Despite the widespread disdain for sleeping with socks on, sleeping with socks on is the optimal and most comfortable way to sleep. 

First, picture this: It’s a freezing January night, you are settling into bed, but you can’t sleep. Could it be because your feet are cold? A pair of socks would solve all your problems. 

The science behind sleeping with socks on is that socks help to regulate your body temperature. When your feet are warmed, the blood vessels dilate with increased body temperature, which sends a signal to the brain telling it that it is time to sleep. 

An experiment from PubMed Central concluded “Sleep-onset latency was on average 7.5 min shorter, total sleep time was 32 min longer, the number of awakenings was 7.5 times smaller, and sleep efficiency was 7.6% higher for those wearing feet-warming bed socks during a 7-h sleep than for the control (no bed socks).”

During sleep, comfort is the utmost priority–a soft set of pajamas, a thick blanket, a memory foam pillow, all contribute to the level of relaxation needed for sleep. So why can’t socks be added to the mix? They are soft, thick, and cozy just like every other sleeping essential. 

Then, when you inevitably have to get up in the middle of the night to make the trek to the bathroom, your feet will stay warm against the cold tile floor instead of the cold floor shocking your nervous system awake. 

Many people view sleeping with socks as constricting or unhygienic, but with a clean, loose-fitting pair—perhaps soft and fuzzy—and proper foot hygiene, there’s really nothing to worry about.

Everyone should drop the stigma and enjoy a night’s sleep with socks on.

Sophie Key, website editor 2025-26