It is a popular belief that if you put on socks before going to bed, it will be easier to fall asleep and your sleep quality will improve. We decided to check whether it is confirmed
This position is based on scientific data.

The statement that sleeping in socks is useful can be read not only on sleep-related topics. resources, but also in Russian-language media of various countries, on popular science And sports sites, in women's magazines and even on websites pharmacies. Some publications say that wearing socks on your feet during sleep promotes proper thermoregulation and allow you to fall asleep faster, while in others - that they fill the body positive qi energy and improve blood circulation.

Quality sleep plays a critical role in human health, providing not only physical recovery, but also mental well-being. During sleep is happening restoration of cells and tissues. Deep sleep promotes the production of somatotropin - growth hormone, which is responsible for renewing the body and regulating metabolism. This is especially important for recovery from physical activity and injury.

In addition, quality sleep strengthens immunity. During sleep, neurotransmitters and melatonin are produced, which help the body fights infections and cancer cells, and lack of sleep reduces the body's defenses and makes it more vulnerable to disease. Dream necessary also for normal brain function. During sleep, information received during the day is processed and sorted, and this improves memory and learning ability. Lack of sleep Maybe lead to problems with attention, poorer reaction time, and an increased likelihood of making mistakes in everyday life. Good sleep improves mood and reduces stress levels, while bad ones can lead to depression and anxiety disorders. Dream reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, and its deficiency can contribute to inflammatory processes in the body, which increases risk of diabetes, stroke and other serious diseases. Also a dream influences on metabolism and levels of leptin and ghrelin - hormones responsible for appetite. Lack of sleep can bring to weight gain due to decreased insulin sensitivity and increased cortisol levels.

The body is designed in such a way that in order to fall asleep, the body temperature must be reduced. To make it easier to fall asleep, and the sleep itself to be stronger, recommended Maintain a cool (15–19 °C) air temperature in the bedroom. However, if the extremities are too cold, the body instinctively accelerates blood flow throughout the body and its temperature rises significantly, and this is more likely to harm sleep.

Socks worn on the feet, on the contrary, promote distal vasodilation, that is, relaxation of smooth muscles in the walls of the blood vessels of the extremities. With relaxation of the muscles in the legs increases blood flow to them, and this helps reduce overall body temperature. Thus, the body receives a signal that it's time to sleep. This reduces the time it takes to fall asleep and the number of night awakenings, that is, makes sleep more sound. A 1999 study published in the journal Nature showedthat the degree of dilation of blood vessels in the skin of the arms and legs, which increases heat loss in the extremities, is the best physiological predictor of REM sleep onset.

A study by South Korean scientists conducted in 2018 showedthat this expansion can be achieved by wearing socks on your feet. The experiment involved six healthy male volunteers who fell asleep with a special sensor placed on their wrist, alternating between socks and socks. It turned out that on the nights when they wore socks, they needed 7.5 minutes. less to fall asleep. Total sleep time was on average 32 minutes. more, the number of night awakenings decreased by 7.5 times, and sleep efficiency (that is, the ratio of deep and shallow sleep phases) became 7.6% higher. There were no significant differences in heart rate, skin temperature, or their subjective sleep ratings. The main limitation of the study was that the sample was too small.

Another experiment studying the effect of the degree of dilatation of blood vessels in the legs on the speed of falling asleep, held scientists from Taiwan. Their sample included 43 women diagnosed with gynecological cancer after chemotherapy, one of the common side effects of which was difficulty sleeping. The researchers suggested that some participants take a warm foot bath (41–42 °C) for 20 minutes before going to bed, while others did not take any additional actions before bed. Participants in the experiment assessed the quality of their sleep subjectively, answering questions about how well-rested they felt, whether they slept soundly, and how tired they felt during the day. In the group that did foot baths before bed, sleep improved in all respects, and improvements occurred after the first procedure and became more pronounced with each subsequent session (in total, women did such baths for 14 days in a row in parallel with chemotherapy courses for four courses). Improved sleep after a warm foot bath demonstrated and another study in which 15 elderly Taiwanese with sleep problems volunteered.

Scientists from the Netherlands Institute of Neuroscience compared the sleep effectiveness of warm foot baths, neutral foot baths, heated socks and regular socks. They divided the participants into two groups: before 56 years of age and after 56 years of age; Also in each group there were people with and without insomnia. All participants under 56 years of age were helped to fall asleep faster by wearing any type of socks, both heated and non-heated. Participants over 56 years of age who did not suffer from insomnia were helped by either regular socks or warm foot baths; neither method helped older participants suffering from insomnia.

Under certain conditions, socks help not only to fall asleep, but also reduce number of nighttime hot flashes in menopausal women and reduce symptoms in sufferers Raynaud's syndrome — in particular, the severity of spasms of predominantly small terminal arteries and arterioles.

At the same time, sleeping in socks it is forbidden be called suitable for any situation. Overheating of your feet, coupled with high temperatures in the bedroom, can itself lead to frequent awakenings. Also, this practice is not suitable for those who have problems with blood circulation or swelling of the legs. Additionally, socks that are too tight can restrict blood flow to your legs and feet.

Thus, in order to fall asleep faster, distal vasodilation is really necessary - dilation of the vessels of the extremities, leading to cooling of the body. This can be achieved by wearing socks at night or taking a warm foot bath before going to bed. Research shows that socks help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of your sleep. Therefore, putting them on before bed is rather useful if there are no special contraindications.

Cover image: Image by StockSnap from Pixabay