Whether it’s racing thoughts that keep me up all night or a brain that wakes up with three songs in my head at once, I’ve never been a great sleeper.
Everything started to make sense after I was diagnosed with ADHD aged 23 in 2021. There was a reason I was constantly buzzing, and more susceptible to feeling exhausted than my peers.
Now, I have very specific conditions for sleep: reading and magnesium before bed, three hours of screen-free time and a sunset alarm clock, topped off with an eyemask and earplugs playing white noise.
My self-invented diva routine does help to quieten my busy brain, but there are still times when I’m plagued by insomnia, tossing and turning for hours (sometimes all night) while my boyfriend sleeps peacefully next to me.
So, wanting to start 2026 more rested, I asked Dr Tamsin Lewis for an alternative tip for a better night’s kip. I was looking for something unobvious – and the advice I received certainly delivered.
I have always been repulsed by the idea of wearing socks, not just in bed, but whenever I’m not wearing shoes. If I’m in the house, you’d best believe I’m wandering around with my bare feet. I’m blaming it on my neurodiversity, but I hate the sensation of wearing them.
So, when Dr Tamsin Lewis suggested that I wear socks in bed, I was, initially, reluctant. That was, until I understood that there was science behind it.
I have always been repulsed by the idea of wearing socks, not just in bed, but whenever I’m not wearing shoes. If I’m in the house, then you’d best believe that I’m wandering around with my bare feet. I’m blaming it on my neurodiversity, but I hate the sensation of wearing them. I want to be free.
So, when Dr Tamsin Lewis suggested that I go bold and wear socks in bed to help me get to sleep, I was, initially, reluctant. I can barely wear a jumper in bed (just plain old pyjamas for me, thank you), let alone full-on nylons.
That was, until I understood that there was science behind it. As Dr Tamsin tells Metro, there’s solid physiology backing up the socks in bed theory.
Does wearing socks to bed actually help you get to sleep any faster?
Dr Tamsin tells Metro there’s solid physiology backing up the socks in bed theory.
‘Warming your feet increases blood flow to the extremities, which helps your core body temperature drop. That drop is one of the main triggers for sleep onset,’ she explains.
‘People fall asleep faster when there’s a bigger temperature difference between their core and hands/feet. Socks help create that difference.’
To put it simply: when our feet are warm, the brain gets its ‘safe to sleep now’ memo sooner
‘I’ve had patients shave 30–40 minutes off sleep onset just by doing this,’ Dr Tamsin claims.
According to one 2018 study, sock wearers managed an extra 32 minutes of sleep and improved their rest by 7.6% overall, compared to their counterparts who went with nude toes. It’s also common practice in countries like South Korea, as well as footbaths and heating pads, as an alternative method to warming those tootsies.
So, putting Dr Tamsin’s theory to the test, I decided to start off strong with a colourful pair of fluffy (and glittery) socks given to me by a friend.
My week of sock-wearing
Pulling them on at the same time as my pyjamas, I tried to fight off the urge to yank them off and throw them into my laundry basket. Things got worse once I put the duvet over my covered feet. I felt claustrophobic, icky, and way too warm to even attempt sleep.
The first night, I was convinced the disruption to my usual routine actually deterred me from drifting off. All I could think was: ‘I can’t sleep with these socks on. They need to go.’
But after a few nights’ worth of exposure therapy, I began to relent, even warming to the idea of feeling cosy, like my feet were wrapped up in a blanket specifically designed to whisk me away to counting sheep.
I tried it out for a week in total, and I finished the experiment not hating it as much as I thought I would, but without a noticeable difference to my overall amount or quality of sleep.
Aside from the limited success, there’s an annoying side effect to this habit: you get a load more washing. It goes without saying that, come the evening, I’d swap out the socks I’d been wearing all day for a fresh pair, because no one wants slightly sweaty, slightly smelly socks contaminating their fresh linen.
For me, this technique was just about bearable during a week of frosty UK temperatures, but I can’t imagine trying it during a summer heatwave. For now, I’ll be keeping my socks firmly off in bed, but the next time I struggle with a bout of insomnia, at least I know there’s another option in my drawer for a potential sense of relief.
Getting less than this much sleep per night can ‘cut years off your life’
According to a study by Oregon Health & Science University (OSHU), insufficient sleep could actually ‘cut years off your life’ — adding a dark double meaning to the phrase ‘you can sleep when you’re dead’.
Using a US-wide health habits survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers compared respondents’ answers against life expectancy in their area.
Aside from smoking, getting less than seven hours of sleep per night was the factor most associated with dying younger, affecting longevity more than diet, exercise, socioeconomic status, or loneliness.
‘I didn’t expect it to be so strongly correlated to life expectancy,’ commented senior author and OSHU associate professor Andrew McHill, PhD.
‘We’ve always thought sleep is important, but this research really drives that point home: people really should strive to get seven to nine hours of sleep if at all possible.’
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