For many adults, childhood comforts are much more than relics of the past. They play an important role in our lives, offering security during stressful times but most importantly aiding sleep. But why do some of us still seek support from these at a time when by society we are seen as independent and mature?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nHolly has had Bubba her whole life, through every high and low. Just like many, she had a muslin blanket as a baby to help her sleep. However, for Holly the need for her teddy-like blanky at bedtime did not stop as she grew older. \u201cI honestly haven\u2019t been able to sleep without her since I can remember. She\u2019s been to every sleepover, holiday, the library when I\u2019m stressed and sometimes I even take her to Tesco for the trip, which I know is sad.\u201d says Holly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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These items are called transitional objects, helping to aid a transition between one thing and another. They are often used by children, but can also be used in adulthood. Whether it\u2019s sleep and wake or moving from one life stage to another, these objects help create stability and comfort, especially when that object is a teddy or blanket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Often used for general relaxation as well, Bubba was the only comfort for Holly through times in her life when she struggled with her mental health and sleep. \u201cI\u2019ve had problems with anxiety and eating issues when I was younger. During that time she was one of the only things I looked forward to and I didn\u2019t look forward to much. Bubba was always there and helped me sleep at a time I was so anxious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some may argue Holly should be able to sleep without Bubba, and should figure out another way of getting a good night\u2019s sleep. But the truth is, a lot of us haven\u2019t figured it out. According to Bedstar, 16 million people in the UK struggle with their sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steve Maher<\/a>, Life Coach and Mental Health Specialist, says: \u201cSleep is without a doubt the most important thing we do every day, there\u2019s nothing close to it. If you get that right, you can basically cope with life. People that don\u2019t sleep well can\u2019t cope with everyday stuff, the emotional part of their brain massively dominates their rational thinking brain. So really we should be applauding Holly for getting it right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The longest period she has gone without Bubba is a month during her second year of university, when she forgot her at home. \u201cAs soon as I realised I was begging my parents to send her up immediately. They refused and said this is your chance to finally get rid and try and sleep without her. So I tried it. I thought maybe this is finally the time,\u201d says Holly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout that month, Holly constantly complained to everyone, friends, housemates and family about the difficulty of not having Bubba and struggling to sleep. Exams rolled around, a stressful time for any student, but heightened for Holly due to the lack of sleep and a month of longing for Bubba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll I wanted for my 20th birthday was for my parents to send up Bubba. All I could think about in the weeks leading up to it was whether I was getting Bubba back. I remember all my housemates sat around when my birthday package arrived, waiting and anticipating to see whether Bubba was there; thankfully, she was. I think my housemates were just as pleased and relieved as me. I could have literally burst into tears. I had gone from not being with her and not being able to sleep, to instantly feeling the attachment and feeling of comfort.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n For Holly, Bubba is the easiest route to get to sleep. Through the psychological theory of pattern matching, Steve Maher explains why: \u201cYour brain is a pattern matching and prediction machine. The world is really complicated \u2014 say you are sitting on a chair, you don\u2019t think it\u2019s a chair you just know, and if you went into another room you would know there\u2019s another chair without spending any time trying to work out if it is a chair. That\u2019s pattern matching. You lay down a template when you are young of what a chair looks like and anytime you see something similar you just know it\u2019s a chair. Your brain tries to shortcut and fastrack the world because it\u2019s so complex. We also pattern match with emotions and feelings. She\u2019s got a pattern match between her comfort blanket and sleeping. If she breaks that pattern she will struggle to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The great thing about the brain is that it has a function called neural plasticity, its ability to rewire itself. It will always go down the easiest path but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t create a new one. Steve says: \u201cImagine you are in the woods and you\u2019ve got to get through. On the left there\u2019s a path that\u2019s well trodden and easy to navigate, but then there\u2019s another, overgrown and full of pickets. You\u2019d never go down the difficult path, you\u2019d just go down the easy one, which is exactly what Holly is doing. What she\u2019s got to do is create a new path, hack down the brambles and pickets and keep walking. The old one will overgrow and a new path is created, that\u2019s neural plasticity. She can change, it\u2019s just very difficult at the beginning. It\u2019s difficult for her as she\u2019s wired her brain to think that if I don\u2019t have my comfort blanket I can\u2019t sleep and she\u2019s got to rewire it. The only way to do that is to keep on doing it over and over again until it gets easier and easier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senses also play a huge role in attachments and sleep. Holly says, \u201cThe main thing is her smell. It\u2019s like I\u2019m addicted, I crave her smell. You know how people are addicted to cigarettes and feel calmer after that, I feel the same with her smell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psychologist Sarah Samuel explains this: \u201cThe senses are really important, our smell will take us way back to pre-memory stuff, so she would probably associate that with safety and care. It\u2019s really deeply rooted, and with something like that, if someone tried to take your teddy away, it could provoke a panic attack or a really serious response. It\u2019s still like ripping it away from a baby because there\u2019s a part of them that still needs that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keeping a childhood teddy or blanket as an adult can sometimes invite judgment from those closest to us. Steve Maher says, \u201cIf you\u2019ve got a partner that doesn\u2019t accept you for who you are, you\u2019ve got a problem. Bubba is part of who she is, so if a partner says to get rid of that, it would be a red flag for me. The nicest thing they can do is accept them for who they are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thankfully, Holly has always had positive experiences with partners. She says: \u201cI\u2019ve always been nervous about telling boys and them thinking it\u2019s so weird, you\u2019re 21 what are you doing. But they have all been really nice about it, some of them think it\u2019s cute which is surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, it\u2019s about understanding that what may seem unusual is deeply personal. From a soft teddy to frayed blankets, these items continue to comfort us, not as signs of immaturity, but as tools for survival in an often overwhelming world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more essential sleep knowledge:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doze delves into why more young adults are holding onto childhood comforts like toys or blankets. For some these are more than just nostalgic items, but essential for a good night’s sleep. .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":195,"featured_media":688,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stages"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/doze\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2025\/05\/IMG_4923-scaled-e1748530810586-960x1024.jpeg\")
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