Sleep expert explains why you should always wear socks to bed
The importance of a deep night's sleep can't be overstated, and it turns out socks are a great help
I don't know about you, but the first thing I do when I'm ready to get into bed is take my socks off because I cannot bear the feeling of them rubbing on my sheets.
Well, it turns out I've been living my life all wrong.
An expert has weighed in to let us all know that the best thing we can possibly do is go to bed in a pair of socks.
It turns out there's major health benefits.
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Sleep expert and CEO of MattressNextDay Martin Seeley, has shared his pearls of wisdom.
He has encouraged us to think about the importance of a seriously deep night's sleep, adding that keeping our feet warm only aids that.
It turns out that while a deep sleep is important for all of us, it's rarer than we think to achieve it for an adequate amount of time.
We should be sleeping for seven to nine hours - and at least 10-15% of it should be deep sleep.
Seeley has shared: "Wearing socks to bed can help warm up your feet, which can signal to your body that it's time to sleep. This can help you fall asleep faster and experience deeper sleep.
"Furthermore, when your feet are cold, your body may divert energy away from your extremities to keep your core warm, which can make it harder to fall into a deep sleep.
"By wearing socks, you can help prevent this energy diversion and promote deeper, more restful sleep."
He concluded: "Overall, wearing socks to bed can be a simple and effective way to promote a more restful, deep sleep."
So there we have it - from the mouth of an expert.
It turns out there's evidence too - oh how I hate being so wrong about going to sleep sock-less.
A 2022 study published by Sleep Foundation found that the people who get to the sleep fastest are those who wear normal or heated socks in bed.
That's reason being that, at night time, our core body temperature begins to drop and wearing a pair of socks will help to increase the blood flow to our hands and feet. The technical term for this is 'distal vasodilation'.
This process cools down our core temperature and makes us fall asleep quicker - which we could all do with, right?
But, rest assured, if wearing socks to bed is an absolute no-go no matter what the experts say, there are some things you can try in order to aid a restful night's sleep.
Why not try a candle-lit bath, or reading in bed to drift away peacefully, rather than while staring at a screen?
Or you could try a lavender-scented pillow spray.
And if all else fails, I can always rely on a good old eye mask. Maybe it'll do the trick for you, too.
Anyone else feel like yawning?
Topics: Sleep, Life Hacks
Kya Buller