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“Today is your day; Your mountain is waiting. So, get on your way!”

Dr Seuss, (Theodor Seuss Geisel, 1904-1991), American children’s author, illustrator, animator and cartoonist.

Weighted Covers

Those appeared on the market recently and have been recommended for better sleep.

As literature is missing on this subject, I experimented with one of them and decided to write a short explanation from the medical point of view.

Sleep is influenced by several pathways, but most important is the neuro-vegetative system (NVS).

All our activities depend on it.

When standing upright, blood pressure tends to decrease, because simply of blood distribution.

It needs to be sustained by the sympathetic pendant of the NVS.

In recumbent position, it increases at first and liquid is excreted by the kidneys.

Now the parasympathetic pendant is prevalent.

Hence, all our body possesses adaptation mechanisms of the NVS.

The Musculo-Skeletal (MSS) is not an exception to this rule.

In the upright stance bodyweight presses on articular cartilage, which increases in return the firing of the sympathetic pendant (NVS-SP) and decreases activity of the parasympathetic one (NVS-PP).

Joint capsules have also pressure receptors, which are firing in an on-and-off way.

Pressure increases activity of the NVS-SP, while tension decreases it.

The opposite happens with the NVS-PP.

Hence, weight applied on your body decreases firing of the NVS-SP.

This is because articular capsules (understood as ligaments and tendons) are under tension, while cartilage is off-weight.

Thus, left lateral and right lateral position in bed is more efficient in promoting sleep than the dorsal an ventral ones.

On the other side, pressure on tissues, especially muscle, empties the micro-vasculature, which decreases the drive of the SP.

Diuresis volume increases.

This action starts soon after falling asleep, but lasts half an hour, or even longer, on awakening.

Thus, the sleep was deeper!

Here, a strong coffee can help.

With movement there evolves an activation of the whole NVS, because of the on-off phenomenon on the MSS.

Also, a weighted cover increases the REM sleep on behalf of non-REM component.

Hence, you need to catch up with last one from time to time, that is without a heavy cover.

Weight over the body improves and accelerates falling asleep.

Hence, during the night you must adapt to needs.

By experience, you know on average how many hours.

Then, you start with the weighted cover, or without and you finish reversing it.

You might have to do this procedure even several times on the row, if you are lacking experience with the method.