a half days.

Those who remained scored lower on sleep complaints after four weeks. Waking up at night decreased in particular, and falling asleep became slightly easier. Waking up refreshed did not change. In addition to the higher quality of life, the score for their own health rose from 52 to 59, on a scale from 0 to 100. Nutrition and cognitive ability scores were slightly higher, and the use of medication affecting mood and alertness, such as antidepressants, decreased slightly. The researchers found no difference in independence, such as dressing and eating.

Study in brief

• Researchers: Eva Hjort Telhede, Susann Arvidsson, Staffan Karlsson and Andreas Ivarsson, Halmstad University
• Year and journal: 2022, Geriatrics
• Country: Sweden
• Study type: pre- and post-measurement without a comparison group
• Participants: 110 nursing-home residents with sleep problems, 68 completed the study
• Duration: 28 days
• Blanket: chain blanket weighing 4 to 8 kilos, approximately 10% of body weight
• Source: Hjort Telhede and colleagues, 2022

Dawson 2026: people with dementia and restless behaviour

How the study worked

Researchers from Flinders University in Australia followed 14 residents of a specialised unit for people with dementia and restless or disruptive behaviour. Everyone slept for two weeks under a weighted blanket and two weeks under regular bedding, so each resident was compared with themselves. According to the study registration, the blanket could weigh no more than 12% of the person's body weight.

They measured sleep with a sleep sensor under the mattress and a questionnaire about nighttime behaviour. They also recorded how often someone was restless or aggressive, fell, was subjected to restrictive measures or needed additional sedative medication.

What the researchers found

The researchers could not statistically demonstrate that the blanket improved sleep or behaviour. During the weeks with the blanket, fewer falls, fewer awakenings and fewer restrictive measures were reported, but with 14 people this could be due to chance.

No one stopped, and there were no adverse effects. The blanket was simply not always used as agreed, and the sleep sensor did not measure sleep accurately. According to the researchers, you can offer a weighted blanket as something with few risks, as long as it is clear that there is no evidence that it works. Based on these results, they see insufficient reason for a larger follow-up study.

Study in brief

• Researchers: Suzanne Dawson, Lorraine Ng, Kate Laver and colleagues, Flinders University
• Year and journal: 2026, Geriatric Nursing
• Country: Australia
• Study type: small randomized pilot study with a crossover design
• Participants: 14 residents with dementia and agitated behaviour
• Duration: two weeks with and two weeks without the blanket
• Blanket: weighted blanket weighing no more than 12% of body weight
• Source: Dawson and colleagues, 2026

What these studies do not say

• The Swedish study had no comparison group. We do not know whether the residents would also have slept better without the blanket, for example because of the extra attention.
• More than a third stopped early, and those who stopped were on average younger and more often men. The results therefore concern those who tolerated the blanket.
• Many answers came from care staff or family members who knew that a blanket was being used.
• The Swedish study was 30% funded by Mondian AB, a supplier of chain blankets to Swedish healthcare providers. The researchers themselves reported no conflict of interest.
• The Australian study was too small to measure an effect reliably, and the sleep sensor did not work well. So, in this case, not measuring an effect does not mean that there is no effect.
• Neither study says anything about older people living at home.

How this fits with other research

In an Australian hospital, 30 people with dementia and agitation received a weighted blanket for no more than an hour in the evening, weighing no more than 10% of their body weight. Seven out of ten kept it on for the full hour, and their agitation decreased more than in 30 people receiving usual care. No one suffered skin damage or fell. They also received sedative medication less often, although the study was too small to say anything about that (Fox and colleagues, 2026). You can read more about this in the summary of hospital studies.

The Swedish registry study also found that people over 65 kept the blanket for a shorter time. You can read more about Sweden in the article about prescription weighted blankets. You can see the bigger picture in the overview of all the research.

What you can take away from this as a reader

Is your father or mother sleeping restlessly in a nursing home? Start with the doctor or care staff. You can try a weighted blanket, but the research makes no promises, and the Australian study found no measurable effect in people with dementia. Have them supervise the first few times.

A few rules always apply:

• The person must be able to remove the blanket themselves. In the hospital study, everyone managed this except one person, who needed help from a nurse.
• Never use the blanket to keep someone still or in bed. That would constitute restraint. If they do not want it over them, stop using it.
• If someone has heart or lung problems, fragile skin or wounds, or has difficulty turning over, consult a doctor first. In the Swedish study, people with serious heart or lung conditions did not participate, and with longer use, pressure on the skin may be a factor.
• It is better to choose one that is too light than too heavy. The rule of thumb is approximately 10% of body weight, but this is a practical guideline, not a research finding (here's how to choose the right weight).

More information about safe use can be found on the safety page. You can find tips for evening restlessness in this article about weighted blankets in care settings.

Sources

Hjort Telhede, E., Arvidsson, S., Karlsson, S., & Ivarsson, A. (2022). Weighted blankets' effect on the health of older people living in nursing homes. Geriatrics, 7(4), 79. DOI

Dawson, S., Ng, L., Gulyani, A., George, S., Loffler, K. A., Xu, Q., & Laver, K. (2026). The feasibility and efficacy of weighted blankets as a sleep intervention for people with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia: a pilot randomised crossover trial. Geriatric Nursing, 73, 104269. DOI

Fox, A., Tomkins, E., Valcovich, M., & Ballard, E. (2026). Evaluating the safety, feasibility and acceptability of weighted blankets in acute care for people with dementia: A randomised control trial. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 82(4), 3859-3871. DOI

Odéus, E., et al. (2023). Weighted blankets for sleep problems: prescription, use and cost analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 30(2), 211-221. DOI

Alzheimer Nederland. Facts and figures about dementia. Link

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? Consult your GP or healthcare provider first.

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