Do you sleep with socks on or socks off? This debate causes turmoil between friends, partners and even family members. Believe it or not, there are benefits to sleeping with your socks on, so don’t jump to conclusions and think that sleeping with your socks off will make no difference. Whether or not you are a sock sleeper, we’re here today to give you the facts on the benefits of sleeping with your socks on.
Fall Asleep Faster
Studies have shown that wearing socks to bed helps a large amount with the thermoregulation of your body. Thermoregulation is the ability of your body to find the proper level of homeostasis to keep you in your max comfort level not being too hot or too cold. Additionally, wearing socks helps keep your feet warm which increases circulation. Cold feet will only lower your circulation and may cause you to wake up more throughout the night. Wearing socks to bed also causes something called vasodilatation which essentially means the dilation of your blood vessels. When vasodilatation happens, it usually is a signal to the brain that it’s time to go to sleep, similar to being in a dark room.
No Cracked Feet
Dry cracked feet can be the worst, and no matter what you do they may continue to be dried and cracked. If you’re someone who has perpetually cracked feet, we recommend applying some moisturizer to your feet before putting your socks on before bed. Doing so will help keep the lotion your skin through the night instead of rubbing off on your sheets. Once your feet start to feel softer, try to sleep with socks more often to keep them that way!
Prevent Raynaud’s Disease
Reynaud’s disease is caused when parts of the skin, especially extremities like hands, fingers, toes, and feet don’t get proper circulation. This lack of circulation causes swelling and throbbing pain, which definitely is no fun. Leaving your feet exposed can cause them to get cold which will slow your circulation and could lead to this disease. Proper circulation is very important, so keep those tootsies warm!
If you decide to start to wear socks to bed, there are some things you’re going to need to know. When buying socks, make sure to get some made of natural materials that allow airflow. Sleeping with thick socks made of artificial materials will just make your feet sweat and make you uncomfortable. Same thing goes for compression socks, compression socks are made for a specific purpose and bed time is not the place. Last but certainly not least, change your socks before bedtime. Wearing the socks to bed that you wore all day just adds unnecessary sweat and bacteria.
If you can’t get behind the idea of wearing socks to bed no matter what you do, we urge you to take proper measures to ensure your feet stay warm and protected. One easy thing you can do is layer extra blankets on the end of your bed on top of your comforter to keep more heat in. Keeping the heat in is sure to help you sleep better.
Let us know what you do, do you sleep with your socks on or socks off?
