Achieve Restful Sleep and Reduce Your Anxiety, with Elizabeth Grojean

Hello and welcome to this episode of the Feel Freaking Amazing podcast. I'm Wendy Trubo. Ed can't be here today and we have a great guest who's going to talk to us about weighted blankets. Her name is Elizabeth Grojean. She created Baloo with a passion to share the healing properties and soothing effects of weighted blankets with others. Weighted blankets promote the connection between mind and body, wrapping us in a cozy hug with while calming our nervous systems and encouraging our bodies to unwind all naturally. Elizabeth, welcome. Thanks for being here. Hi.

Hi. Thanks so much to have me here today. It's really nice to see you.

How'd you get into this?

Oh my gosh. Well, I never expected this to be my life's work, first of all, but here I am. I fell into it in a sense also I was seeking it at the same time. The story I have of my founder journey goes from one working in marketing in New York and then taking a trip to Bali, having a life changing experience over time of settling into a different way of life for a little while, let's call it a sabbatical or a vacation. I mean, that's what it was. And it felt great. And while I was there, I don't know how long or short of the version of this story to tell you, but I just doing product research and discovered that there was a very large number searches taking place online for weighted blankets and yet there was really nothing high quality being offered on the market. It was a lot of polyester, a lot of copycat kind of china products and just nothing that looked very thoughtful. And I brought a sample, I got a sample of a weighted blanket and I tried it and it was heavenly. It was so relaxing, so peaceful. And I was really moved by, by the experience. It actually quite felt profound to me and for that reason really thought it would be important that there's something out there that's high quality and cleaner really for people to use for this kind of very personal type of experience for your health.

So tell me, for anyone who doesn't know, can you tell people what is a weighted blanket just in case? I think everyone knows, but just in.

Case, I still meet people sometimes who haven't heard of a weighted blanket. So what it is is very simple. It's a blanket designed to weigh anywhere from 10 to 25 or 30 pounds and it goes over your body and triggers the nervous system or tells the nervous system, I should say, that it's safe. And there's a cascade of responses and changes that happen. The body as a Result from putting this deep pressure on the body. And it's been studied, it's been named Deep pressure touch. And so that's what it is. Most often you'll find a way to blanket is made by a quilted pattern and filled with some kind of either glass or plastic beads inside. I've seen Reddit threads where people were making these before they became a trend out of chain mail. And then other people will say, oh, when I was a kid at my grandmother's, it was cold and we used to stack a bunch of blankets on and make it really heavy. And that felt really great. And it's all the same thing. It's this mechanism of putting weight over your body.

So you conducted a sleep study, right?

Yes, we did. I met the people behind the Friends brain band at a biohacking conference and was really impressed by their technology and the tool that they've created. And it's be able to measure with 88% accuracy the biofeedback of the body as compared to an in laboratory sleep study. The benefit is that you get to do it at home in your own bed. So we partnered with them to measure the efficacy of our weighted blankets on sleep with a volunteer population of about 40 adults that had a range of sleep health. And we found a lot of surprising. Not surprising, I wasn't surprised, but validating pieces of data. So I can go through the results of that study if you'd like to.

Yeah, I'd love to hear that.

Okay. So the first thing was that sleep efficiency, which is measuring how long you sleep versus how often you wake up in your sleep, increased to 92%, which is very good. Deep sleep duration increased by 10% and the time it took to fall asleep improved by 27%. And then last but not least, my favorite is what we call the physical recovery readiness score. So that is when you wake up, how physically and mentally and emotionally ready do you feel to start your day? That improved by 10%.

That's great. You did it. Was it for one night or was it ongoing?

We only did three nights, but we had the blanket on, off. And then using the Friends band with their audio CBT training going at the same time because that's also a sleep optimization tool. And so that was. I'm sorry, I misspoke. It was for four nights total.

And I mean, that's amazing. Like, that's really cool. Did you expect. You expected that when you did the study, but you needed to prove it?

Yes, we expected it and it was really fun to validate it. And prove it. I mean, we have been in business since 2018, and so I've heard so many great stories of people's lives being impacted or able to sleep for the first time in years. But it's really always been anecdotal for us. And so to measure, it was really nice.

Does the impact wear off over time?

