person wearing socks in bed Credit: Getty Images / Win Nondakowit / EyeEm
person wearing socks in bed Credit: Getty Images / Win Nondakowit / EyeEm
person wearing socks in bed Credit: Getty Images / Win Nondakowit / EyeEm
person wearing socks in bed
Credit: Getty Images / Win Nondakowit / EyeEm
I’ve always struggled with falling asleep. On most nights, it takes me up to two hours to drift off, and past efforts of taking melatonin and staying away from screens before bed have proved useless. I’d accepted my routine of going to bed at 11 but not actually sleeping before 1—until last week, when I saw a TikTok video that changed everything.
In a now-viral TikTok, Jessica Andrade, D.O., a resident physician shared her reasoning for wearing socks to bed. Andrade explained that, “Wearing socks makes your feet warm and this opens up the blood vessels that cools the body down.” While this may seem contradictory, “the body being cool tells the brain that it’s time for bed,” Andrade said, “[and] people who wear socks tend to fall asleep faster.”
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And it’s not just Andrade who shares this advice, but the National Sleep Foundation also states that “the more vasodilation [dilation of the blood vessels] in the hands and feet, the less time it takes to fall asleep.” Research supports that statement as a small study demonstrated that warm feet can prompt sleep to arrive faster and easier. In another small study, researchers found that wearing socks to bed helped participants fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and wake up fewer times throughout the night.
I was curious to see if this simple trick would work, so I tested it out using a pair of socks from Old Navy. The result: the best week of sleep I’ve had in my life. Normally, I’ll toss and turn for multiple hours before falling asleep, but with a simple pair of socks on, I doze off easily. Falling asleep faster has helped me feel more refreshed in the morning (since I’m getting more sleep) and now there’s no turning back to sockless-sleeps.
If you’re looking to try this trick for yourself, shop a few of my favorite pairs below that will keep your toes nice and warm.
tie dye socks and plain socks Credit: Old Navy Novelty Ankle Socks Buy them: Old Navy, on sale for $6 for a pack of six
teal crew socks Credit: Nordstrom Crew Socks Buy it: Nordstrom, $4
green socks with pizza slices Credit: Old Navy Printed Crew Socks for Men Buy it: Old Navy, $6
tie dye socks and plain socks Credit: Old Navy Novelty Ankle Socks Buy them: Old Navy, on sale for $6 for a pack of six
tie dye socks and plain socks Credit: Old Navy
Novelty Ankle Socks
Buy them: Old Navy, on sale for $6 for a pack of six
tie dye socks and plain socks Credit: Old Navy
tie dye socks and plain socks
Credit: Old Navy
tie dye socks and plain socks
Novelty Ankle Socks
Buy them: Old Navy, on sale for $6 for a pack of six
teal crew socks Credit: Nordstrom Crew Socks Buy it: Nordstrom, $4
teal crew socks Credit: Nordstrom
Crew Socks
Buy it: Nordstrom, $4
teal crew socks Credit: Nordstrom
teal crew socks
Credit: Nordstrom
teal crew socks
Crew Socks
Buy it: Nordstrom, $4
green socks with pizza slices Credit: Old Navy Printed Crew Socks for Men Buy it: Old Navy, $6
green socks with pizza slices Credit: Old Navy
Printed Crew Socks for Men
Buy it: Old Navy, $6
green socks with pizza slices Credit: Old Navy
green socks with pizza slices
green socks with pizza slices
Printed Crew Socks for Men
Buy it: Old Navy, $6
Fuzzy Warm Slipper Socks
seven socks in multiple colors
seven socks in multiple colors
