Shropshire Star

The Big Debate: Socks in bed?

Should you wear your socks in bed? Scientists have delved into the issue, now Heather Large and Dan Morris share their views...

Published
Are you 'on' or 'off'?

Heather Large: Cover your feet up

I hate having cold feet. So I’m definitely in favour of pulling on a pair of cosy socks just before I get into bed on chilly nights.

And science agrees with me. There have been a number of different scientific studies and all the evidence shows that having warm feet can be conducive to a better night’s sleep. According to the Sleep Foundation, having warmer feet has been linked with falling asleep faster and being less restless during the night.

Before we can go to our sleep, our body needs to cool down and while wearing socks to bed might seem counterintuitive, but it’s actually not.

Socks warm up your feet, which can open the blood vessels. This helps to cool the body down, and when this process happens, it signals to the brain that it’s time to sleep.

If I wake up in the middle of the night and my feet are cold, that’s all I can think about.

No amount of counting sheep will help me to nod off if my toes are icy cold.

So a soft and fluffy pair of socks is a must when the temperature drops.

For some sock fans, it’s another way of feeling cosy which helps them to relax.

For me, there is one rule, the socks are only to be worn in bed. I’m not keeping on the pair I’ve been wearing all day, I’m wearing a fresh, clean pair and getting a better night’s sleep.

Dan Morris: It's completely unthinkable

No, no, no, no, no and no. Just don’t. It’s unthinkable.

While I am firmly of the Marilyn Monroe school in that I wear nothing to bed other than just a little Chanel No. 5, darling, were I ever to slip on any garments for sleep, socks would never make the cut. Ever. One of the greatest joys in life is kicking off your shoes at the end of a long day’s graft, followed up by the almost equal pleasure of shedding your socks before getting between the sheets.

Why on Earth anyone would want to ruin the comfort and liberty of getting into bed by keeping their feet bound and constricted by the same sweaty scraps of fabric they’ve had them wrapped in all day long is beyond me.

Until this debate arose at Weekend Towers, I didn’t even realise ‘socks in bed’ was a thing, and am mortified at this unholy concept’s apparent following.

As gross as it is (and some of you might change your socks, but they’re still going to be stuck to your bed-warmed feet for the next seven hours), it also can’t possibly actually be healthy, can it? Our feet need to breathe, and bed is the time for this. Aside from everything else though, can anyone deny the exquisite joy of feeling fresh bed sheets against your skin? Especially that on your feet!

Just don’t be those people, people. Add ditching the bed socks to your new year’s resolutions list, and we’ll just say no more about it. Yuck.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.