Here is why you should never sleep with your socks on

Should you sleep with socks on your feet? Specialists are divided over this particular issue. And each side has got its own arguments!

The benefits of wearing socks to sleep

According to a study conducted by two South Korean academics, wearing socks during the night would help you sleep better.

Conducted on six volunteers, their research revealed that people who wore socks to bed fell asleep 7.5 minutes earlier, on average. Moreover, the quality of sleep appeared to be better: according to the results given, the volunteers woke up a lot less during the night and they slept longer.

This phenomenon is explained by the fact that we lose most of our body heat through our extremities. Thus, if your feet are uncovered, whether at bedtime or during the night, you will feel cold more quickly.

The heat facilitates blood circulation, as blood vessels dilate and allow for an optimal and especially fast sleep. If you are cold when you slip into bed, it will be more complicated to warm you up, but also to find sleep!

Read more:

⋙ Wearing clothes to bed could be affecting how you sleep, here's what you should do instead

⋙ Man reveals horrific reason why you should never sleep with contacts in your eyes: 'It’s a constant pain'

Why should you take off your socks when you go to bed?

According to Alexandre Aranda, neurologist and sleep doctor quoted by Madame Figaro, it is preferable to sleep without socks and with your feet out of the bed in order to keep a comfortable body temperature. Indeed, when falling asleep, the body naturally regulates its internal temperature. However, if socks are not thin enough, they block the system, preventing the extremities, which are more sensitive to cold temperatures, from warming up properly or from evacuating heat!

Having socks on your feet all the time, plus a comforter, a blanket and possibly a cat, is always better when you slip into your sheets and it helps you relax to fall asleep, but it's far too much for the rest of the night, when your whole body is running at a low level!

At bedtime, socks help you to fall asleep, because they prevent us from feeling an unpleasant cold breeze, but they also prevent the natural regulation of the body during the night. Too bad for those who complain about cold feet.

So what is the solution? Put on your socks 30 to 90 minutes before going to bed, and sleep with your feet out of bed. It's easy! Then you just have to find the right position...

Mixed opinions

Twitter is just as divided when it comes to the question of wearing socks in bed. Some say they feel like they are 'suffocating'.

Others say they love it!

This article has been adapted from Gentside FR.

Sources used:

National Library of Medicine: Effects of feet warming using bed socks on sleep quality and thermoregulatory responses in a cool environment

PasseportSanté: Pourquoi garder ses chaussettes au lit est bon pour la santé ?

MadameFigaro: Vous portez des chaussettes pour mieux dormir ? Erreur