Oh, my gosh, that is a great question. I'd say it depends. Everybody's different. Some people take some time to get used to. I think other people, they may be accustomed to the use of the feeling of the blanket. And so I don't know if the benefit wears off or just the feeling of newness wears off, but you've reset.

Like you've reset your system. So this is just now your new normal. This is how you are.

Right. I met someone the other day who drove to Austin from Houston and she said she brought her blanket with her and she's had it for five years and can't leave home without it. So that's another fear I think, that people have is, oh, no, then I won't be able to leave home without my weighted blanket.

Can you talk about what happens from a sympathetic perspective in the body when you put weight on the body?

Yes. I've spoken to neurologic neurologists who've been much more elegant at being able to explain exactly what's happening in the brain. But I know from a top line perspective, there have been so many studies done on deep pressure touch. What's happening simply, or what we feel, is that there is a release of serotonin, the happy hormone. And serotonin naturally converts into melatonin, which is why you have that improvement in sleep onset latency. And at the same time, there's a reduction in cortisol. So we know that's the stress hormone. And so I can speak for myself. This is a very experiential product. And you put it on and within a matter of moments start to feel something happening. And you start to feel peaceful and calm and safe in a surprising and unexpected way. And it's those changes happening in the brain.

Interesting. Okay. And I mean, obviously if you're sleeping better, then your brain's gonna work better, you're gonna have more energy, you'll be more focused, you'll be more productive, you'll probably have a better workout. And then you start this feed forward cycle for mitochondrial health that you do more, you can do more. And if you can do more, you can do more. So it continues to build on itself, which is fantastic.

It's a very virtuous circle.

It's a great circle.

Yeah.

Okay. And is there any other way that they help with mental overall wellness, not just sleep?

Yes. So we also participated. I would say this was an informal study with the university, but by graduate student. They had 90 students participate in this study to measure the impact on anxiety with weighted blankets. And they didn't use the blankets at night. They had the participants using the blankets during the day for two hours per day. So they were in a control group and experimental group and found a statistically significant improvement in. In the level of anxiety amongst the college students using the weighted blanket, which was really surprising and great to hear because I was expecting. I didn't know what to expect with daytime use, but I would say that anxiety and sleep are also closely linked. And so that makes sense.

How'd they do this? I mean, my day, I'm here, then I'm at my desk, and then I'm out there, so I can't sit with the blanket on. Is this because they were in their couch studying? Like, what. How did they actually execute? How much of their body had to be covered?

I'm imagining that they were on the couch either studying, reading, or relaxing before bed.

Oh, yeah, that makes sense. I'm like, how do they. I don't. I don't know.

They don't have children. They're college students. They're a great population for this.

What's the minimum viable product? Right. Does it have to be two hours? Could it be a 15 minute, three times a day kind of thing instead of two hours?

So I use one here at my office. I'm running a business, and so at times when I start to feel overwhelmed and I'm like, spinning my wheels, opening, closing windows, and I'm not making decisions or getting things done, you identify that you're doing that spinning a little bit. I'll take a minute and sit with the blanket. And it helps me definitely calm down within a matter of minutes. At the same time, just recognizing that I'm in that pattern and making a pause has its own benefit. But I'll use the blanket too, right?

Well, you're getting a double whammy because you're consciously making a change. And you're also adding the blanket, which has the physiological impact of the deep pressure stimulation. So it's like you get two. What about people who say, oh, my gosh, when I put that on, I'm uncomfortable. I'm not used to it. How do people get used to it?

Great question. We recommend if someone does Feel like they need a little bit of an adjustment period to start by putting it on the lower half of their body first, even just starting as low as the lower legs up to the knees and then gradually moving it up bit by bit. But one way I like to describe this sensation to someone who might be curious and hasn't tried it is we've all been to the dentist and had that X ray map put on us. And that is a heavier sensation than a weighted blanket.

I have two cats who sometimes sleep with me at night and I feel like I have my own live weighted blanket because they sit on me and sometimes I'll wake up and one is on my chest and I'm like, that's really not working, go somewhere else. But the other one sleeps on my feet. So it's like I feel grounded a lot at night.

There's a lot of ways to get your deep pressure touch right.

