Sleeping With Socks On Superstitions

There are some incredibly strange myths and superstitions that exist around shoes, socks and general footwear that we have heard about over the years. This post is going to concentrate on sleeping with socks on superstitions that have crept into the collective consciousness over the years.

As bloggers involved in writing about feet and shoes, we are always fascinated to hear about stories that are treated as truth when in fact there is very little factual basis to back them up. Hopefully, our article can help bust some of the myths that exist out there so you understand how strange superstitions usually have very little substance to them.

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What is a Superstition?

The fact is that superstitions by their very nature are thoughts followed by actions which have no scientific evidence to back them up. Instead, they are thoughts conjured by individuals to help them believe that they have control over their circumstances when often they do not.

Superstitions typically suggest that something good or bad will happen if a certain action is taken. These superstitions then spread in a population and become followed by many.

A simple superstition may involve a sportsperson who believes that wearing a certain item of clothing will bring good luck during a game or event. They may worry that if they are not wearing that item then they will lose or fail to perform. This is a superstition that is followed by one person.

A wider spread superstition is the belief that new shoes should not be placed on a table as that would cause bad luck. The origins of this supposedly revolve around the mining industry. Apparently when a miner died the person’s shoes would be brought home and placed on a table.

Whilst mining accidents and this old tradition are long gone the superstition persists. Sleeping with socks on superstitions no doubt evolved in a similar way. So what sock superstitions are currently out there?

The Wearing Wet Socks To Bed Myth

One of the first sleeping with socks on superstitions we heard about is wearing wet socks to bed in order to cure a cold or a fever.

Wearing wet wool socks is an old wives tale which suggested that damp socks can help to boost your immune system so that you can fight off a cold.

There have been no studies that we have seen that prove that this particular myth actually has any basis.

Wet socks however may help to cool your feet especially if it is a hot night. They might also give you some relief if you suffer from hot flashes.

Sleeping with socks on can certainly help with body temperature regulation. The only problem is that wet socks on your feet make them cold and that means that it may actually be harder to get to sleep at night.

Does Wearing Socks While Sleeping Cause Eye Problems?

One superstition that we have heard about suggests that wearing socks to bed at night can have a detrimental impact to your eyesight.

This particular myth appears to have absolutely no foundation whatsoever. Clearly wearing socks and your eyesight have no correlation which means that this particular suggestion only causes worry when there is absolutely no need for any at all.

Remember that sleeping with socks on may have some impact on certain people but it is very unlikely to have a detrimental impact on you unless you have other medical problems.

Socks Causing Nightmares

There is a suggestion from some quarters that if you are sleeping with socks on then you may be prone to having more nightmares than an average person.

As far as we can see there are no studies that back up these claims. We do know that if you wear socks to bed at night it can help you to sleep better because they help with body temperature regulation. As your body cools down getting ready for sleep it is quicker to do this when you are wearing socks as they impact blood flow.

However, we can see that there might be times when warm feet could cause a problem at night and cause your body to feel overheated especially in hot temperatures.

When we feel uncomfortable when we are sleeping that could possibly translate into nightmares as our brain tries to deal with the problematic feelings. Remember this is just a hypothesis but it makes sense that you are more likely to experience unusual dreams when you are feeling uncomfortable.

Socks Around Your Neck At Night Cures Sore Throat

Whilst so far we have talked about wearing socks on your feet many old wives’ tales involve a more unusual place for this footwear.

Would you believe that up until relatively recently many people believed that sleeping in a sock around your neck at night was the cure for a sore throat or a fever? If you wear socks to bed my guess is that you wouldn’t think about wearing them around your neck.

Whilst you may be thinking of clean socks actually superstition states that dirty socks were better for this task. They also believed that a left sock was better than the right.

If this wasn’t bad enough the cure went one step further when either half an onion or bacon with a high-fat content was wrapped in the sock that went around the neck.

This is one cure that we will be happy to avoid.

Sleeping With Socks on Psychopaths

Does wearing socks to bed make you a psychopath? Well according to a hugely popular internet search many people think it does.

This isn’t rooted in any science or any studies but simple because wearing socks to bed is seen as an odd thing to do for any people. The joke is that people who sleep with a pair of socks on are unusual or strange and are not like everyone else.

Whilst there is no actual basis for these old wives tales there is an element of truth that psychopaths are more likely to be night owls so it is possible that is where the myth started.

Why It Is Good to Sleep With Your Socks On

As you can see sleeping with socks on superstitions are strange and varied and generally have no actual facts to back them up.

Wearing socks to bed however can help you to fall asleep faster, keep your feet warm on a cold night and help with certain medical conditions.

Compression socks for example are great at improving your blood circulation. Wearing compression socks after an operation makes sense to help prevent blood clots.

Many people also wear socks to help with plantar fasciitis at night. These are more unusual socks as they pull back your toes but they can help to prevent heel pain or alternatively support the arch of your foot. Plantar fasciitis socks look strange but can really help relieve the condition.

Oh, and of course wearing a pair of socks if you suffer from cold feet can make you more comfortable in bed in winter. Wearing socks in bed is not as strange as it initially appears but ignore the superstitions as they don’t make much sense.