When I was asked to test the best weighted blankets, I’ll admit that I was a tad sceptical. I can’t bear feeling pinned down by anything, so I couldn’t see how a weighted blanket was going to do anything except irritate me deeply. Fortunately, the range of weights and sizes on the market mean that you don’t need to be lying under a ten ton weight and I was pleasantly surprised by how light and airy some of my options felt.
I suffer with quite a lot of pain in my legs, so was interested to see if a weighted blanket could help with this. And, to get a wider viewpoint, I asked friends with sleep issues and anxiety to also try the weighted blankets to see if they helped with symptoms. The best weighted blankets I’ve included here all made the grade in some or all of these departments.
So, how do weighted blankets work? “Weighted blankets work through deep pressure stimulation, which calms the nervous system by applying even, gentle pressure across the body,” explains NHS GP, Dr Punam Krishan. “This tends to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system - our 'rest and digest' mode - which can lower heart rate, ease physical tension and support the release of serotonin and melatonin.”
For context, I’m of a lightweight build and 5ft 9in tall – heavier options I have included were also tested by my husband, who is heavier and taller than me. I’ve been reviewing sleep products for the last six years, looking at various ways to improve your sleep and testing products that can help, from mattresses through to duvets and pillows. This time I’ve turned my attention to the best weighted blankets – read on to find out which ones I recommend.
Read more: Best mattresses, tested
The best weighted blankets for 2026 are:
- Best overall – The Oodie weighted blanket: £109, Theoodie.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Dunelm Fogarty calm and cosy weighted blanket: £35, Dunelm.com
- Best for heavier sleepers – Emma hug weighted blanket: £104, Emma-sleep.co.uk
- Best for the bed – Silentnight wellbeing weighted blanket: £45, Amazon.co.uk
Read more: Best mattress toppers, tested
The Oodie weighted blanket
Best: weighted blanket overall
Why we love it
- Soft and cosy fabric
- Ideal for colder months
- You can barely feel the beads
- Comes with a useful cotton carry bag
Take note
- Hand washing is recommended
The Oodie is the ideal pick if you’re looking for the best weighted blanket that will keep you warm in the chillier months or just want something that feels snuggly and inviting. Weight-wise, this blanket was a particularly good fit for me as it comes in a 4.5kg weight, as well as 6.8kg and 9kg offerings. The choice of weights also means this blanket will suit a wide variety of people.
There are nine colours to choose from and although the blanket is 100 per cent polyester, it uses a minky plush version to give it an incredibly soft and inviting feel. Although the fabric is a bit slippery, so you’ll need to make sure you arrange it carefully.
I was pleased to find that you can barely feel the beads in The Oodie and this certainly helped to make it feel more comfortable. The brand say that the blanket has a seven layer design, which is presumably what keeps you from feeling the beads and the individual square pockets are well stitched together to prevent the beads shifting around too much.
The Oodie isn’t the easiest blanket to care for though – although you can machine wash on a cold gentle cycle, it’s recommended that you hand wash it. You’ll also need to air dry it flat, which requires a certain amount of space. But if you don’t mind this and want a weighted blanket to snuggle under when it’s cold, this should be your first pick.
Key specifications
Buy now £76.3, Theoodie.co.uk
Dunelm Fogarty calm and cosy weighted blanket
Best: budget weighted blanket
Why we love it
- Soft and tactile fabric
- Well-made, with pockets that keep beads in place
- Comfortable and doesn’t constrict movement
Take note
- Polyester isn’t breathable enough for hot sleepers
Dunelm’s Fogarty weighted blanket is astonishingly good value for money at £35, measuring an impressive 150x200cm and available in both 5kg and 7kg weights. There’s a choice of two colourways (sage green and silver) and I was impressed that the blanket can be both machine washed and tumble dried on a low heat.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this option to very hot sleepers as it is 100 per cent polyester, but the fabric felt smooth to the touch, and I thought the edges and stitching were of a high standard for such a budget option.
The neatly divided squares help to keep the beads in place, although I could feel them a little through the fabric. I was sent the 7kg version, which was a touch too heavy for me, but my husband found this comfortable and easy to move around while he was lying under it. All in all, the Fogarty is the best budget weighted blanket you can buy.
