When I was younger, I would see my mom put on a pair of dad’s wooly socks on her feet before tucking herself into bed. She’s our family’s resident antukin, and I thought, she must know the secrets to a good sleep. And this includes the socks.
A few weeks ago, I saw an article on socks and sleep. And true enough, it helps a person get some good quality shuteye.
Ok, so there’s this thing called vasodilation. It is the dilation or widening of the blood vessels “which may tell the brain that it is bedtime,” say the experts at the National Sleep Foundation in the US. Vasodilation happens when a person heats cold feet or putting socks on. This is especially applicable if you turn up your air-conditioning at night.
“After the blood vessels open in the hands and feet, heat is redistributed throughout the body to prepare for sleep.”
The more your blood vessels widen in your hands and feet, the easier you’ll fall asleep.
Of course, as a kid, I tried copying her socks trick. I woke up without the fuzzy feeling on my feet, my socks entangled with the sheets. If you’re like me whose feet refused to be repressed, here are some tips you can try:
- Layer extra blankets on top of your regular one on the bottom portion to warp up your feet.
- Place a water bottle or heating pad at the foot of your bed.
- Use socks with natural, breathable fibers if you’re worried about getting too warm.
Photos courtesy of Unsplash
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