Wearing socks can help you fall asleep faster. The reason is simple: our body lowers the temperature to be able to sleep, but if your feet are cold, it will be difficult for it because it will have to warm the extremities. Having your feet covered can prevent this problem.
Sleeping with socks is a habit that many people follow on a daily basis, but there are also those who prefer to do it without this garment, especially during the hot months.
If you belong to this last group, we tell you that leaving your socks on at night can bring benefits, including reducing insomnia, so you may want to reconsider your position.
The biological reason why it is advantageous to sleep with socks
The American Clinic Cleveland explains on its website that many people benefit from sleeping in socks for a biological reason.
As they say, the body needs to lower the temperature to be able to sleep, but if your feet are cold, it will be difficult for you because it will have to warm the extremities, preventing you from reaching the appropriate level of cooling. In turn, this can hinder your ability to fall asleep.
And it is that, when your feet are very cold, the blood vessels constrict, preventing heat from leaving the body. To sleep, we need the vessels to dilate, allowing heat to be removed, a process known as distal vasodilation.
That’s where socks come in: these garments will help stabilize your body temperature, keeping your feet warm and your blood vessels dilated.
Michelle Drerup, Ph.D., a specialist in sleep disorders at the Cleveland Clinic, says that “by heating your feet, you are opening blood vessels to help cool the rest of your body. So increasing blood circulation to your skin results in a lower core temperature. It sounds counterproductive, but that’s what happens.”
Not everyone needs socks to sleep
Your need to wear socks to regulate your body temperature will depend on how sensitive you are to cold. According to America’s Dream Foundationthis is the reason why it is more common for women to wear these garments at night.
“The gender difference also impacts the optimal temperature for sleeping. Women have a lower resting metabolic rate than men, which impacts their sensitivity to colder environments.”narrates the organization.
This means that their bodies burn calories more slowly, producing less heat. Instead, men generate more body heat, thanks to their accelerated metabolism.
The best socks for sleeping
The American organization indicates that the best socks to wear at night are those made from cashmere (cashmere), merino wool and cottonthanks to the fact that its small fibers allow the skin to breathe and expel body heat, as well as being soft.
Be careful if you have circulation problems
On the other hand, the US Sleep Foundation recommends that those who have “circulation problems, foot swelling, or other difficulties that may increase the risk of socks restricting blood flow to the legs and feet” not wear socks to sleep. .”
“As always, be sure to talk to your doctor about whether sleeping in socks is best for you,” he suggests.