Key specifications
Buy now £35, Dunelm.com
Bearaby cotton napper weighted blanket
Best: knitted weighted blanket
Why we love it
- Weight is evenly distributed and doesn’t feel overwhelming
- Elegant design
- Organic cotton is good for allergy sufferers
Take note
- Care isn’t the easiest
- Expensive
Made entirely from organic cotton, the Bearaby cotton napper uses a chunky knotted knit to evenly distribute weight across your body – there are no signs of glass beads here at all. It’s available four different colours and only a 7kg weight, but unlike a glass bead weighted blanket at this weight, I didn’t find the Bearaby too heavy or oppressive. The knotted design feels less imposing than a traditional weighted blanket and I found it particularly comfortable using it on the sofa, where it did help to ease leg pain.
The blanket comes with its own smart bag and ties to hold it together, but it is worth noting that it’s going to be somewhat bulkier to store. And, although you can machine wash the blanket on a gentle cycle, you’ll need to make sure your washing machine can handle the weight as it will become heavier when it’s wet. It also needs to be tumble dried so for many people, it’s going to be better to take this to your local laundromat. Overall, this is such an attractive blanket, and it looks fabulous wherever you put it in the house. Plus if you’re an allergy sufferer, the organic cotton should be a perfect fit.
Key specifications
Buy now £304, Healf.com
Emma hug weighted blanket
Best: weighted blanket for heavier sleepers
Why we love it
- Ideal for larger bodies
- Soft and breathable cotton cover
- Tiny beads that can’t be felt
- Super king size is impressively large
Take note
- Too heavy for lighter bodies
Upfront, I must say that the Emma hug was simply way too heavy for me at 13.5kg in a super king size. There is a lighter 7kg single size version available as well though, although this will still probably be too heavy for lighter bodies. The super king version is quite a monster size wise and even my husband struggled to move around under it. However, if you’re of a larger build I think you’re going to absolutely adore this blanket. It’s well-made with a soft and breathable cotton cover and the layered design means that you can’t feel the beads inside it at all.
Best known for its mattresses, Emma follow a similar approach with the weighted blanket and it’s one of the few I’ve come across with multiple layers. Under the cotton cover you have quilted microfibre layers followed by more polyester microfibre padding for comfort, before you finally get to the micro glass beads. The overall effect is of a luxurious and elegant blanket and, thanks to its heft, you’ll get plenty of soothing pressure overall.
Read more: Best Emma mattresses, reviewed
Key specifications
Buy now £104, Emma-sleep.co.uk
Silentnight wellbeing weighted blanket
Best: weighted blanket for the bed
Why we love it
- Smooth finish
- Good coverage for most beds
- Ideal for larger bodies (9kg version)
- Can’t feel the beads
Take note
- Too warm for hot sleepers
Coming in at 9kg, the Silentnight weighted blanket I tested is hefty, but you can also get a 6.8kg version, as well as a 3kg version for children over three years (used with supervision). The grey fabric isn’t the most alluring but it’s well-made and the smooth fabric is easy to fold up if you want to store the blanket away. It’s soft to the touch and the glass beads are secured away in neatly stitched pockets that are padded enough for you not to feel anything inside.
Although it is machine washable, I found that this blanket was easy to spot clean. However I didn’t think it was the best choice for hotter sleepers as my husband found it too warm to sleep under. Larger bodies should enjoy the heft of the 9kg version and as it’s a king size, it will work well on many beds. At £55 it’s also well-priced in the weighted blanket market and offers plenty of firm pressure that my testers with anxiety really appreciated.
Key specifications
Buy now £45, Amazon.co.uk
Dusk weighted blanket
Best: light weighted blanket
Why we love it
- Not too large
- Soft quilted cover
- Easy to move from room to room
- Light enough to use in warmer weather
Take note
- You can feel the beads a little
The Dusk weighted blanket is an ideal choice if you want to start off with something lighter, as it’s smaller than most at 120cm x 90cm and the weight is only 4.2kg. Made from polyester microfibre, this blanket has a nice soft quilted design and felt well-made with individual pockets containing the glass beads.
Speaking of those beads though, I was able to feel them slightly through the fabric, so this might not be the best choice for very sensitive people. As it’s lighter than most, you should also be able to enjoy this blanket on the sofa and move around under it easily. My neighbour found this blanket nicely soothing and relaxing, without feeling overwhelmed by the weight and also noted that it was easy to move from room to room.
If you’re looking for a weighted blanket to cover anything bigger than a single bed though, this won’t be your best option. But for smaller adults and children over three years (used with supervision), it could be the perfect fit.
