Socks Can Impact Your Health
By Paul Rothbart
What you wear is about more than fashion. Clothing can protect your health and safety. Things like hard work gloves and protective gear are obvious in how they do this. The right clothing can keep you warm, cool, or dry depending on the weather. Most people are aware of the necessity of quality supportive shoes. But there is an often overlooked item of clothing that you may not be aware of. Socks keep your feet warm and feel better than bare leather. But they can also protect your feet and your overall health. Here are some ways they do that.
Keeping Your Feet Warm
Yes, socks warming your feet is obvious but there is more to having warm feet than comfort. Research has found that when your feet are warm, your whole body tends to feel warm and comfortable. In fact, wearing socks to bed may help you relax and sleep better. Warm feet can be an indicator to the body that it's time to fall asleep. Good sleep is vital to staying mentally and physically healthy. High-quality socks can also keep your body temperature from getting too high. This can be helpful in preventing hot flashes in menopausal women. Interestingly, some studies have found that people who wear socks to bed have better sex lives.
Help Manage Sweat
Sweating is the way the body cools itself. When drops of sweat evaporate, they take heat with them. If the moisture is allowed to stay on your skin, you feel hot and sticky. Clothing soaked with sweat can also keep you feeling hot. It's important to wear clothes that "breathe," allowing the sweat to leave your skin and evaporate into the air. Your feet are one of the biggest sweat producers in your body. Wearing good socks that allow sweat to evaporate is important for your health. When moisture gathers on your feet and especially between your toes, fungus can grow. This can cause athlete's foot. It can also cause damage to your skin such as blisters.
Improve Circulation
With their position at the lowest point of your body, feet can sometimes have circulation problems. Quality socks, especially compression socks can keep the veins in your feet from stretching out. By keeping them narrow, blood flow improves. Better circulation can prevent the pain and dizziness that are sometimes caused by poor blood flow.
The clothing you wear is not just about showing your style. It can be beneficial to your health. Don't overlook the importance of socks. Wearing high-quality footwear can help you stay healthy in several ways. You might want to consider wearing socks in bed. Good sleep is a wonderful thing.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Knoxville, Tenn.