Weighted Blankets Reduce Anxiety in Hospitalized Adults

Anxiety is common among hospitalized adults and can impair recovery, disrupt sleep, and worsen mental health. Although clinicians often use nonpharmacologic strategies, bedside options that act quickly remain limited. This can affect patient comfort and engagement in care during acute illness. In response, nurses have evaluated whether weighted blankets can help reduce anxiety during inpatient stays.

The intervention used a 15-pound (6.8-kg) weighted blanket during short, timed sessions at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, part of BJC Health West Region. A nurse-led team, supported by biostatisticians, conducted a small pilot trial in acutely ill adults, focusing on a setting and patient population in which weighted-blanket use had not previously been studied.

From March 2023 through February 2025, nursing staff identified eligible inpatients and obtained consent. Fifty-four participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups for an hourlong protocol consisting of three 20-minute periods. One group received the weighted blanket first, followed by usual care, while the other received usual care first and then the blanket. Both groups completed a final usual-care period to assess any carryover effect.

Anxiety was self-rated on a 0-to-10 scale at baseline and at 20-minute intervals. The greatest reduction occurred immediately after the weighted-blanket period in both groups. Compared with usual care, the blanket produced a mean 3.6-point decrease in anxiety, with trends suggesting some continued benefit after removal.

An exit survey indicated more than 80% of patients in both groups found the blanket calming. However, 26% reported feeling too warm and 33% felt the 15-pound blanket was too heavy. Findings were published in the American Journal of Critical Care on September 1, 2026.

“Weighted blankets have been shown to provide therapeutic benefits in a variety of settings, including dental offices, inpatient mental health facilities and occupational therapy clinics. Hospitalized patients often experience heightened anxiety, which can negatively affect their recovery, sleep and mental health. Our study found that a short treatment period with a weighted blanket can ease their anxiety significantly more than other nonpharmacologic methods, even after the blanket is removed,” said Marci Ebberts, MSN, FNP-C, CCRN, program director of nursing research at Saint Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri.

Related Links
Saint Luke's Hospital