Key specifications
Buy now £29, Dusk.com
OHS teddy fleece quilted weighted blanket
Best: cheap weighted blanket
Why we love it
- Great choice of colours
- Very reasonably priced
- Soft to the touch
Take note
- Material doesn’t feel as high quality as some options
This light, fluffy fleece blanket from Online Home Shop is available in nine different colours, with both a 6kg and 8kg weight option available. This is a fantastic budget choice as it’s only £22 at full price and you’ll often find discounts available on top of this. The 6kg blanket is slightly smaller than the 8kg blanket, but both are of a decent size and would cover a double bed.
This blanket was easy to move around under, and the pressure was of a nice level for most of my testers. However, the fleece felt a little on the cheap side (which is fair enough considering the bargain price) and the polyester isn’t the most breathable of fabrics for those who heat up easily. It’s also hand wash only and I do think the pile of the soft velvety fleece may not last as long as some of the pricier options on the list.
Still, the cheap price and lovely range of colours available meant that I didn’t have to be be particularly precious about this weighted blanket, while it still looked nice draped over the sofa or end of the bed.
Key specifications
Buy now £20, Onlinehomeshop.com
Karmara karma switch weighted blanket
Best: weighted blanket for summer
Why we love it
- Light and easy to move around under
- Easy to mould around the body
- Plush and luxurious feel
Take note
- Not warm enough for colder months
The Karmara weighted blanket would be my first choice for the summer months. It comes with a gorgeous soft cotton cover, in seven different vibrant colours, paired with an inner weighted blanket made with cotton, glass beads and a small amount of polyester.
I tried the 6kg weight, but you can also choose from 8,10 or 12kg options – this is a blanket to suit a variety of shapes and sizes. There are also two size options to choose from. This combination of a thinner cover and a blanket with well distributed beads meant that I found the Kamara far easier to move around under than its weight would have suggested, and my hot-sleeping husband found it nicely breathable through the night.
As with the Owl + Lark blanket I also tested, the Kamara uses ribbon ties to attach the blanket to its cover, but the cover closes with a zip rather than buttons. Everything stays firmly in place as you move around and it’s good to know that the cover is hypoallergenic and washable at 30C.
You can’t feel the beads when you’re under the blanket and it instead just feels like a plush and high quality item. I did, however, think that it might not be warm enough for some people over the winter months.
Kep specifications
Buy now £140, Karmara.co.uk
Allure Bath Fashions slumber weighted blanket
Best: weighted blanket for the sofa
Why we love it
- Ideal for the sofa
- Smaller size is ideal for lighter and shorter people
- Elegant colour
- Can’t feel the beads
Take note
- Too warm for hot sleepers
What I really liked about the Allure blanket was the range was that there’s a smaller size available in the lighter weight versions (4kg, 5.5kg and 6.8kg). This makes the blanket ideal for smaller and lighter people who don’t want to be enveloped by huge amounts of material. The 4kg version also comes in a larger size, which is also available in 7kg and 9kg, although I was a little confused as to why this wasn’t an option for the other two weights.
Unusually the blanket also has a tog rating (2.5), and I thought this was the ideal choice for sofa lounging, thanks to its smaller size options. This is a smart blanket in an elegant dark grey and I couldn’t feel the beads through the fabric. It’s well stitched together and nicely finished, but my husband found the 100% polyester microfibre finish a little on the warm side. The blanket is often on sale so do wait and grab it while it’s a bargain price.
Key specifications
Buy now £42, Allurebathfashions.co.uk
Shleep merino knit fleece weighted blanket
Best: luxury weighted blanket
Why we love it
- Gorgeous fabrics and beautiful colours
- Soft and extremely comfortable
- Doesn’t feel too heavy or weighty
Take note
- Expensive
- Dry clean only
This Shleep weighted blanket received the ultimate accolade in our house as one of our foster cats fell in love with it (and was quietly judgemental when it was taken off the bed). Feline overlord approval aside, the Shleep is the weighted blanket for people who don’t like the idea of them. The brand explains that the weight comes from the length of the fleece used, and I felt that this blanket really did feel like a gentle hug across the entire body. It’s less of a weighted feel and more of a cosseting.
Shleep’s blanket is made of merino wool, silk, cotton and bamboo and, despite its fleecy lining, it’s nicely breathable thanks to the fabrics used. However, this is a blanket best suited to the depths of winter, in my opinion.
The blanket comes in both king and super king sizes and there are six different colours to choose from. Of course, there’s no getting away from the price tag here, but if you have the budget I don’t think you’ll find anything more luxurious out there.
