Are you a person who when they get home immediately takes off their socks and shoes and walks around barefoot or do you keep your socks on when you are walking around the house? There are plenty of myths about what is best for your health. So let’s break down the benefits of wearing socks at home.
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Is it Good to Wear Socks at Home?
If you choose to wear socks at home you should not experience any adverse side effects as opposed to walking around with bare feet. That is providing you are scrupulous with your hygiene and make sure that you regularly change your socks and keep your feet healthy with regular cleaning to prevent fungal and bacterial growth.
Socks can have significant health benefits when worn regularly and can help to protect your feet. Here are some of our favorite reasons why wearing socks can actually make your life better.
Should I Wear Socks at Home? They Keep Your Feet Warm
One of the most obvious benefits of socks is that they keep your feet warm which is clearly important, especially in the winter months.
If you have a house filled with cold tile flooring or wooden floors then unless you have underfloor heating then you are going to experience cold feet. Nobody wants to have cold feet in winter as it reduces your core body temperature and then starts to make the rest of your body start to feel cold as well.
Wearing thick wool socks is a good way to keep your feet warm and your body temperature at the level it should be. That is naturally going to make you feel more comfortable when you are inside your home.
Body temperature regulation and keeping your feet warm is also important if you suffer from certain health conditions. For example, if you have poor circulation you are more likely to feel the cold so socks can really help reduce symptoms. Raynaud’s disease is another health issue that requires people to keep warm. Socks in this case help to protect the feet and can keep you feeling more comfortable.
There are some great thermal socks that you can buy now that are perfect for keeping your feet toasty and warm. This particular brand has fleece inside them to help retain heat.
Socks Provide Cushioning
The benefits of wearing socks at home include the fact that they provide cushioning for your feet especially if they are thick.
Walking on cold hard floors doesn’t work for everyone and can actually be painful for some people. The extra cushioning you get from wearing socks can make all the difference.
Certainly, if you have fallen arches, calluses on your feet or sensitive skin hard flooring can be uncomfortable. When you wear thick socks on your feet you are creating a protective layer of cushioning that can make all the difference to how you feel.
Certain types of socks can also help with foot problems such as plantar fasciitis which creates heel pain. Socks that help to prevent plantar fasciitis give that extra arch support and compression support to stop foot pain.
The Benefits of Socks Include They Protect Your Feet
People often forget that a typical home can be filled with minor hazards that can hurt your skin and damage your feet. Socks are a great way of helping to protect your feet from some of these problems lurking around your house.
If you have children who have toys strewn everywhere it is so easy to tread on a small toy that can make you yelp. Alternatively, debris can fall onto the floor and cause problems when you are walking around. Socks form a great protective barrier and help shield your skin from these minor irritations.
Walking around barefoot sounds like a great idea but unless your house is covered in thick carpet that is constantly cleaned the reality is that eventually, something will end up hurting your feet.
They Keep Your Feet Clean
Whilst we are on the subject of debris that can end up on the floor let’s not forget that they can also be covered in dust dirt and grime.
If you have ever looked at the bottom of your feet and seen they are totally black from the grime that is on your floor you will know that walking around barefoot isn’t all it’s made out to be. Floors get dirty and when you choose to walk around with no footwear on that dirt is getting on your skin.
When you wear socks you can protect your feet from the dirt that is hanging around your home and that in turn can help you protect your feet from infections or other problems that can be caused by issues lurking around your house.
Now if you really want to kill two birds with one stone you might want to consider buying a pair of cleaning socks. These would never be described as a fashion statement but they are a good way of cleaning your floors without bending down. Just placed these microfibre mop socks on your feet and walk around in them to allow them to dust your floors whilst you walk. Alternatively, use them when you are mopping your floors.
Socks Can Help to Retain Moisture In Your Feet
If you suffer from dry or cracked feet then it can be important to retain moisture in your feet to enable your skin to heal. When you walk around barefoot that isn’t possible but if you wear socks you can make a difference.
Setting a bedtime routine or an evening ritual where you use a warm water footbath and then dry your feet and place on a good moisturiser for cracked heels is going to be important. When you place socks over the foot moisturized they are going to help retain that moisture for longer allowing the lotion to do its work.
You can even buy non-slip moisturizing socks that have been specifically designed to make a difference. These spa socks contain a gel that helps to keep your feet soft and helps to reduce cracked heels and feet. The grips on the bottom mean that you can wear them safely at home without fear of slipping or hurting yourself.
Foot Coverings Can Absorb Moisture
Whilst we are talking about moisture just as certain socks and foot products can help to keep moisture in your feet they can also help to remove it as well.
If you want to keep your feet dry because you have sweaty feet then a good pair of moisture-wicking cotton socks can make a big difference.
If the sweat glands in your feet create too much moisture you not only feel uncomfortable but you are going to be prone to athlete’s foot and other fungal infections. That moist environment allowing these problems to grow obviously should be addressed. Wearing socks around the house which help to eliminate the moisture in your feet can help you prevent athlete’s foot and keep your feet dry and comfortable.
Just remember that for moisture-wicking socks to work you will need to clean your feet regularly as well as change your socks regularly to keep your feet feeling fresh.
Using Compression Socks to Improve Circulation
If you have poor circulation then you may be able to improve blood flow to your legs and feet by using compression socks. Compression socks are specifically designed to help improve circulation in your lower legs. They do this by being tight-fitting and creating pressure which helps to increase blood flow.
Compression socks are particularly useful if you suffer from varicose veins or heavy legs. They are also frequently worn in places such as planes to help prevent blood clots in the legs.
When you wear compression socks you will hopefully suffer from less swelling in your legs making you feel more comfortable which is why it may make sense to wear them at home as well.
Compression socks to improve blood flow can also be something that are worn in bed at night, especially after medical procedures such as operations.
Socks Can Provide Health Benefits
Certain types of medical conditions can benefit from wearing socks at home. Diabetics for example need to look after their feet because high blood sugar can create long-term problems with their feet.
Diabetic socks are designed to help increase blood circulation to the feet but prevent problems such as blisters which could eventually turn into ulcers. This is why diabetic socks help to keep feet dry and are designed without seams. they tend to be made of soft materials such as bamboo in order to protect feet.
Socks to Wear Around the House for Fashion
Whilst the benefit of wearing socks at home can be everything from keeping your feet warm to helping increase blood flow we shouldn’t forget their fashion impact.
Socks now come in all different styles and colors and many people wear socks as a fashion statement. This could be matching the socks to their outfits or allowing their socks to create a message from their design.
Socks can just be worn as a form of expression and for no other reason than they are an extension of our personalities. Socks don’t have to have a specific health benefit to be of use. The benefits could instead be aesthetic or a way of making us feel happy.
Benefits of Wearing Socks to Bed
Wearing socks in bed might seem strange unless it is really cold but actually it is a great way to help regulate your core body temperature. Science actually shows that sleeping with socks on can help you to get to sleep quicker and makes it more likely for you to stay asleep whilst you are in bed.
The science behind it is that socks can help to improve circulation to your feet. This enables your body temperature to lower more quickly which helps you to fall asleep faster.
Bed socks used to be very common years ago as a way of helping to improve sleep but have gone out of fashion over the years. It makes sense however to wear them at home if you want to fall asleep faster and beat insomnia problems.
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