Warming the feet before sleeping can be key to cooling the rest of the body and facilitating the process of falling asleep. According to The Sleep Foundation, wearing socks or other methods to keep the feet warm can reduce the body's core temperature and help fall asleep faster. A 2018 study found that warming the feet with socks during sleep can improve sleep quality, speed up its onset, and maintain bodily relaxation without altering bodily functions.
Researchers suggest that this effect is due to the influence on the activation of neurons during sleep and the reduction of cerebral blood flow. To fall asleep, it is essential for the body temperature to drop, especially during hot periods like summer, where the extremities play a crucial role. In this context, cooling the hands and feet is one of the most effective ways to regulate body temperature, as indicated by a study published in Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine.
When we bundle up too much while sleeping, body temperature tends to rise, and it is common for many people to sleep with one foot outside the blanket, especially in hot months. By doing so, thermoreceptors in the feet are activated, such as Ruffini corpuscles that detect heat and Krause corpuscles that sense cold. This activation instinctively leads us to pull our feet out from under the blanket as a way to regulate body temperature.
Socks can also influence this process, although the significance and reason behind this habit are often unknown to many people.