Key specifications
Buy now £2089, Johnlewis.com
Owl + Lark weighted blanket
Best: designed weighted blanket
Why we love it
- Luxurious and thoughtful design
- Comes with a canvas carry bag
- Breathable
Take note
- Material is a little slippery
- Expensive
The Owl + Lark weighted blanket comes in a choice of three weights (5, 7 and 9kg) and a choice of four really pretty colours. I was sent the verde green option, a beautiful sea green, and this, combined with the silky bamboo fabric, made for a really elegant and attractive blanket.
This blanket comes with its own 100 per cent bamboo cover that’s machine washable, making it incredibly easy to keep it clean and fresh. Inside this you’ll find the actual weighted blanket, which is made from bamboo and polyester, and is well-filled with glass beads that are kept spaced out in individual pockets. The bamboo gives the blanket quite a silky feel, which did make it a touch slippery, but the weight of the beads balanced this out.
I was really impressed with the design of the Owl + Lark weighted blanket, which has cotton ribbon ties to attach the cover to the internal blanket, followed by smart press studs to keep the whole design closed up.
Thanks to all the bamboo, it was also one of the most breathable options I tested, and my hot-sleeping husband didn’t find it overbearingly warm. And several of my testers were highly impressed by how much better they slept under this blanket. In fact, the Owl + Lark only missed out on the top spot due to its higher price compared to The Oodie.
At the time of writing, the Owl + Lark weighted blanket is out of stock, but you can sign up to notified when it’s back.
Key specifications
Buy now £221, Owllark.com
Your weighted blanket questions answered
What’s the best weighted blanket?
For winter and colder weather, The Oodie is a great option, thanks to its fleecy finish, and it takes the top spot overall. The Bearaby cotton napper also impressed me with its beautiful finish and well-distributed weight, but it is on the pricey side. Budget wise, the Fogarty blanket from Dunelm punched above its weight with soft fabrics and securely stitched pocketing.
How I tested weighted blankets
I tested a range of weighted blankets, assessing some of the most popular options on the market to see how they compared. I looked at the following criteria:
Can weighted blankets help with anxiety, sensory issues or sleep issues?
“The calming effect that weighted blankets produce is also likely why people often report falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer,” explains Dr Punam Krishan. “It's a similar concept to why a firm hug or swaddling a baby has a settling effect. And for people with sensory processing differences, that consistent input can also help the nervous system feel more regulated, which is why occupational therapists often incorporate weighted blankets into sensory-based approaches for conditions like autism and ADHD.”
Are there any disadvantages to a weighted blanket from a medical perspective?
“I recommend researching or checking with a medical practitioner that it's safe for you to use a weighted blanket if you have any conditions that it could hinder, as well as trying it out while awake to check you're comfortable and don't feel restricted,” says Dr Punam.
“While the weight is not a problem for most people, someone with limited mobility may struggle with the weight of the blanket and it’s important to ensure you, or your loved one if you’re caring for someone, is able to move the blanket off themselves if needed. Weighted blankets could also potentially restrict chest expansion when breathing and so those living with asthma, sleep apnoea or COPD should take extra precautions.”
Have there been any medical studies on weighted blankets?
“While studies specifically on the impact of weighted blankets are still fairly limited, a small study into adults with insomnia and a co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis found that weighted blankets were an effective intervention.”
“More generally speaking, there's a wider body of research on the link between relaxation and sleep quality, and we know that a calm nervous system and physical comfort at bedtime are key to falling asleep and staying asleep. Comfort-focused approaches like weighted blankets are worth considering for an improved sleep routine, alongside other helps like a comfortable mattress and a consistent bedtime.”
“However, a weighted blanket is a comfort tool that can complement good sleep habits, but it isn't a substitute for addressing the root cause of poor sleep or anxiety. So, if you're struggling with sleep or anxiety regularly, it's always worth speaking to your GP as there may be an underlying issue worth exploring.”
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
IndyBest is The Independent’s product reviews section, where a team of experts tests sleep-related items over weeks, months or even years. IndyBest pros have tested everything from the best mattresses to the best duvets, and from top-rated bedding sets to the best mattress toppers. Their wealth of information and expert insights guide the product selection and testing process.
Jo Plumridge is an expert product tester with more than 20 years of experience, and has tested sleep products like the best goose down duvet covers and anti-allergy pillows, as well as other home products like the best cylinder vacuums to the best shower heads for IndyBest. Her interests centre on interior design, sleep and photography, as well as home and tech products. For her review of weighted blankets each one was tested in her own home, and with those with sleep issues and anxiety.
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