Do Weighted Blankets Help Anxiety? Everything to Know About the Calming Tool Kendall Jenner Uses
Kendall Jenner — model, reality TV star and one of the most recognizable people on the planet — has spent years publicly discussing her anxiety, including panic attacks and shortness of breath she’s experienced since childhood. One of the tools she uses to soothe her mind and body is a weighted blanket.
Her endorsement, paired with research on how the blankets affect stress hormones, has helped turn a once-niche sleep accessory into a mainstream wellness staple.
Why Kendall Jenner Says a Weighted Blanket Helps With Anxiety
In a 2021 Poosh holiday gift guide, Jenner recommended a Baloo Living 15-pound weighted blanket.
“I love a weighted blanket. It helps with anxiety and feeling calm,” she wrote. “Curling up with one and watching a movie is my favorite — like a good cuddle.”
Jenner has been open for years about the toll anxiety takes on her. In a 2018 Harper’s Bazaar conversation with Cara Delevingne, she said: “I have such debilitating anxiety because of everything going on that I literally wake up in the middle of the night with full-on panic attacks.”
She echoed that to Vogue in August 2022. “I have struggled with anxiety for years and it can have good and bad days,” Jenner said. “If I need to wind down, I really make a point to take 15 minutes to meditate to settle my anxiety so I can get a good night’s rest.”
How Weighted Blankets Work, According to a Mayo Clinic Doctor
The science behind the calming effect is real, even if modest.
Dr. Adam Perlman, director of integrative health and wellbeing at Mayo Clinic Florida, who has not treated Jenner, told Mayo Clinic that trials “have shown that people who use weighted blankets do report better sleep. They report less stress and anxiety, and there’s even one small study where they reported less pain.”
The mechanism, he explained, comes down to hormones. Using a weighted blanket is associated with “a decrease of cortisol, which is sort of our stress hormone, and an increase of serotonin and dopamine — two neurotransmitters that really affect our mood,” Perlman said.
He compared the sensation to being held.
“What is it about the blankets that give this, perhaps, simulation of a hug or an actual hug that leads to our feeling more relaxed, and maybe better able to sleep? Again, that comes likely through the physiologic response in the body,” Perlman said.
The brand Jenner recommended, Baloo Living, leans into that imagery directly. Its blankets are “inspired by the gentle, grounding feeling of being held” and “designed to support deeper rest, reduce stress, and bring a sense of ease back into your daily life,” according to the company’s website.
What Else Kendall Jenner Does to Wind Down at Night
The blanket is one piece of a larger ritual.
Jenner told Vogue she keeps an insulated Takeya water bottle, a Rose Mint Teeth Whitening Pen and a MAD et LEN black champaka candle on her bedside table. She drinks tea, reads or journals before bed, and tries to keep her phone away for at least an hour before sleep. She also sticks to a consistent bedtime at home and sets a morning alarm so she can ride her horse.
In a May 2021 conversation with psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula for Vogue’s “Open Minded” series, she traced her symptoms back to childhood.
“I remember being really young — I’d say 8, 9, 10 — and having shortness of breath and going to my mom and telling her that,” Jenner said.
“I’ve had times where I feel like I need to be rushed to the hospital because I think my heart’s failing and I can’t breathe and I need someone to help me. Sometimes I think I’m dying,” she continued, adding, “I’ll never sit here and say that I’m not fortunate. I know I live a very privileged, amazing lifestyle. I’m a very blessed girl. I’m still a human being at the end of the day.”
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
