wispfox | [AS.weighted blankets]

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neurologic.autism spectrum

[AS.weighted blankets]

So... I can find weighted blankets, as well as instructions on how to make them, which is good. (yay!)

But I'm not even sure that what I'm actually looking for is possible. I can approximate weighted blankets in the winter by piling lots of blankets on myself. But, in summer, it's too warm and/or humid for that. So I'm trying to find something which would have weight but no to nearly no heat retention (the equivalant of a very thin sheet, or nothing at all). I'm not sure this is possible, though...

(instructions), and a couple of ebay stores which sell them. Also, some other stores with sensory stimulation stuff, just because lots of them are nifty. :)

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Oh my! Why do you want weighted blankets? What do they do for AS? I *REALLY REALLY REALLY* want a weighted blanket with little heat retention, but I'd be happy to have a plain old weighted blanket for winter... I never realized this was anything other than a personal quirk.

One part of my brain is going "Ooooh, weighted blanket sounds like such a niftyhelpful idea". Another is going "waitaminute", because, in the case of the home-made, if the weight is in the pockets, it's not going to be evenly distributed, and clumps have something of an opposite effect. (Manufactured ones seem to have solved that problem, but anything of a reasonable blanket size is very, very pricy. And layered multiple blankets confuse me, pile up in heaps, slide off the bed, and are generally unmanageable and, again, produce the opposite effect).

Ah well, good thing I can stand very large amounts of hot. :)

Could you make a weighted sheet?

Someone else wants this? Cool! I thought I was just weird.

For the "eeighted blanket with no heat retention" I've played around with the idea of creating a metal mesh (high heat conductivity) woven into a large piece of fabric. You'd probably want the mesh covered, but if it was fine enough it could be covered by just a thin layer of fabric and still (I'm hoping) feel fairly comfortable. That would be an "anti-blanket" in that it would help you radiate heat instead of storing it. At least in theory :-}.

Why...?

Why why why?

Heavy blankets are really soothing and calming, to me. No idea why other people would want them.

From searching, it appears to be a weigh to help with getting to sleep. Huh!

I'm internally often overheated, so the idea of weighing myself down to go to sleep is creepy and wrong. (Also phobia!) Mostly I want my ass covered, and anything else is gravy.

... euuu.

Perhaps a heavy fabric, but a holey pattern? I really have no idea. Alternately, a good A/C unit in your room, or rocks.

That's kind of a neat idea. I wonder if a blanket filled with sand (or whatever) but perforated with largish holes would work?

In response to your other comment, I do find that heavy blankets help me go to sleep, enough so that I want them even in the summer when having them on me causes serious overheating and awfulness. I usually wind up sweating and choosing to throw them off, but ...

I also like having a friendly motionless person lie on top of me if I'm on my stomach. That feels *great*.

Weighted blankets tend to help with overstim problems, and for me, help with getting to sleep if I'm having trouble (probably if I'm having trouble because of too much stimulation).

More specifically, deep pressure helps. It's why I will ask people to sqeeze me really, really, really tightly, sometimes.

clumps have something of an opposite effect

True. But I figure there must be _some_ way to make a home-made one be not clumped...

I... don't know!

Maybe. I shall contemplate. That would be good, if possible. (I'm not sure a sheet is strong enough, for example)

Thank you. That's really interesting to me, as it lines up pretty well with the reason I like that kind of blanket, too.

metal mesh & blanket: Yeah, I was thinking something along those lines, but wasn't sure how well it would work, for comfort and flexibility.

also, I suspect it'd be more expensive, by far, than something which has some sort of pellet thing in it. :)

Tunnels, rather than pockets? And then overstitch the whole thing, all the way through? The same way you keep batting in a quilt/comforter from bunching, I'd expect.

Because, along with other types of deep pressure, it helps with overstim problems. I tend to have overstim problems being one of the major reason I can't settle down enough to sleep.

This is along the same lines as me sometimes requesting being squeezed very, very tightly (thus why

australian_joe sometimes refers to himself in relation to me as something the lines of an autistic cuddle bar. I believe that term partly comes from the idea of a Squeeze Chair (http://channel.creative-capital.org/project_311.html), originally created by Dr. Temple Grandan), in order to cope with being overstimed.

heavy fabric w/holes may or may not work. Might just result in me being similtaneously hot and cold. :)

A/C - I use that, but would prefer to not have to use A/C to counteract the fact that I've a heavy blanket on me. I did this last night, in fact. I'd prefer to use less A/C, generally.

Now I'm imagining a quilt with the batting replaced by chainmail. It'd be a horrible amout of work to make, unfortunatly. . . But if you used fairly thin cloth, it wouldn't retain heat much, while being reasonably heavy. And it would provide some protection from random sword blows. :-)

In response to your other comment, I do find that heavy blankets help me go to sleep, enough so that I want them even in the summer when having them on me causes serious overheating and awfulness. I usually wind up sweating and choosing to throw them off, but ...

Ditto. I'd rather something which I didn't have to throw off, though! Or, which I could have a small amount of A/C, rather than a huge amount, to counteract it.

I also like having a friendly motionless person lie on top of me if I'm on my stomach. That feels *great*.

My god, yes. I've definitely asked

australian_joe to do this, multiple times. Unfortunately, he's enough heavier than me that, much as I _want_ all his weight on me, that's just really not workable (I tend to try to get it to the point where it's almost a problem for breathing, but not quite).

(incidentally, I find it amusing that there's all these things I want to make, even though I have no idea how. reflective curtains! Weighted blankets! skylight blocking shade which can be used from the ground!)

Incidentally:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/wispfox/520115.html?replyto=3346867

Oooo, how about a sheet-sized piece of chainmail? Probably used over a sheet so it's not too cold :)

Though I'm guessing this would not be cheap, the idea delights me.

Hmm... maybe.

If there were such a thing available as a sheet, rather than a blanket, it would _so_ be worth buying it instead of making it myself. ;)

But I am very amused by the chainmail quilt (http://www.livejournal.com/users/wispfox/520115.html?replyto=3346867) idea. ;)

*giggling* Alright, is _everyone_ going to come up with this idea? ;)

(admittedly, I had already contemplated this idea, and given it up as _way_ too much work. ;)

I am amused to note that so far three people (including you) have suggested something along these lines. I had, in fact, considered it, but discarded as entirely too much work, and probably fairly expensive.

I note that, in my explorations to find these, they were listed as useful for Austism Spectrum (AS), ADD, and other sensory integration problems.

And, welcome!

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[AS.weighted blankets]

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chainmail quilt

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Re: chainmail quilt

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