Why can't I sleep well with a light blanket?

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Ever since I switched to a lighter blanket for summer I've been having sleep problems. I'm usually not prone to any kind of sleep problem but I find falling asleep more difficult when I use the light blanket, and wake up really tired.
Why? Is this related to autism somehow?

It is probably the lack of deep pressure that heavier blankets provide. This is why I use a weighted blanket. It is breathable and does not keep me too hot in the summer, but I still have the 20 pounds on top of me that I need to sleep. I know lots of people on this forum that use weighted blankets to sleep or even to calm down.

I also sleep better with more weight on me. During the summer it becomes a trade-off between weight and not being too hot, since getting a room as cold as I really want it at night costs an arm and a leg in electricity! Especially since I would genuinely ENJOY sleeping at temperatures as low as 50 degrees F, where I NEED heavy blankets and maybe a sweater to be warm enough! Problem is that's TOO cold during the day...

It could be a sensory thing, but could be something else. I've never slept with particularly heavy blankets, yet I tend to sleep much more poorly in the summer, and even when I do sleep enough hours, I tend to wake up tired. This summer has been particularly bad.

Are you sensitive to heat?

i definitely think it's related. my 19yr old son wears a t-shirt and shorts to bed, and not only uses his heavy comforter year-round, he also wraps himself up in it like a mummy, covering his head, keeps his bedroom door closed, the window shut tight, and has no a/c! the reason being, he has severe arachnophobia, and fears that baby spiders might get in through a screen or vent.

needless to say, it gets SWELTERINGLY hot in his very small room. i don't know how he stands it...and no, surprisingly, he isn't intellectually impaired, LOL (in fact, quite the opposite)...he's just a (self-described) complete OCD basket case, and refuses to seek help for it.

now, as for myself (also on the spectrum): i use a heavy comforter year-round, too...but during the summer, i keep my a/c on Warp 12!

this heat over hear in England has been stressful for me the last few weeks as i need to be totally covered (except for my head) by the duvet when i sleep. i'd never thought that it would be related to AS. i'd also never heard of weighted blankets, i will have to find out more about them

I know for me a light thermal blanket is fine in the summer. But, when it's cold I need a Heavy soft comforter. I need that Warm, "Snug as a Bug in a Rug" weighted feeling, oh and a nice, flat, mushy pillow. If It starts getting chilly with not enough blanket, I don't sleep.

Can't sleep with thinner quilts, mostly it's not warm enough but i'm also not comfortable without a certain thickness

I have that issue in summer. Fortunately, it's very cold here.

I sleep under multiple heavy comforters all year. I open my windows at night in the summer because it's cool at night here.

I sleep under two comforters, if I dont I get really bad sleep. I kind of want to try a weighted blanket but they are so expensive

Huh, this may be why I am having trouble sleeping now as well. May be TMI, but I have an easier time sleeping with clothes on as opposed to in the nude. Anybody else feel that way, too?

I defiantly would say it's a lack of pressure on your body. try a night of using multiple blankets( the heaviest you got.) on your bed and about 2 hours before you go to bed. set your thermostat at 65'. One night is not gonna kill your electric bill. and see if that helps.

Yes this problem seems to be related to autism in some way. I got a weighted blanket myself and have never slept better since. U can get some of them online. It can be pricey but totally worth it.

I'm not sure why light blankets are hard to use for you -- I know I've read several articles on the subject that suggest some people with ASDs sleep better with a weighted blanket. So it's probably a sensory issue.

Now, personally, I'm the opposite! So I don't quite understand the blankets issue except by reading it. I like sleeping with just my jeans on, a sheet, or no blankets or sheets at all, because it's a lot more comfortable than sleeping with a blanket... just to let you know. So, anyway... I hope you find a heavy enough blanket that works for you and good luck.

being in england,ask social services to be refered to the OT.

am a client/service user under their learning disability team and have just been told by the LD nurse of mine that am being booked an assessment by the LD team OT because theyre able to fund weighted blankets.

woud recommend going via OT to anyone in england because they do cost a lot of money, OR making one if have got a sewing machine/someone whose pretty good with one.