Wearing socks to sleep has multiple benefits but has mixed opinions amongst people. Some love wearing socks through the night whereas others find it very uncomfortable. Read on, and we’ll show you the unexpected benefits, and also the alternatives to socks if you still want to stay warm.
Wearing a pair of socks improves the quality of your sleep because there is a strong correlation between falling asleep quickly and a higher level of blood dilation within the body, especially the extremities such as the feet. Wearing socks will cause more blood flow to the feet which will aid sleep.
When we sleep, our internal core body temperature drops but our skin needs to remain warm for us to fall asleep quickly. Socks warm up the skin on our feet which leads to dilation of the blood vessels. This results in signals in the brain that trigger you to feel like sleeping.
Benefits of Wearing Socks to Bed
1. Prevent Hot Flashes
Wearing socks increases blood circulation, which in turn aids temperature regulation, so there are fewer temperature fluctuations throughout the night.
Without socks, our internal core body temperature drops, and if you’re going through menopause, your hormones are already imbalanced which can lead to your brain triggering a rise in temperature which results in a hot flash.
For this same reason, it also helps to decrease the occurrence of night sweats throughout the night. Wearing socks helps to regulate temperature and lessens the amount of work a menopausal person’s body has to do to maintain hormonal and heat balance.
2. Improve Dry Skin
Frequent exposure to air can cause the skin to dry out, and especially in winter, this can lead to cracked heels and skin.
An effective way to combat this is by moisturising your feet before going to bed, then wearing a fresh pair of socks to protect them. Within a week or so, you see positive results as your skin repairs itself.
3. Increase Orgasms
This is strictly for the ladies, but a small study conducted in Europe concluded that women who wore socks to bed experienced a rise from 50% to 80% in their ability to achieve an orgasm.
This is related to an increase in vasodilation which increases blood flow around the body including the brain and the genital area. So wearing socks brings even more benefits that you may not even realise.
4. Prevent Raynauds Attack
Raynaud’s disease is a circulatory disease that effects extremities of the body that blood circulation can’t reach such as the toes and fingers. This can result in sore tissues, and wearing socks when you sleep increases the temperature regulation efficiency and decreases the severity of the disease.
If you suffer from this disease, then it’s a good idea to give your feet a five-ten minute massage before you put your socks on and go to sleep. Massaging will increase circulation of blood to your feet which also help you get to sleep quicker.
There are several options for this; you can either do it with your own hands, get your partner or family member to do it or buy a foot massager.
Alternatives of Wearing Socks to Bed
Some people no matter what, can’t sleep with socks on without being uncomfortable but there are several alternatives available that allow you still benefit from keeping your feet warm throughout the night.
1. Hot Water Bottle
If you don’t like the feeling of socks, then you can use a hot water bottle and place it near the end of the bed where your feet are. You can even place it in the bed before you even get into bed, so it warms it up in advance.
The other benefit of a hot water bottle is that it cools down throughout the night, so you don’t have the continual feeling of being hot.
2. Electric Blanket
An electric blanket is a similar shape to a regular blanket except it has a heating element built into it that allows you to adjust the temperature. The additional benefit is that it doesn’t just warm your feet but also the rest of your body.
This will, of course, be more expensive than a pair of socks but will also be more long lasting and gives you a choice of temperature to tailor it more to your needs.
3. Warm Bath or Shower
Showering or taking a warm bath is not only a great way to warm your feet up, but also to get to sleep quicker. When the temperature of your body drops, this creates a signal in your brain that you're ready for bed.
When you take a warm bath or shower, warm water evaporates from the surface of your skin which causes a more significant drop in temperature which triggers the need to sleep.
You need to ensure that if you do a shower or bath before bed that you're completely dry before getting into bed because this can lead to bacteria build-up leading to infections.
4. Extra Blanket or Duvet
placing an extra blanket at the bottom of your bed can provide added insulation and warmth without having to wear socks, and is ideal if you don’t want to use an electric blanket.
Blankets are categorised by tog rating which is the measurement of how well they insulate heat. If you have a problem of cold feet, then you should select a higher tog blanket.
Choosing the Right Pair
You should wear a clean, fresh pair of socks each night, and never wear the pair that you've worn all day, to avoid bacteria build-up that can result in infections. Once you take off your day socks, you need to wash and dry your feet thoroughly before putting on the clean pair.
The choice of the sock is also essential because you need to ensure that they are breathable to stop your feet from overheating. Avoid compression socks because although they seem like a good idea, they can restrict blood flow and they’re not designed for overnight use.
Ideally, you should have a pair that are made from natural material that promotes air flow.