Is Sleeping With Socks On Healthy In Winter? (2024)

FAQs

Is Sleeping With Socks On Healthy In Winter? ›

Cold feet can make it harder for you to sleep, as it constricts your blood vessels and lowers your blood circulation. Wearing socks can help to improve blood circulation and promote better sleep. Along with promoting better sleep, wearing socks while sleeping can also heal your cracked heels.

Agreeing, Dr Aditya S Chowti, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Cunningham Road, Bangalore said, “It's a good thing to wear socks at night during winter to keep your feet warm and protected. Women may find it helpful for cooling their core temperature.

Sleeping with socks on may not be for you if you have circulatory issues, swelling of the feet, or other issues that could potentially increase the likelihood of socks restricting blood flow to your legs and feet. As always, make sure to talk to your doctor about if sleeping with socks on is right for you.

The treatment is based on the idea that the body naturally regulates its temperature. By putting on cold, wet socks, the body's heat is redirected towards the feet and away from other areas, which can help open up congested nasal passages and improve sleep quality.

The Benefits of Wearing Socks in the House

For one thing, when you wear socks in the house your feet remain warm and insulated from the cold floor beneath them. This can be especially helpful during winter months or if you have a home with tile floors that tend to be chilly all year round.

According to the National Library of Medicine, a 2018 study found that participants who wore socks to bed fell asleep faster, stayed asleep longer and woke less often than those who did not wear socks.

Statistics and footnotes on the topic are limited, though one small survey suggested 63% of us don't sleep with socks on, 25% sometimes do, and nearly 12% regularly do.

Wearing socks while sleeping can increase the risk of poor hygiene. If your socks are too light, not clean or made of unbreathable fabric, it increases your chances of infection and odours. Choose socks that are made of cotton or bamboo and ensure you wear a fresh pair before going to bed.

Wearing socks to bed can help to keep your feet warm, which can, in turn, increase blood flow and improve circulation. This can be especially beneficial for individuals with poor circulation, such as those with diabetes or peripheral artery disease.

Sleeping with socks on does prevent the feet from 'breathing' and may reduce the amount of friction that might help with removing dead skin. It may also mean that the feet sweat more and so could increase the likelihood of developing a fungal infection.

What is the sock trick for cold? ›

The treatment involves wearing a pair of wet, cold socks to bed and letting your body work during the night to warm your feet and dry the socks out. In order to do this, your body increases circulation to the feet which helps to decrease congestion in the head and chest.

Research suggests that wearing socks to bed can help people not only fall asleep faster, but sleep longer and wake up fewer times throughout the night. One study found that young men wearing socks fell asleep 7.5 minutes faster, slept 32 minutes longer, and woke up 7.5 times less often than those not wearing socks.

Socks Can Make You Too Hot

Research shows heat exposure can decrease slow-wave sleep (also known as deep sleep) and rapid-eye-movement sleep (REM sleep). To reduce the risk of overheating, set your thermostat to 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the ideal room temperature for sleep.

While sleeping with socks could be a game-changer for some snoozers, it may do more harm than good for others. Specifically, Harris notes that sleeping with socks on could lead to: Overheating. Restlessness.

When your feet sweat, the moisture can create an ideal environment for bacteria and fungi to grow, which can lead to unpleasant odors and infections. Wearing socks can help absorb the moisture and keep your feet dry, which can reduce the risk of these issues.

Walking barefoot on the carpet at home comes with minimal risk. But if you have hard floors at home, limit your time without shoes and socks. Walking barefoot on hard floors can be hard on your arches, plantar fascia, and other structures in your foot.

Before you head to bed, let your feet soak in some warm water – water conducts heat 25 times faster than air, so you'll be able to warm them up pretty quickly! Once they feel warm, towel dry your feet and pop on those woolly socks to keep them cosy all night long.

The best materials for bed socks include Merino wool, Viscose, cotton, cashmere or polyester. Sleep socks often have a blend of multiple materials, making them stretchy, soft and comfortable.

Your venous and lymphatic system does not work against gravity when you lie down. This facilitates the drainage of blood and lymph. In addition, skin regenerates overnight. So, for those who continuously wear compression during the day, it is advised to not wear medical compression stockings at night.

Prolonged foot covering narrows the tissues, muscles, and blood vessels around your feet, thus decreasing circulation.