I’ve never slept with my socks on, maybe when I’m just having a cold or the flu, but beyond that, I don’t have the habit of putting my socks on when I sleep. However, recent studies show there are benefits to sleeping with your socks on. So, what are the benefits we can get from them?
Sleeping with your socks on has some benefits both in physical health and mental health. Among those benefits includes better sleep, regulating body temperature, decreased blood pressure, and many more. However, not all socks help. Some may have drawbacks rather than benefits.
I can tell that wearing socks while sleeping is a good idea, given that there are numerous benefits we can get. But, what really happens to our body if we sleep with socks on? I’ll discuss some of the important points regarding this, including the benefits and how it affects our body.
Why Is Sleeping With Socks On So Controversial?
There’s research done by Apartment Therapy that 44 percent of the people prefer sleeping without wearing socks, 28 percent of it like sleeping with their socks on. However, 29 percent are undecided.
What makes sleeping with socks on controversial is mainly due to a number of reasons. According to the 44 percent of non-sock sleepers, they find it uncomfortable due to hygiene issues, socks make them warmer at night and the irritation of getting sweaty feet in the night.
With this observation, I believe that sleeping with socks on is a matter of personal preference and one of the obvious reasons is because wearing socks while sleeping can be discomforting at night. Despite its controversy, science suggests that it can be helpful to our body, as I have said earlier.
Sleeping With Socks On and Body Temperature
According to Tuck.com, among the main reason wearing socks might affect your due to thermoregulation. As the name suggests, it regulates the body’s temperature when the surrounding temperature is different.
In other words, our body is self-regulating to maintain the body temperature for us to survive. In relation to socks, wearing socks while sleeping helps regulate your body temperature efficiently. As a result, this can redistribute the heat in your body evenly, which is useful during colder nights.
There are other reasons why wearing socks during sleeping time is helpful. Other reasons for this are improving your sleep quality, lowering your blood pressure, and even preventing any foot health issues such as Raynaud’s attack, athlete’s foot, and more.
Benefits Of Putting Your Socks On While Sleeping
Putting socks while going to sleep is not just a matter of aesthetic or personal preferences. In fact, studies suggest that there are various benefits you can get with just putting your socks on, on your sleep.
Just to clear things, this article is for informational purposes only. This should not be used as a substitute for professional treatment or diagnosis. Please consult with your doctor if you feel there’s something wrong with your feet or your body.
I have listed some of the benefits of wearing socks while sleeping, which you can see below.
Sleeping With Your Socks On Makes You Sleep Better
Sleeping with socks on can improve your sleep quality. If ever you are experiencing insomnia or you are sleep-deprived, you might try wearing socks when you go to sleep. Among the reason is that wearing socks helps regulate your body temperature.
If you are having chills or you feel it’s too cold, wearing socks might help you warm your body temperature in order to ward off the cold temperature around your environment.
This can also alleviate the symptoms of insomnia because it makes you feel warm, and there’s soft clothing that wraps around your feet, making you feel comfortable and increasing the chances of falling asleep.
Sleeping With Socks On Reduces The Chance Of Raynaud’s Attack
Raynaud’s attack is a health condition where your body, particularly your toes and fingers, are numbing due to cold weather, especially on winter nights. The numbing of toes and fingers are caused by a constriction of small arteries limiting the blood flow.
One of the effective ways to reduce the chances of Raynaud’s attack is to wear a nice and comfy sock. Usually, good-quality socks can prevent any chances of Raynaud’s syndrome.
To find out more about Raynaud’s syndrome, I can refer you to this article merckmanuals.com
Putting Socks While Sleeping Prevent Hot Flushes
Hot flashes are a condition experienced by women who are nearing their menopausal stage. It’s also due to changes in hormone levels which affect the body’s temperature. This can result in difficulty sleeping.
This condition can be prevented if not reduced by putting on socks while sleeping. With socks on, it activates the mechanism called vasodilation. It’s where the blood vessels widen, which makes your body temperature cool down faster, thus putting you to sleep faster.
Wearing Socks On Your Sleep Helps Improve Blood Circulation
Wearing your socks while sleeping can improve the circulation of blood. Having a good circulation of blood and oxygen is one of the key factors to better sleep. This allows your muscles, heart, and lungs to work effectively.
I think that wearing compression socks works best. However, this is only prescribed by a doctor who is specifically for compression therapy. The benefits of wearing regular socks and compression socks are the same.
But compressions socks are only recommended if there’s a swelling or pain in your lower legs or the ankle. Compression socks can regulate blood flow, reduce swelling and pain, and many more.
Wearing Socks To Bed Prevent Cracked Heels
Wearing socks during sleep may prevent cracked heels from developing further. I’ve experienced cracked heels before. What I did is I applied a moisturizing lotion on my feet before I went to sleep and then pulled on a pair of cotton socks.
I think applying a lotion and then wearing socks will help the moisture to lock in, which prevents it from drying out or rubbing off.
