Your Weighted Blanket Is Now a Hoodie, Thanks to Champion (EXCLUSIVE)
We all know that slipping on a comfortable 'fit feels good — but what if your favorite hoodie could make you happier on a molecular level?
For Mental Health Awareness Month, Champion is bringing the science behind weighted blankets to fashion. The result? A weighted hoodie that helps reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety.
The hoodie was developed in collaboration with Thera, a small business specializing in weighted wearables. Visually, the zip-up sweater isn't what you might expect — it's quilted, yes, but nothing else about its design betrays that it's weighted. In other words: It's totally wearable.
As for its inner workings, the hoodie contains eight pounds of micro glass beads, the same material found in most weighted blankets on the market. Its benefits are also comparable to a weighted blanket, which studies suggest can help reduce insomnia.
"The [weighted blanket] users had a significant decrease in wakenings after sleep onset, less daytime sleepiness and fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety," The New York Times reported in 2020.
It's believed that the pressure of a weighted blanket encourages the production of serotonin, a chemical that helps regulate mood and sleep. According to NewYork-Presbyterian, the weight "may also encourage your body to release oxytocin, which can relieve pain and stress."
Weighted blankets are also used as a therapeutic tool for neurodivergent folks who may feel overwhelmed by sensory stimulation (noise and touch, for example). In addition to its comforting, swaddling feel, the Champion hoodie is also built with features like an extra-long drawcord, which doubles as a focus agent for those with attention disorders, and a stowaway label pocket, which reduces scratchiness for people with sensory processing disorders.
Champion's weighted hoodie launches in September. In the meantime, the company has partnered with the University of Missouri to conduct research on how adaptive clothing, like weighted garments, can better serve everyone.
“Feelings of ‘comfort, safety, and security’ are among the most common terms showing up in our research for the Champion weighted hoodie prototype, feelings that anyone can benefit from," said assistant professor Kerri McBee-Black, Helen Allen Faculty Fellow in the Textile and Apparel Management Department at the University of Missouri. "My team and I are eager to continue evolving the functionality of weighted wearables, and also explore new avenues of accessible and adaptive apparel that can have a massive impact on the community at large.”