How, you know, I know if I were to go on any of the purchasing sites, there's a million options. Yeah. How do you, how should, how should you pick one if you're looking, I mean, obviously you make baloo. But if people either can't afford it or they're on the go or they can't have access to it, what are the criteria for looking at a weighted blanket in a way that would help people get the one that's best for them?

Yes, I have, I have something really, I think, helpful to say to that question, which is that it is possible to go too heavy. So we always recommend that people start with either the 12 or 15 pound blanket, they're the medium to lightest range weights, and the 12 pound throw, which it's about the size to weight ratio because we do sell, for example, a 25 pound king blanket. But that's not going to feel like £25 because it's spread across your whole bed. So when I say our 12 pound throw, that's our bestseller and it's kind of worked for everyone, we get great feedback on it. But if you are a person that has either back or hip or knee pain, or you're. Especially if you have back, hip or knee pain and you're a side sleeper, it would be better to start off by erring on the side of a lighter blanket, especially if you're planning to use it at night. Other than that, it really is a question of personal preference. And you will see on the Internet this rule of thumb to choose a weighted blanket that's 10% of your body weight, which would mean if you weigh150.150 pounds that you would get a 15 pound blanket. But that's just very much like a guiding principle. And the other thing is that you really, apart from what I said about like the disclaimer not to go too heavy, you kind of can't go too wrong. You can't go wrong.

Okay, so get one that fits. From a, like, visual. It looks good. You like the pattern, you like the weight. Okay. What about kids?

Oh, yeah, kids. Kids are great with weighted blankets, I think because they're so. They're so young and receptive. Their nervous systems aren't, you know, as traumatized as ours. They are very receptive to weighted blankets. And we make them for children. And there's other companies that specialize in weighted blankets for kids. They're safe for children. I would say that you just need to make sure that a child can have the strength to lift it or move it off of themselves.

Yeah, I probably wouldn't do under like five.

That's kind of what we say just to be safe. I've been using ours with our three. He's three, but since he was two. And he loves it. Like, loves it. And I would just say that materials are very important. So one of the things people always say to me is like, oh, wait, a blanket. Like, isn't that going to make me hot? A lot of them will, but a lot of them are made with polyester or synthetic materials. And ours are cool and breathable by design. And I think that's really important, especially for sleep. When you talk about optimizing your sleep environment that you're able to stay cool.

So what are the materials you're using in the blankets?

Ours, our very premium cotton. And then we use a cotton lining and a cotton batting. And then the weight itself comes from these glass beads inside. So they probably provide a layer of breathability because they don't trap any heat. So you're essentially adding a couple light layers of cotton sheeting to your bed, which is why people can use it all night, all year.

Okay, so people don't. It doesn't heat up.

It does not heat up, no. And if it's wintertime, you'll still need heavy blankets on your bed to stay warm.

Okay, so it doesn't replace the blankets. It's in addition to.

Exactly.

Okay, what should I ask you that I haven't asked you? This is very cool to me.

Oh, great. Well, there's so many things I think that people can also use weighted blankets for. Like, restless leg is one. Can be very Helpful for that, especially during pregnancy. A lot of women have restless leg, so that's nice. I have been using a weighted blanket recently, most recently in doing breath work and meditation because I really struggle with implementing a meditation practice for myself. But I add, putting that weight on my body has been really helpful in getting me to do it.

Well, I mean, because you personally love the weighted blanket anyway. So it's like a treat, right? I get to use the weighted blanket today.

Yes. And it's like I feel like, yes, it's a gateway to. I mean, meditation is so much bigger and more profound and powerful than the comfort I feel from using a weighted blanket. But it kind of leads me into that mind body connection in a nice way.

Any. So restless leg support for meditation, is there anything else that we would sort of apply it to or check the box for?

Definitely. They've also been used historically for those with ptsd, ADD and adhd. That was actually their original clinical application. They were in use for decades. They were created, or credit is given to Temple Grandin, who was on the spectrum and originally created this concept of deep pressure touch for sensory processing disorders. They were used by occupational therapists for a matter of decades, actually. They just weren't in our consciousness or let's be real, like being marketed to us is something that you could buy at home. But whenever anyone asks me, like, who's a weighted blanket for, I like to say that it's for anyone with a body, even those of us that have great sleep already. Like, my superpower has always been I can sleep anywhere, anytime, so the fact that I am behind a tool for sleep is kind of, I guess, funny to me because I wasn't chasing, solving my own problem. I didn't have this problem. But I think that's why it's even more fun for me to recommend it to people, is because whoever you are, we would always benefit from even higher quality, more efficient sleep. For all the things that we've talked about.

