We came across an article in Opera News titled “Why You Should Never Put On Your Socks While Going To Sleep,” It got our attention because everything we’ve read suggests wearing socks to bed helps everyone sleep better, not just those with Raynaud’s. Turns out the title must be an error because the article contains several warm sleeping tips for Raynaud’s sufferers, including wearing socks to bed!
Many of the warm sleeping tips featured in the article deal with bath time before bedtime:
- Baths Help Open the Blood Vessels for Better Circulation – Taking a bath an hour or two prior to going to bed helps warm the feet and improves blood circulation. The explanation is pretty logical: Immersing feet in warm water helps dilate the blood vessels, allowing more blood to flow through. More blood flowing to the feet works to deliver essential nutrients and oxygen to help keep them warm.
- Baths Help us Relax and Destress – Stress is a major trigger for Raynaud’s attacks; it causes the body to send signals to the extremities for blood vessels to constrict and send the blood to our core for protecting our vital organs. So it makes sense that activities that help us relax and destress at night before bedtime will make it easier to sleep and for our feet (and other extremities) to stay warm. For some, that may mean meditating, listening to music or reading a book. But baths also help us relax and reduce stress levels, plus they can help reduce muscle tension and other body aches that can get in the way of a good night’s sleep.
- Baths Help Regulate Body Temperature – You might think that the way warm water helps increase our body temperature is the secret to why late night baths help us sleep cozier, but that’s not the case. After the bath warms us up, our body temps drop as we cool down. That’s a signal to our brains that it’s now time to sleep, thus helping us fall asleep easier once we hit the sack.
In addition to baths and relaxation, the article confirms wearing socks to bed helps insulate the feet and prevents them from losing heat, which can trigger a Raynaud’s attack – thus contradicting the title of the article. Anyone just skimming the information would get the wrong impression, but Google it and you’ll find several medical, general news and women’s health resources all confirm the fact that wearing socks to bed helps us fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly throughout the night. So bed socks should be a nightly staple for us Frosties!
