Heavy blankets have become uber-popular in the last couple of years. New brands continue to flood the internet, yet GnO remains a top seller of weighted blankets.

What sets GnO Weighted Blankets apart from the other therapeutic blankets you come across? Read on to find out.

GnO: the brand built on quality

Gal and Ouriel, the people behind GnO, have put quality first from the get-go. Not wishing to be just another online company, the pair set a goal of producing the best weighted blankets on the market.

The quality of a therapy blanket boils down to three main factors: the filler, the fabric, and the formation.

Weighted blanket fillers

A good general guideline is that a therapy blanket should weigh about 10 percent of your body weight. Even the thickest, heaviest quilt can't reach therapeutic weight for an adult.

If you try to pile every quilt, blanket, and spread in the house onto your bed, you'll be sweating and unable to sleep in no time, which counteracts the purpose of a specially made heavy blanket.

Weighted blankets can be filled with a variety of materials that add pressure without making you feel too warm. The most common weighted blanket fillers are:

• Dry foods such as grains and seeds
• Sand
• Pebbles
• Plastic pellets
• Metal beads or chains
• Glass beads

Grains and seeds, which are cheap, natural fillers, sound like a great choice. But if you think about it, you can't wash a blanket that's filled with rice or corn.

Plus, any moisture in the environment can cause these food fillers to grow mold and rot. Not so conducive to a good night's sleep or good health.

Also, these dried foods shift easily and make a lot of noise. Think about the fact that rattles are often filled with grains and seeds. You definitely won't sleep well under a blanket that sounds like maracas every time you roll over!

Minerals such as sand and pebbles are natural, inexpensive fillers that won't rot. However, sand tends to bunch together, and it's a nightmare to wash and dry.

Pebbles are a better choice, but they're noisy and may create uneven texture in your blanket. Sleeping under a bag of rocks isn't so appealing if you really think about it.

Metal beads or chains, another mineral-based filler, are durable and easy to keep clean. As you can imagine, though, metal is quite noisy. If you have trouble sleeping, you may awaken from the clanking of the filler when you change your position in bed.

Plastic pellets are a step in the right direction. They're cheap and hygienic. Unfortunately, even plastic pellets make noise when they shift, and their texture can feel somewhat rough, even through the blanket.

Also, depending on how the plastic is made, this filler may contain undesirable chemicals.

Glass is hypoallergenic, odorless, cost-effective, and quiet. Because glass is heavier than plastic, you can get the same weight in a blanket with less bulk.

But don't let the weight of glass put you off; glass microbeads are as fine as sugar or salt, so you get even distribution of pressure across your weighted blanket with the least amount of noise.

As you can see, each material has some benefits, but GnO believes that glass is the ideal filler for its weighted blankets.

The next step in building the perfect blanket is to pick the right fabric to pair with the ultrafine glass particles.

Weighted blanket materials

The material of a weighted blanket can make a huge difference in your all-night comfort. Fabrics that feel too warm or too cool can disturb your sleep. Fibers that have been treated with chemicals may help you sleep but can harm your health in other ways.

Like any bedding, weighted blankets come in a variety of synthetic and natural fibers. GnO has chosen eco-friendly cotton and bamboo for its weighted blankets.

Cotton can vary in quality and softness. GnO uses 400 thread-count cotton to cover its weighted blankets.

Thread count indicates the number of threads per square inch and, hence, the tightness of the weave. The higher the thread count, the smoother the fabric.

Not all weighted blankets come with a separate cover. Even washable weighted blankets like the GnO Weighted Blanket shouldn't be washed as often as regular bedding.

To keep your blanket clean and fresh, we've added a removable, machine-washable Duvet Cover in 100 percent bamboo.

Bamboo is a sustainable source of fibers, and bamboo fabric has a silky texture that's as beautiful as it is touchable.

Bamboo also feels cool and soft against your skin, adding an extra measure of soothing comfort to your weighted blanket.

Beyond all this, every material used by GnO is certified Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex. This means no harmful chemicals are used to make your weighted blanket. The fabric dye used for the cotton weighted blanket specifically is considered 100 percent safe and nontoxic.

Last, the key to putting fillers and materials together in a durable weighted blanket lies in quality construction.

Weighted blanket construction

You probably won't find many weighted blankets that aren't sewn in sections. That's because sectioning is the key to even weight distribution.

Imagine what would happen if the heavy filler wasn't encased in small sections. First, gravity and movement would pull the filler to the edges of the blanket, leaving only a fraction of filler—and weight—on top of you.

Second, if the blanket should happen to get damaged, all the filler could leak out one hole, leaving you with a mess and a useless blanket.

GnO adds an equal amount of glass to each section and sews the blanket securely with durable thread. With normal use, your GnO Weighted Blanket should last a lifetime and feel just as good years from now as it does on your first night.

GnO Weighted Blanket bonuses

If all this wasn't enough, you should know two more things about GnO blankets.

First, our manufacturing methods follow the Business Social Compliance Initiative, which shows our dedication to social responsibility. This initiative guarantees that all the workers involved in making our products are treated with compassion and fairness.

Finally, your blanket comes in a luxuriously soft bag. This special packaging makes for a lovely gift presentation or convenient storage at home.

Not all weighted blankets are the best weighted blankets. Many manufacturers offer mediocre products in an attempt to corner this booming market. However, GnO Weighted Blankets are always made with quality and your feedback in mind.