People over the world, especially those with sleep disorders, are ready to try anything that promises to help them fall asleep faster. Among the several suggested ways to help people fall asleep faster is wearing socks to bed. As strange as it may sound to those who’ve never thought of doing it, sleeping with socks on can actually aid in better sleep. How? By regulating your body temperature.
This applies to those who cannot sleep at night because of excessively cold feet. When your feet are cold, it results in restlessness and prevents proper sleep. Sometimes a blanket isn’t enough to keep your feet warm enough. That’s when sleeping with socks on is an option.
Sleep is an essential part of life. Humans spend a third of the day sleeping. Proper restful sleep is necessary for healthy brain and body function. But there are a large number of people who have difficulty falling asleep from time to time. In colder climes, cold hands and feet is a big problem. The lower your body temperature, the harder it will be to get to sleep, because only the right body temperature promotes sleep. Many people feel restless late at night because that’s when the core body temperature drops. This is also when people may wake up in the middle of the night and be unable to go back to sleep.
If you suffer from cold feet at night, wearing socks to bed might be a good idea because it assists the body’s internal temperature regulation. Warming up the feet makes the blood vessels dilate, and releases heat through the skin and helps to lower core body temperature. This signals to the brain that it’s time to sleep.
Sleeping with socks on also has other benefits, such as:
Preventing hot flashes: Menopausal women often experience hot flashes, with symptoms such as a sudden sensation of intense warmth throughout the body, sweating and palpitations, and flushing or reddening of the face. Socks regulate the core body temperature, helping prevent hot flashes because hormonal fluctuations affect the body’s temperature control.
Healing cracked heels: Cold and dryness are two big reasons behind cracked heels. Wearing cotton socks after applying a moisturizer can heal your cracked heels and keeps them soft and supple.
Decreasing chances of Raynaud’s attack: Raynaud’s disease is when hands and feet become cold, lose circulation, and become numb. Wearing socks can prevent such attacks.
Better sex: Research has found that people who wear socks to bed have better chances of having an orgasm during sex. This is because the body’s core temperature stays regulated and keeps away cold feet.
What socks to wear
Soft socks made of natural fibers like cashmere or merino wool are best for wearing to bed. Even though more expensive than cotton socks or those made from artificial fibers, natural soft socks are worth every penny because they are gentle on the skin. You must also make sure that the socks you wear are not tight, because tight socks will block circulation and prevent proper warming of the feet.
There are other ways to warm your feet before bedtime to facilitate proper sleep. Massaging the feet before bed with massage oil or moisturizer to which a natural circulatory booster like capsaicin cream has been added is one of the ways. This helps in improving blood flow to the feet and keeps them warm. You can also warm your socks before putting them on with a hairdryer or holding them in front of a heater.
Always exercise caution when wearing socks to bed because the feet tend to overheat quickly. If you feel hot, take off your socks or stick your feet outside the covers.