Yeah, I mean, sleep is foundational. So if you're not doing it and doing it well, you're going to see the impact of that very quickly. So this is fantastic. How pricey are weighted blankets generally?

They run a very wide range. You can find them on Amazon, I believe, as inexpensively as $75. I want to say perhaps cheaper. Like, they're at Target. I don't know what Target sells them for. You can find them up to, you know, mid to high $300. There's a Lunia, just started making one that's filled with Crystals inside, which is fun. So those are about $300, I think. And then ours are, you know, between two and $300. But I give this a lot of thought because it's similar to a lot of things that we can buy that we would consider to be commodities. Like you can buy a shirt for $5, or you can buy a shirt for much more than $5. Sometimes you're paying for the branding, but also times you're paying for the fabric and the quality and the ethos of the brand behind it.

Yeah, I think it's important when you're looking at something that's going to be against your skin, not even just for five minutes, but for eight to 10 hours, that you want to have something that breathes, that is not full of chemicals, that isn't going to off gas and make you sick while you're trying to detox. So I think there's value, especially if you think about. It's funny, I was thinking about something, I can't remember what it was. I was using it and I'm like, what was it? Oh, dining room chairs. We bought our dining room chairs 20 years ago and we need new ones. Like, they're disgusting. I have four kids and two cats and like, they are gross. So I was like, oh, my God, these chairs are really expensive. And then I said to my husband, like, we're going to use these for 20 years. So what's the actual cost? If we're going to pay $500 for a chair and I'm using it for 20 years, that's something like, it's like 20 bucks a year. Right. So if you think about you're going to use your weighted blanket for 10 years, it's not going to get that much wear and tear. So if you use it for 10 years and you spend 300 bucks, it's 30 bucks a year, which is 3 bucks a month, which is like, I can't do that math any quicker. So it's like 20 cents a day. It's nothing. When you really think about kind of the value for use proposition. So it kind of makes an argument for get the best quality thing because you're going to use it for a really long time.

I'm with you on that. I like to practice that myself because I don't need a lot of the things that I buy. I just need one. But I want the best, and then I really get to enjoy having the best when I'm using it. And we do offer a lifetime quality guarantee on all of our products. So if there's ever anything that happens, it's happened a handful of times, a tear or whatever, we'll always replace it. It's machine washable and dryer safe. So you really can add this to your lifestyle and keep it for as long as you want to. It's never going to wear out on you. And I like to think about the cost of what we spend on ourselves, myself included, for supplements or things that are on a monthly subscription, that this is something you can add to your stack, that once you buy it, it's with you. There's no subscription fee.

Do you make a duvet cover for the weighted blanket so you don't have to wash it?

Yes, we do. And we've had a linen duvet cover since the earliest days because I'm obsessed with linen. I just love linen. So we make that one and we have a cotton cover as well, which is a lot more affordable.

Is it a huge racket when you put it in the dryer? You're just envisioning this massive racket?

Yes. I just washed my little boy's weighted blanket the other day. So I can speak from experience. Yes. It makes quite a bit of noise. I would say don't put it in the machine and walk away. Stay in the house so you can hear it. If it gets off balance, it can happen. But yeah, okay. So I think it covers a good idea just to make it easier.

Yeah.

Okay.

Elizabeth, this is great. Where can people find out more about you? We'll put this on the show Notes.

Amazing. Yes. The best place to find us is on our website, which is balluliving.com. it's B A L O O and we're available on Amazon as well, but that's where we are.

Awesome. Thank you for being here, Elizabeth.

My pleasure. Thank you so much.

It was great. Since for the listeners, thanks for joining us for another episode of the Five Journeys podcast. My guest today is Elizabeth Grojean and we're talking about Ballou and weighted blanket. So hope this made a difference for all of you. And thanks for being here, Elizabeth.

Thank you. It.