It’s the age-old question – should you sleep with socks on or not? Some people swear by it, while others find it very uncomfortable.
I love to wear socks at night, so I was excited to learn it can actually be good for you! But, there are some definite dos and don’ts to wearing socks to bed. Keep reading to find out about the benefits and drawbacks.
Is It Good to Sleep with Your Socks On?
Simply put, it is good to sleep with your socks on. Sleeping with your socks on can help maintain a healthy sleep temperature and can have other positive health outcomes.
However, if you wear the wrong kinds of socks, you could overheat or have issues with blood circulation. And, wearing dirty socks on a warm night can get a little gross!
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Benefits of Sleeping with Socks On
There are a number of reasons you should cover up those feet when you hit the hay. First off, did you know that wearing socks can actually cool you down while you sleep? This seems a bit backwards at first, but according to experts, it’s the truth.
Michelle Drerup, a behavioral sleep disorders specialist at the Cleveland Clinic says, “By making your feet warmer, you’re opening up blood vessels to help cool down the rest of the body. So, increasing the blood circulation to your feet results in a lower core temperature.”
Also, research shows that socks can warm you up on those colder nights. This isn’t too surprising, but one study found that subjects who slept with their socks on in a colder room fell asleep more quickly, slept longer, and had fewer interruptions during the night.
If you struggle with hot flashes, wearing socks at night can also help. Socks help regulate your temperature during the night, and this can prevent hot flashes from occurring as often.
Socks can improve your health in other ways. For instance, Reynaud’s Disease is a condition in which people’s fingers and toes feel numb or extremely cold when the temperature is lower. Wearing socks to bed can help ease these symptoms by insulating your toes.
Wearing socks to bed can even make sex better. A study in the Netherlands found that those who wear socks to bed experience more orgasms than those who do not.
What Type of Socks Should I Wear to Bed?
Some socks are better to sleep in, while others are not. First, you want to make sure that your socks are breathable. Find something made of organic cotton or wool to ensure air can pass through the material. Second, stay away from compression socks. Your socks should be looser without limiting blood flow. Compression socks can be great for exercise, but you won’t want to wear them to bed.
Risks of Sleeping with Socks On
There are some drawbacks to sleeping with your socks on. First off, if you wear dirty socks to bed, there is a risk of infections such as toe fungus and athlete’s foot. Make sure that you wear breathable socks so your feet don’t get too sweaty.
Second, if you do wear the wrong kind of socks, there is a risk of overheating. While wearing breathable socks on a warm night can help you cool down, wearing thick, stifling socks can raise your core temperature.
Finally, if your socks are too tight, you could limit blood circulation. Make sure you don’t wear compression socks to bed and that your socks aren’t too small or tight.
Is It Normal to Sleep with Socks On?
There are indeed benefits to sleeping with your socks on, but is it normal? If you wear your socks to bed with your partner, will they think you’re strange?
While there is nothing weird about sleeping with your socks on, some superstitions surround it. Some believe that wearing socks to bed can cause nightmares. The socks themselves may not cause nightmares, but studies show that fevers and overheating can lead to strange dreams. But, if you wear the right kind of breathable socks, this shouldn’t be an issue!
In Ireland, some believe wearing socks to bed is a sign you are having an affair. Having socks on means you are prepared to run out of the room if caught by your spouse. As an extension of this, Irish Catholics used to believe wearing socks meant you were in league with the devil.
But, wearing socks isn’t evil. In fact, it’s a great way to stay cool, get good sleep, and even improve your love life.
