Do Weighted Blankets Work?

IF YOU WRESTLE with insomnia (and, consequently, the bedcovers!), you probably have been tempted to try anything that promises better sleep. One thing that might sound a little weird but that has been known to work: adding a weighted blanket to those bedcovers.

- Diane Peters

"They've become the sleep tool to have," says Alanna McGinn, founder and lead sleep expert at Good Night Sleep Site. "I'm a huge proponent of them because they can work so well."

About 32% of Americans don't get enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts there recommend at least seven hours of shut-eye per night for adults. But as many as 35% of adults have trouble sleeping from time to time, and 10% regularly have trouble falling and staying asleep.