Some people tend to wear socks to sleep better. Is this belief true?
Sleep experts told the American newspaper “Washington Post” that wearing socks can help reduce basic body temperature, which improves sleep.
The newspaper stressed that there is a lack of studies on how to help wear socks in lowering basic body temperature, but there is an acceptable theoretical explanation, since most people tend to sleep better when they are more cool, and this is what most sleep experts agree.
National Sleeping Corporation in the United States recommends maintaining low temperatures possible during sleep.
A study conducted in 2023 indicates that sleep for the elderly is “more effective and comfortable” at low temperatures.
Our bodies also help to maintain the cold at night, since body temperature is influenced by the daily rhythm, so it tends to change a bit throughout the day and night.
The research shows that our body temperature drops to the lowest levels by about 4 in the morning, then gradually increases during the day, until it reaches its peak in the evening, after which it returns to the decrease.
Endera Javatatola, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, said that sweat can reduce body temperature, as well as the expansion of remote blood vessels, a process in which microscopic blood vessels are expanded, allowing the heat to leave.
He added: “When we heat the feet wearing socks, the blood vessels expand under the skin, not only at the feet, but everywhere and this extension allows the hot blood to climb to the surface and with its continuous rotation and reaching the skin, the body temperature is lost, the basic body temperature decreases at the end and the decrease in body temperature indicates the will of the brain to sleep.”
In 2018, a small study reported that 6 men wore socks in a cold sleep environment, slept soon with an average of 7.5 minutes and woke up fewer times and their total sleep increased by 32 minutes compared to sleep without socks, but due to the small size and the study methodology, it is difficult to extract the conclusions from the results that can be applied on a wide staircase, according to experts.
According to experts, bathing with hot water or eating a small amount of hot drink and without caffeine before going to bed, it can increase body temperature and therefore, when blood vessels expand, the rapid decrease in high body temperature can help improve sleep.
However, Michelle Droub, from the disturbing sleep center at the Cleveland Clinic, said that wearing socks during sleep is not a single recommendation that adapts to everyone “.
He said it is not advisable to wear socks to treat sleep disorders such as insomnia or apnea and is not an alternative to the treatments or drugs prescribed by the doctor.
In addition, experts have said that people with some cases that hinder body temperature regulation or have blood circulation problems such as diabetes or vulnerable to fungal foot infections should consult a doctor on the fact that it is advisable to wear socks during sleep.
Experts have provided advice that those who want to try to sleep with socks can consider, how to choose clean and well -ventilated socks and avoid fabrics that do not allow the passage of air, such as artificial materials, as they can increase sweating, which improves foot mushrooms.
Dreroub said that the socks made of natural fibers such as cotton, cashmere and wool “are the best, given their warmth and the ability to breathe”.
“Every night, people sleep better or worse for multiple reasons, so he does not make a decision based on a night or two,” says Rafael Beliio, professor at the Department of Sleep Medicine of Stanford University. If you intend to try it, do it for about a week to see if it makes the difference. “
