Wearing socks in bed is like sleeping in a toilet

Now that it is still quite cool and uncomfortable outside, socks provide a pleasantly warm feeling. And this is exactly what helps many to relax in bed at night and quickly fall asleep. So you might think that socks in bed (in winter) are healthy.

But research by Mattressnextday, a British mattress retailer, has now shown that wearing socks to bed can be unsanitary and even lead to infections.

The reason: most people put on fresh socks in the morning. This means that they wear the socks in their shoes while exercising or walking with the socks on the floor in their apartment. Numerous bacteria, viruses and dirt can accumulate in the textile during the course of the day. If the socks are not taken off at night, all these germs and dirt will get into the bed.

In addition, feet have about 250,000 sweat glands. So if you move around and/or wear shoes that make air circulation difficult, your feet will be damp for some time during the day. And it is precisely this warm, wet environment, including the scaly skin that has fallen off the foot during the day and remains in the sock, that is the ideal breeding ground for athlete’s foot and/or nail fungus. If the skin of the feet does not even get a chance to breathe at night, the fungi can develop and multiply quickly. This is especially critical for people whose immune systems are weak or who are prone to eczema.

In an international survey Mattressnextday asked 1,017 people if they wear socks in bed: 18 percent answered ‘yes’.

Anyone who now thinks that all this is not too bad should take a look at the results of the mattress store’s second attempt: To find out which bacteria are on the socks, test subjects have to put on their socks from 07:00. wear until 11 p.m. Samples of the socks were then taken and sent to a laboratory for testing.

The result: bacteria of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa variety were found on half of the socks worn. You will not only find these bacteria on the doormat and on the floor in an apartment. Cockroach faeces are also often contaminated with these pathogens.

The problem: Pseudomonas aeruginosa can cause skin rashes and respiratory disease in immunocompromised people. According to Mattressnexday, 20 times more bacteria were found on the socks than on a regular remote control, earning it the reputation of being dirtier than a toilet. So socks are more than 20 times as dirty as a toilet.

If you want to keep wearing socks at night because you sleep better or don’t feel cold, keep doing that. If the following advice is observed: Fresh socks should be put on before going to sleep. Ideally the ones that are breathable. In addition, it may be worthwhile to only use bed socks, which are then only worn at night. In the morning you put on fresh socks as usual and the night socks air throughout the day.

(t-online, jb)