A chilly night might make your sleep a bit uncomfortable. So what do you do? You grab a pair of socks and wear them to keep your feet warm, which is also one of the easiest ways to help you get better sleep. There are two types of people in this world, one who sleeps with their socks on and the other one who likes sleeping barefoot when it comes to night time. There are few scientific side effects and benefits of wearing socks to bed. Wearing socks to bed increases blood circulation to your feet that speeds up the rate at which your core temperature drops. The feet, hands are the places where your body temperature lowers. But there are few downsides too.
Advantages of Wearing Socks to Bed
Circulation is improved
Wearing socks helps to improve your circulation by increasing the blood flow to the feet. Your lungs, heart, and muscles work efficiently and provide healthy blood and oxygen flow due to good circulation of blood.
Thermoregulation
Thermoregulation is the process by which our bodies control their temperature. Our bodies respond to the environment and changing temperatures during each season. So to ensure we don’t fall victim to the changing temperatures, it’s necessary to keep yourself warm on cold days.
Also Read: Is Wearing A Body Shaper Everyday Safe? Here Are 5 Cons Of Body Shapers
Prevention of Raynaud’s attack
This is a medical condition in which your fingers and toes respond to cold weather, making it numb. It’s essential to prevent it though it doesn’t create any severe health problems. This happens because of the restriction of blood flow that makes the area turn white or patchy.
Prevents hot flushes
Sleep can often be challenging to achieve for women going through menopause. Hormonal changes can be prevented by wearing socks in bed because of the hot flushes that respond to hormonal changes. By keeping your feet warm, you can restrict a process called vasodilation. When the blood vessels increase in size, they give out heat much faster than usual. Because of the increase in surface area, it allows your core temperature to cool down at higher speed In this, the blood vessels dilate which enables you to cool down faster and therefore gives you a better sleep.
Just like the advantages, there can be many disadvantages too -
Reduces circulation
The circulation of blood depends on the socks you wear. If the socks you choose to wear are too tight and uncomfortable, this will cause a decrease in blood flow. It is better to opt for bed socks like
- Cashmere socks: They are well known for their most beautiful and naturally occurring material. There are fewer gaps for air to pass, that can keep your feet warm.
- Cotton socks: These provide similar benefits just like cashmere fabric. This helps in regulating temperature, wicks away moisture and provides breathability all night long.
- Bed socks: These socks are specially designed for wearing them at night. They’re much thicker than regular socks and offer incredible breathability. The thick fibres create plenty of space for heat to dissipate once it’s built up.
Make sure you choose a size up to what you would typically wear throughout the day.
Also Read: Caution: Keeping Your Room Heater On Overnight While You're Sleeping Is Deadly
Poor hygiene
Wearing the same socks to bed can increase poor hygiene in some cases. Tight and untidy socks won’t allow your feet to breathe properly, and chances of infection or odours increase. Ensure that you change your socks before going to bed and choose a pair alternatively.
Overheating
Wearing socks can help your feet make warmer, but it can have an opposite effect too. If your socks are too tight and not breathable, any heat that is expelled through vasodilation will have nowhere to go and can cause overheating.
How can you keep your feet warm without wearing socks?
If you come under the “barefoot” category and don’t like the idea of wearing socks to bed, you can place a hot water bottle at the bottom of the bed or take a warm foot bath before going to bed.
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