Best Bedding for Anxiety, Depression, & PTSD
Do you suffer from anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? Have you woken up in the middle of the night soaked in sweat, heart racing, and finding it hard to breathe? Many might not think to look to their sheets for sleeping more comfortably when anxious, but we've got the best bedding for anxiety.
If you've woken up anxious, sweating or worried, you're not alone. The most recent data suggests that 80% of the population is suffering from anxiety and related disorders (depression, OCD, PTSD). And with that, 85% are taking or have been prescribed medication that may help the disorder, but may also be increasing your night sweats.
As a result, we've been spent the past few months interviewing our customers to find out not only "What may be making you sweat?" (Shameless plug: If you want to help us get more data points so that we can develop more sleep solutions for you - take our Sleep Survey here.) Many of you reported either your anxiety or your medication for anxiety and related disorders. This got us thinking! We know we have the best bed sheets for sweaty, hot sleepers, like those suffering from conditions or medication, but what abut the rest of the bed?!
We set out and compiled a list of anxiety-friendly bedding that encompasses the entire sleep environment: from top of bed all the way down to the mattress. Here's our list, layer-by-layer.
Mattress:
The most crucial part of the entire sleep experience starts at the bottom: the mattress! Mattresses were created to give us back, neck, and torso support so that we can wake up and walk upright. Nowadays, they are so mass produced, and the market is so flooded it’s hard to know which one to choose. We’re attempting to fix this by adding our own mattress to the mix, the Wicked-Cool mattress, which is the most breathable and cooling mattress out there that still offers the same (if not better) support as those with memory foam. The probably with memory foams are that they trap heat. Then you stick a waterproofing layer and some heavy quilt on the top and you’re literally sleeping on a hot box. The two mattresses that I’ve selected for my anxiety prone friends are not only hypoallergenic and free of harmful dyes and VOCs (emissions), they both utilize breathable cell latex. This allows cooler, fresh air to flow in and out of the mattress, reducing the heat that emits from your body and moves down into the mattress. Here are my two favorites on the market now:
- Avocado
- Wicked-Cool Mattress – will be coming back in stock soon!
Mattress pad:
In a perfect world I would eliminate mattress pads altogether. BUT (and this is an important but) without mattress pads, how would you mattress warranty work/last? We’re trying to address this with our new technologies, but for now…I suggest two options. The ChiliPad has been around for a bit and it’s truly amazing, but people often complain about how expensive it is. To me – it’s worth every penny. I am fortunate that my husband sleeps just as hot as I do, so we practice all cool, all the time. But for those sleeping partners whose temperatures are opposite (i.e., you run hot with nighttime anxiety but your spouse wears socks to bed), the ChiliPad allows you to each choose your own temperature. The technology is amazing and it keeps getting better year after year. You can find my two selections here:
Bed Sheet Set:
Whether your anxiety or related disorder is the cause of your night sweats/overheating or a side effect of the medication you’re using to treat it, it needs to be addressed. Doctors and therapists all around the world are our biggest advocates, because they know that sleep interruptions can absolutely be the result of your sleep environment being too hot or your sleep spot being wet from sweat. Even if you don’t try Wicked Sheets, you need to think of your bed functionally when you think of better sleep for anxiety. So always opt for a performance fabric that is breathable and will dry quickly.
Pillows:
One of my favorite topics! I have long debated the importance of a cool pillow, inside and out. Obviously when we came up with the idea for Wicked Sheets we knew we could address the outside of the pillow, but what’s inside has now become one of my life’s missions. I tend to gravitate to the cool-gel pillow inserts because not only do they provide me with that firm support that I like, but they really do stay cool.
Body Pillow:
Listen, you have enough things to worry about; don’t let allergies be yet another reason you’re up all night. Just like your mattress, it’s important to know what is inside of your sleep and bedding products and although I don’t typically recommend any sort of cotton, this is the insert only. Once you put Wicked Sheets cooling body pillow case over-top of it, you’ll be sleeping cool and dry in no time.
Body Pillow Case:
If you or someone you know struggles with anxiety or related disorders, the likelihood that they do not respond well to physical touch from another human while they are experiencing anxiety is pretty high. But the truth of the matter is, just like a weighted blanket, adding some support and pressure to your body is actually a great way to help you physiologically cope with your arousal.
Weighted Blankets:
If you’re on Instagram you’ve seen this product. Weighted blankets are “all the rage” but especially if you’re someone who suffers from anxiety, and your mind and body always seem to be in overdrive. The thought behind adding weight to your body is that it literally slows you down. It labors your breath a bit more, inhibits sudden movements, and almost feels like a big hug without the physical touch of another human. *Again, those with anxiety typically do NOT like being touched when they are experiencing mental or emotional arousal, so this is where the miracle of a weighted blanket comes into play. I LOVE this Coolmax® option from our friends over at Weighting Comforts. The owner, a friend of mine, is a therapist and her clients just rave about this product.
Coverlet/Quilt/Alternative Fill Blanket:
I can't even bring myself to use the term "blanket" anymore because it just makes me feel hot saying it. And, you've heard me say it before...NO DUVET COVERS. They are filled with insulating, heat trapping feathers or synthetics that do not breathe and weigh you down. (Pun intended here: "down comforters weigh you down".)
We've been the best in the business for the last decade for sweaty sleepers and we know that we're the best bedding for anxiety, too. If you like our suggestions, make sure to check out CEO Alli talking about the best blankets and comforters and other blogs for every day dealings with night sweats.
Wicked Sheets is a better sleep company, dedicated to providing products and information to deal with night sweats and hot flashes. Check out the rest of the site and our products to learn more.