When you are ready to go to sleep, you have already changed into your pajamas, washed up for the night, and read a book to unwind, and have taken your socks off. That is because who really wears socks in bed? Why would anyone wear socks when they go to sleep for the night? Wouldn’t your body overheat otherwise? Well, actually, it is advantageous to wear your socks when you go to bed. Let’s talk about how that could possibly be the case.
How It Is Advantageous For You To Wear Your Socks To Bed
The idea of wearing your socks may make you think you will overheat and the fact of the matter is that when you are too warm at night, you will not be able to sleep well. However, as counterintuitive as this may seem, wearing socks to bed helps to regulate your internal temperature. In fact, a study conducted back in 2006 found that adults who wore socks whether they were normal or heated to bed actually ended up falling asleep quicker.
You have to keep in mind that when you go to sleep, your body temperature drops. And it hits the lowest temperature at 4 am. Even though the average body temperature is 98.6 F for most people (it can vary by one or two degrees up or down), it will drop by one or two degrees over a 24 hour period. And while you are asleep, your body temperature is at its lowest.
Therefore, if you do warm your feet by wearing socks, the blood vessels will dilate which is known as vasodilation. When that happens, heat is released through the skin which ends up helping to lower the core body temperature. Therefore, when this happens, this sends a message to your brain that it is time to go to bed. With that being said, it has been found that if your skin is warm, you will end up getting to sleep quicker.
Another thing to keep in mind is that someone’s body temperature is determined by their biological clock or circadian rhythm. That is the thing that keeps sleep and wake cycles controlled. If the circadian rhythm is working properly, you will begin to feel sleepy and tired as bedtime approaches, and then you will feel awake and alert in the morning after having a good sleep.
As you fall asleep, your body temperature will decrease by one or two degrees and that is the body’s way to conserve energy for other purposes. Therefore, when you sleep with your socks on, it assists a lot when it comes to regulating your temperature. In addition to that, you will want to keep your room temperature set between 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit because that is cool enough as well to keep your body temperature regulated for sleeping. But that is not the only benefit of wearing socks to bed.
What Are Other Benefits Of Wearing Socks To Bed Other Than Regulating Body Temperature?
If you are frequently dealing with cold hands and feet, then you may have Raynaud’s syndrome which is a condition where the blood vessels of the skin are affected. Blood flow to the hands and feet is reduced whenever there is an attack which makes the fingers and toes numb and cold and can change to blue or white in color. And if you suspect you have this condition, you need to talk to a doctor about it. However, wearing socks to bed will help keep symptoms reduced.
In addition to that, women that are perimenopausal or are in menopause would benefit from wearing socks to bed since it can help reduce their core temperature. And that can help reduce the severity of hot flashes.
However, just realize that wearing socks to bed you want to wear loose-fitting ones that will not affect your circulation. You also want to change your socks daily because you also need to know if you wear the same socks during the day and night, that will breed bacteria. You will want to wear a pair of socks specifically for bed and be sure to not wear the same socks more than two nights in a row for hygienic reasons. Otherwise, you will definitely find by wearing socks to bed, you will fall asleep faster.