If you are unfamiliar with cracked heels, these are common foot conditions in the summer months. The main reason why cracked heels occur is due to some shoes that have an open back which causes inadequate support for the heel of the foot.
As a result, the skin becomes dry and eventually can develop fissures and deep cracks. You can check out instrideppa.com regarding cracked heels.
Disadvantages Of Sleeping With Socks On
If there are some good benefits of wearing socks while sleeping, there are also some drawbacks you can get. However, I believe these drawbacks are mostly simple problems, and there’s nothing to worry about.
Although this doesn’t mean you need completely ignore putting your socks on while sleeping, these are just some drawbacks if the socks you’re wearing are inappropriate or not well cleaned enough.
Below are the disadvantages of putting on socks while sleeping.
Wearing Socks To Bed Leads To Poor Circulation
While wearing socks can improve your blood circulation to have a better sleep, it can also cause you to have a hard time sleeping. If you’re wearing a sock that is too constricting and tight enough, your socks can reduce the blood flow in your feet, causing poor circulation.
Thankfully this can be prevented by investing in bed socks or selecting a size that’s a comfortable fit, and making sure it’s made of quality materials. Also, avoid socks that are not breathable such as compression socks.
Wearing Socks During Sleep Compromise Your Hygiene
If the socks you’re wearing for sleep are dirty, then you’re increasing the chance of having poor hygiene in your feet. I don’t want to end up having stinky feet in the morning, and I don’t want to have an itchy foot while I’m sleeping either.
Socks that are not clean, made of unbreathable fabric, or light are subject to drawing out bacteria that cause your feet to emit a bad odor or have an itchy foot. This also increases the chances of having foot infections such as athlete’s foot.
If you’re going to put on socks for sleeping, be sure that it’s clean, breathable, and always fresh so you won’t have trouble having poor hygiene in your feet every morning.
Sleeping With Socks Can Be Uncomfortable
Sleeping with socks on can be uncomfortable, especially if you’re not used to putting your socks on during bedtime. Personally, I’m not comfortable sleeping with my socks on. I’m used to sleeping with my feet naked.
Also, as previously mentioned, most people don’t like wearing socks, given that it’s uncomfortable and makes their feet warm, leading to sweaty feet. Not to mention if the socks you’re wearing are too tight, or there’s a hole, or something else.
Putting Socks While Sleeping Might Cause Skin Infection
Nylon socks or other materials that are sensitive to the skin may likely increase the chance of having skin infections if worn for a long time. I suggest having a sock made of cotton is friendly to your skin. Also, it’s best to change your socks regularly.
Having Good Quality Socks Matters
I believe that investing in good-quality socks can contribute to your sleep quality. To avoid any discomfort and to make sure you’ll sleep better. It doesn’t need to be an expensive sock, but it should possess good material, be skin-friendly, reasonable price, be a comfortable fit, and be breathable.
What Are The Recommended Socks To Wear In Bed?
Not all socks are helpful to wear in bed. But if you want to have a better sleep quality and protection from chilly nights, I think that wearing the appropriate socks in bed is the key.
These are the type of socks I would recommend if you want to try sleeping with your socks on during colder temperatures.
Cashmere Socks
Cashmere socks are quite popular due to their soft material and great insulation for the feet. It’s also considered the finest material among the type of socks. This is due to the thinner fibers, so the heat can’t escape keeping your feet warm and cozy.
Although cashmere socks are not the strongest, they are effective when it comes to sleeping socks.
Merino Socks
This type of socks is made of wool, and these are extremely useful in bed. Similar to cashmere, this can provide enough warmth on your feet. However, the fiber is thicker than cashmere. Also, this can prevent any stinky odor from your feet wicks away the moisture.
Cotton Socks
Another good material is cotton. Cotton socks similarly provide enough warmth and comfort on your feet like the merino and cashmere material. This is recommended for vegans who don’t wear any animal-made products.
Its material effectively wicks away moisture just like merino. Cotton socks are breathable and can help regulate the body’s temperature.
Bed Socks
As the name suggests, bed socks are suitable for sleeping. If you’re used to wearing socks at sleep, I think that bed socks are a great investment because they are designed for specific functions.
Bed socks are thicker than regular socks, but it has the same breathability as the other types of socks above.
These are made of thick fibers, and it’s effective in providing warmth to your feet.
Final Thoughts
Among the primary effects of sleeping with socks on is it regulates the temperature of the body through the process of thermoregulation. This mechanism is useful especially during colder nights where you need to put your socks on to combat chill.
Also, wearing socks on your sleep can improve your sleep quality and make you even more comfortable because there’s enough blood flow within your feet. It can also reduce the chances of having cracked heels.
Although I’m not used to wearing socks at night, maybe it’s time for me to try again, so I may know if I will feel different or improve my sleep quality.
Thanks for visiting Helpshoe.com
References: