Doctor explains why we should actually be wearing socks to bed

NHS Doctor Karan Raj has disturbed his 2.3 million TikTok followers by urging them to wear socks to bed. Now, the medical professional does have a good reason behind this, but still, what an icky sensation!

Many people find wearing socks to bed rather uncomfortable and nothing is worse than waking up in the middle of the night to feel your partner’s cold damp sock making contact with your legs.

Sleeping with socks on for better sleep?

But, it turns out that wearing socks to bed may actually result in better sleep. But, the concept would be much better explained by Raj himself. The doctor spoke in his video:

You need to start sleeping with your socks on, and here's why. Wearing socks to bed increases the blood circulation to your feet this causes your blood vessels to vasodilate—they widen.

We all know that we sleep better when we’re a little colder, and contrary to popular belief, socks can actually help us achieve that. Dr Karan continued:

When the blood vessels widen they can get rid of heat much quicker because of the much bigger surface areas. This allows your core body temperature to cool down at a faster rate than normal, and a lower core body temperature is needed for optimal sleep.

The doctor concluded his video by stating ‘If you want better feet, cover your feet.’ And, it looks like he’s not the only health professional to hold this belief.

The National Sleep Foundation has another theory

The National Sleep Foundation in the USA also shares in Raj’s advice, but for a slightly different reason, being that nobody likes to go to bed with freezing toes... fair enough.

While the body likes to be slightly colder during our precious beauty sleep, it’s also not pleasant t have your toes close to the brink of frostbite. It’s all about balance people.

However, if wrapping up your feet is a luxury you choose to embrace only in the light of day, then the National Sleep Foundation has some other ways you could keep your toes toasty.

Instead, you could weigh down the end of your bed with some extra blankets in the winter to make sure the bottom of your bed stays warm through the night. Or, you could even pop a hot water bottle down by your feet… Something many of us already do no doubt.

And if neither of those options sound good to you then maybe it’d be wise to invest in a heated blanket. Just remember to use it responsibly.

But, before you decide to just sleep barefooted like some kind of barbarian, keep in mind that there are a whole host of other benefits to sleeping with your socks on. Keeping your feet covered at night can also help reduce cracks in your heels by stopping your feet from drying out (yum damp socks). And, nighttime sock wear can also help to reduce hot flushes as well as increasing the potential for orgasms among women.

So go on, invest in some special fluffy bed socks, and while you’re at it, buy some for your lady friend too!