When she was diagnosed with COVID-19, writer Aileen Weintraub found comfort in an old friend: a stuffed dog with floppy ears, named George.
“When I get into bed and find George, it’s a signal that it’s time to shut out the events of the day and try to fall asleep,” Weintraub says.
She knew she might face ridicule publishing a piece a few months into the pandemic about sleeping with the stuffed animal she’d received 30 years prior, but she never anticipated instead receiving a wave of emails from people who also cherish emotional-support stuffed animals.
“It’s OK to show vulnerability sometimes,” Weintraub says. “It’s a small investment for a good night’s sleep.”
Learn why sleeping with a stuffed animal — or a weighted blanket — can help improve your sleep, plus how to take care of your sleep companion so that your fuzzy pal doesn’t bring allergens to dreamland with you.
How sleeping with stuffed animals can ease anxiety
Weintraub isn’t alone in wanting to hug something before bed. Anxiety is high, and that anxiety often rears its ugly head when we’re trying to fall asleep.
It also doesn’t help that over the past few years, the line between home and work life has blurred. “Many bedrooms have turned into offices, gyms, and home schools, which can create a negative association between our increased stress level and the place we sleep,” says sleep psychologist Sarah Silverman.
Anxiety affects approximately 20% of American adults, creating sleep issues that include insomnia. In January 2022, the term “sleep aid” hit a five-year peak for Google searches, and sales of melatonin have increased year over year, with numbers nearly quadrupling from 2016 to 2020.
For those not interested in medications or oral sleep aids, it’s not unusual to turn to objects that we positively associate with bedtime. This may be why comfort-centric objects have started to rise in popularity. Weighted blankets, weighted stuffed animals, and even a sleep robot for adults have flooded the market.
There is science behind the comfort. Studies of weighted blankets have shown they may help to decrease anxiety and even improve sleep, reducing insomnia. The comforting hug-like sensation was shown to lower stress, increase feelings of relaxation, and improve sleep in a 30-person study published in 2020 in the journal Sleep.
Though stuffed animals are often marketed to kids, studies show that they are able to help kids and adults feel less anxious and more calm and secure at bedtime.
“We have learned and made connections about what brings us comfort,” Silverman says. “And sometimes we feel solace by simply having our favorite go-to items nearby.”
Many adults still sleep with a stuffed animal
In 2017, Build-A-Bear and Atomik Research found that 40% of adults still sleep with a stuffed animal. Build-A-Bear even has a section on its website called “Stuffed Animals for Adults.” Spokesperson Emily Fuhrman noted that more than 25% of the retailer’s stuffed animal sales are for “someone teen or older,” and that percentage is “trending higher recently.”
For those who sleep with a stuffed animal, the item can offer security when a parent or loved one isn’t nearby. Stuffed animals are what psychologist Donald Winnicott calls “transitional objects,” bridging an uncertain gap or difficult time for kids.
“For children, transitional objects, such as a blanket, teddy bear, or doll, can provide comfort as they transition from dependence to independence at night,” says Kevin C. Smith, Ph.D., pediatric psychologist at Children’s Mercy Kansas City.
When you take that stuffed fox out of storage as an adult, you’re “attempting to relive that sense of security that [you] associate with a childhood bedtime ritual,” says Dr. Tracey Jones.
That sensation isn’t limited to childhood. In times of uncertainty, the object can step in for comfort. For musician Steve Schofield, the uncertainty of the early days of the pandemic led him to seek out a soft, grey stuffed elephant named Nelle.
“If you’re struggling with loneliness or dealing with a complex emotional situation, having something for comfort can really help,” says Schofield.
Without the audiences and interaction provided by touring and the traditional support system of friends on the road during the early months of the pandemic, he turned to this cuddly buddy while he sheltered in place.
“It’s just the support of knowing that it’s there and [that] it’s not going anywhere,” Schofield says. “It’s my support against the world while I sleep.”
Why a stuffed animal or favorite blanket might help you sleep
Stuffed animals, weighted blankets, and weighted stuffed animals hold appeal for all ages, and the market is growing. While some appreciate cuddling an animal, weighted blankets simulate the act of being tucked in by a loved one. “A weighted blanket can act as a modified swaddle for an adult,” says Jones.
That appeal has caught on: The demand for weighted blankets has recently exploded, with the market in 2020 estimated to be $220 million.
“A weighted blanket may gently push down on the body, helping us feel safe, secure or in a protected space,” Silverman says. “Just as a firm, warm, and cozy hug can be a powerful agent for relaxation, comfort items can help us wind down and de-stress before bed.”
The science behind sleeping with a stuffed animal
While you want to be soothed, there’s also science behind why a blanket may make you feel calm. The weight and pressure of a weighted blanket engages your autonomic nervous system, the part of your body that controls your fight or flight instincts. The pressure from a blanket can slow your heart rate and breathing — similar to the technique of box breathing — and ease your transition into sleep.
In our search for comfort before bed, Dr. Chris Winter, sleep specialist, Sleep.com advisor, and author of “The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It,” believes the key may be an unexpected sense: smell.
Smells travel directly to the olfactory bulb in the brain. And that bulb is connected to the amygdala and hippocampus, which regulate our emotions and memory, respectively.
“Smell is such a strong trigger of memory,” Winter says. “And memories can help make you emotionally comfortable when you’re trying to sleep.”
You reach for that teddy bear because it carries a familiar smell from childhood, or even simply from your previous night’s sleep.
How to care for your stuffed animal
If you sleep with a stuffed animal every night, that little stuffed ball of comfort may also be bringing allergens into your bed. Luckily, with a bit of regular cleaning, you can make sure your cuddle buddy stays free of allergens or dust.
Start by checking for a tag, which will often tell you if a stuffed animal can handle a tumble in the washing machine. For machine-washable animals, opt for the delicate settings, use cold water, put the stuffed animal in a mesh bag (or pillowcase), and toss in a few towels to add a bit of extra cushion. If yours is a new weighted stuffed animal, make sure you remove the insert before washing. Once it’s ready to be dried, tumble dry on the no- or low-heat setting, making sure it’s fully dried before returning it to your bed.
To handwash your stuffed animal, fill a tub or sink with enough water to cover it. Add two teaspoons of laundry detergent for every gallon of water. Submerge your stuffie, and scrub gently with your hands.
Drain the tub, fill it with water, and repeat the process. Roll your stuffed animal in a towel to squeeze out excess water. Let your buddy air dry, or use a hair dryer on the cool setting (add a brush to give furry friends a blowout).
For very delicate animals, use a diluted mixture of detergent with tepid water, and scrub visible stains with a soft toothbrush or fingernail.
Should you break up with your stuffed animal?
If you’re worried about the stigma of sleeping with a stuffed animal, Winter suggests you reframe it in the context of a choice, similar to the kinds of sheets you prefer or the color of walls in your bedroom.
“We all do these things,” Winter notes. “A pillow is perfectly acceptable, but a life-size David Bowie doll is considered weird. You’re not in danger sleeping with a David Bowie doll.”
But he also suggests that you be mindful that hugging your Ziggy Stardust doll doesn’t become the only way you can fall asleep.
“You have to ask yourself, are you enhancing something or dependent on it?” Winter says.
Weintraub knows that she doesn’t always need George to fall asleep. The stuffed dog is so fragile at this point that she no longer takes him on trips.
“One day George will have to be retired,” Weintraub says. “I doubt I’ll replace him, but you never know.”
