Occupational Therapy Professor Publishes Research
January 25, 2024 — Getting enough sleep is an essential part of life, but sleep can be elusive for people experiencing nightly insomnia. In occupational therapy, insomnia is viewed as an impairment to the occupation of sleep, affecting the overall quality of one’s life.
Dr. Rhonda Davis-Cheshire, associate professor in Kettering College’s Occupational Therapy doctoral program, recently led important research with her students, which looked at using a weighted blanket as assistive technology that can decrease occurrences of insomnia in people with sensory sensitivity (particularly tactile input) greater than the average population.
Occupational therapists (OTs) often integrate assistive technology to help people enjoy meaningful lives. Assistive technology encompasses any tool, product, or equipment that helps improve a daily activity. “A weighted blanket,” says Dr. Davis-Cheshire, “is a low-tech form of assistive technology.”
The title of her published research is The Impact of Weighted Blanket Use on Adults with Sensory Sensitivity and Insomnia. This 30-day study looked at four individuals who, based on assessments used in the study, qualified as experiencing insomnia and having sensory sensitivity greater than the average population. Each participant received a weighted blanket along with assessment tools to track their sleep data each day throughout the study.
One of the reasons Dr. Davis-Cheshire was curious to research this topic was the increasing popularity and availability of weighted blankets. Her article notes that some initial research exists that shows a decrease in anxiety with the assistance of a weighted blanket during the daytime for people with anxiety, but there is limited research and evidence for the intervention of weighted blankets to improve nighttime sleep.
Dr. Davis-Cheshire says, “When an OT recommends a sensory support for a client, like a weighted blanket, they need to base these recommendations on evidence. OTs need to have assessed the client’s sensory processing and then determine which individuals with insomnia and what kind of sensory profiles would benefit from the use of a weighted blanket.”
She adds, “For the clients we studied with sensory sensitivity (particularly to tactile input), we saw that during the period of the intervention, there was a decrease in participants’ insomnia with the use of a weighted blanket.” The article also notes, “In addition, those with self-reported anxiety may have increased benefit from this intervention.”
She says, “We don’t want OTs and other healthcare professionals making random recommendations. Generalizing that a weighted blanket can be helpful to everyone is not accurate or evidence-based at this point and neither is the recommendation a weighted blanket should be 10% of an individual’s body weight. This is a topic that really requires more investigation.”
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