But why do all these women wrap themselves up before going to sleep?

“We’ve all heard of swaddling for babies, but why not for adults?” On TikTok, it’s the new wellness trend of the fall: hundreds of young women are filming themselves wrapping themselves in stretchy fabric before going to bed. “It will relax you physically and mentally”assure the followers of this practice. According to them, it would also improve posture and help combat insomnia, promoting restful sleep.

Swaddling has been used for babies since the dawn of time. This ancient technique involves wrapping the child in a large swaddle or small blanket to keep them in a reassuring position that reminds them of the one they had in their mother’s womb. It uses the principles of deep touch pressure (DTP), which is supposed to induce a soothing sensation through gentle compression. What do the experts say?

“Deep touch receptors tend to cause an overall calming effect”

“There are receptors in our skin and body around our muscles and joints that respond to either light touch or deeper touch. Light touch, like a tickle or the feeling of an insect crawling on your skin, tends to be more alert and exciting, while deep touch receptors tend to cause more of an overall calming effect.”explains Dr Stacey Reynolds, a DTP expert at Virginia Commonwealth University (USA) to New York Times.

However, no scientific evidence has yet validated the effectiveness of swaddling. “Whether this can actually help you sleep better at night has yet to be scientifically confirmed.”qualifies the specialist.

What about weighted blankets?

Some small studies, however, have shown that weighted blankets (with a lot of padding) can help you sleep better. A weighted blanket weighs about 10% of the user’s body weight. They come in 6, 8, and 10 kilos.

In 2022, a Swedish study conducted on 26 volunteers indicated that after a night under a weighted blanket, their salivary melatonin levels were on average 30% higher. As a reminder, melatonin is a hormone synthesized in the brain. It is used in particular to facilitate falling asleep and helps synchronize our biological clock with the day-night cycle.

While it’s not exactly the same as being swaddled, the inability to move in your sleep may provide a similar sense of security and relaxation.