AUTHOR=Edwards Laura 

TITLE=Feasibility of delivering a randomized controlled trial of weighted blanket intervention to help agitation and disturbed sleep after brain injury

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sleep

VOLUME=Volume 3 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sleep/articles/10.3389/frsle.2024.1325175

DOI=10.3389/frsle.2024.1325175

ISSN=2813-2890

ABSTRACT=Sleep disturbance and agitation are common after acquired brain injury (ABI). Weighted blankets may help these symptoms in other conditions, but have not been trialled in ABI.We aimed to determine acceptability and feasibility of weighted blankets to aid sleep and agitation after ABI. We recruited participants into a non-blinded, randomised controlled study in an NHS inpatient neurorehabilitation unit. Participants were randomised 1:1 to weighted blanket or standard hospital linen. Participants underwent observation of sleep (including actigraphy) and behaviour over 11 nights.Of 10 participants randomized, 7 participants completed the study. Only 1 participant tolerated the weighted blanket throughout and only 3 wore the actigraph for all nights of the study. Participants found the weighted blanket hot, heavy and uncomfortable. The study was terminated early due to poor tolerance.