Weighted blankets aren’t complicated, but finding the perfect one for you can be. Like shopping for any new bedding, you’ll want to consider a few things before dropping $50 or more on the first decent cooling weighted blanket you find. Here’s the low-down on what to look for.
Weight
First and foremost, you’ll want to think about how heavy you should go. The rule of thumb is to select a weighted blanket that’s roughly 10% of your body weight. So, a 150-pound sleeper would do best with a 15-pound weighted blanket; a 300-pound person might want a heavier, 30-pound model. If you fall in between suggested weights (say, 180 pounds), we typically recommend sizing up (in this case, to a 20-pound blanket). If this is your first weighted blanket, consider sizing down with a slightly lighter option until you get used to sleeping with the extra weight on top of you.
Filling
What’s inside a weighted blanket is just as important—maybe more so—than what’s on the outside. Almost every weighted blanket on the market (including the cooling weighted blankets in this roundup) is filled with tiny glass beads or plastic poly pellets. Glass has the edge here—it’s denser than plastic, has inherent cooling properties, and is more eco-friendly. Naturally, it’s also more expensive, but here you really do get what you pay for.
But the very best option, in our opinion, is a non-filled model that instead uses a chunky, heavyweight fabric yarn to give the blanket its heft (like those from Bearaby). This type of cooling weighted blanket is usually softer and has the added benefit of being machine-washable, too, without the need for a separate duvet cover.
Maintenance and Care
Most bead-filled weighted blankets cannot be machine-washed. Trust us—trying to do so can be disastrous. It’s recommended instead that they be hand-washed or spot-cleaned. For those models, you’ll likely want to use a machine-washable duvet cover to keep your blanket fresh.
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