Ashwin Lewis
Humans have a compulsion to be covered, however minimally, when they sleep. This is not a universal trait, but it is common. Blankets are a transitional object, a source of psychological comfort that we associate with the process of falling asleep. This association can be traced back to our early developmental stages, when we were often wrapped in blankets as infants to simulate the secure environment of the womb.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Humans have a compulsion to be covered when they sleep | Blankets are common, but not universal, to humans during sleep |
| Blankets are a transitional object | We are conditioned to associate blankets with sleep from childhood |
| Blankets provide psychological comfort | They simulate the secure environment of the womb |
| Blankets are linked to feeling protected | Studies show that weighted blankets can reduce anxiety and improve sleep |
| Blankets were historically a luxury item | From the Early Modern period in Europe, more middle-class people could afford bedding |
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What You'll Learn
- Blankets are a transitional object, like a comforter, and we associate them with falling asleep
- We are conditioned to sleep with blankets from childhood
- Blankets were historically a sign of wealth
- Blankets simulate the secure environment of the womb
- Weighted blankets can reduce anxiety and improve sleep
Blankets are a transitional object, like a comforter, and we associate them with falling asleep
Hoagland refers to this as "pure conditioning". She says that "chances are you were raised to always have a blanket on you when you went to sleep", and so getting under a sheet or blanket is associated with the process of falling asleep. This is similar to Pavlov's dogs, who drooled at the sound of a bell; we get sleepy when covered with a sheet.
The use of weighted blankets, which apply consistent pressure across the body, has been shown to significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and improve sleep. This further supports the idea that blankets are a source of comfort and security for many people.
Historically, blankets were a luxury item, with bed coverings being too expensive for most people to afford until the Early Modern period in Europe. However, despite their previous exclusivity, blankets have become a common, if not universal, part of sleep for humans in the modern day.
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We are conditioned to sleep with blankets from childhood
Blankets are common, but not universal, to humans during sleep. We are conditioned to sleep with blankets from childhood. As infants, we are often wrapped in blankets to simulate the secure environment of the womb. This early association between blankets and safety carries into adulthood, creating a subconscious link between being covered and feeling protected. This is what Hoagland refers to as 'pure conditioning'. Our parents always gave us blankets to sleep with and so getting under a sheet or blanket is associated with the process of falling asleep. Babies are worse than adults at thermoregulation, meaning they get cold easily, so well-meaning adults put blankets on them.
Historically, the effort involved in weaving large sheets put blankets at a high price point, so bed coverings were for the wealthy. By the Early Modern period in Europe, production had increased enough so that more middle-class people could afford bedding, though not easily. “The bed, throughout Western Europe at this time, was the most expensive item in the house,” says Roger Ekirch, a historian at Virginia Tech who has written extensively about sleep.
The psychological comfort provided by blankets can be backed up by science. Studies have shown that the use of weighted blankets, which apply consistent pressure across the body, can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and improve sleep.
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Blankets were historically a sign of wealth
The bed was the most expensive item in the house, according to Roger Ekirch, a historian at Virginia Tech who has written extensively about sleep.
The psychological comfort provided by blankets can be traced back to our early developmental stages. As infants, we are often wrapped in blankets to simulate the secure environment of the womb. This early association between blankets and safety carries into adulthood, creating a subconscious link between being covered and feeling protected. This is also referred to as "pure conditioning" by Hoagland.
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Blankets simulate the secure environment of the womb
It is not uncommon for people to feel the need to be covered by a blanket when they sleep, even on hot nights. This compulsion can be explained by the fact that blankets simulate the secure environment of the womb.
As infants, we are often wrapped in blankets to make us feel safe and secure. This early association between blankets and safety carries into adulthood, creating a subconscious link between being covered and feeling protected. This is a form of "pure conditioning", as Hoagland refers to it.
Babies are worse than adults at thermoregulation, meaning they get cold easily, so well-meaning adults put blankets on them. As a result, getting under a sheet or blanket becomes associated with the process of falling asleep. In other words, we get sleepy when covered with a sheet, just as Pavlov's dogs drooled at the sound of a bell.
The comforting effect of blankets is not just anecdotal. Studies have shown that the use of weighted blankets, which apply consistent pressure across the body, can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and improve sleep.
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Weighted blankets can reduce anxiety and improve sleep
The psychological comfort provided by blankets can be traced back to our early developmental stages. As infants, we are often wrapped in blankets to simulate the secure environment of the womb. This early association between blankets and safety carries into adulthood, creating a subconscious link between being covered and feeling protected.
Hoagland refers to this as “pure conditioning”. She says: “Chances are you were raised to always have a blanket on you when you went to sleep. So that’s a version of a transitional object, in sort of Pavlovian way.” Basically, our parents always gave us blankets to sleep with—babies are a bit worse than adults at thermoregulation, meaning they get cold easily, meaning well-meaning adults put blankets on them—and so getting under a sheet or blanket is associated with the process of falling asleep.
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Frequently asked questions
Humans have a compulsion to be covered, even minimally, when they sleep. This is due to a number of factors, including psychological comfort, pure conditioning, and the fact that bed coverings were historically a sign of wealth.
Hoagland refers to the fact that we are raised to always have a blanket on us when we sleep. This is a version of a transitional object, in a Pavlovian way. We get a blanket when we are babies because we get cold easily, and so we associate getting under a sheet or blanket with the process of falling asleep.
As infants, we are often wrapped in blankets to simulate the secure environment of the womb. This early association between blankets and safety means that being covered and feeling protected are subconsciously linked.
Studies have shown that the use of weighted blankets, which apply consistent pressure across the body, can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and improve sleep.
From the linen bedsheets of Egypt around 3500 B.C. to wool sheets during the Roman empire and cotton in medieval Europe, bed coverings were expensive to produce and therefore only affordable to the wealthy.
