If you’re someone who is guilty of falling asleep in your socks at the end of a long day, you may have to look into changing the bedtime habit.
Sleep specialists have delivered a sobering warning – donning socks to bed – particularly the same pair you’ve worn throughout the day – could subject you to bacterial levels that are nothing short of alarming.
Studies have disclosed socks worn during the day can harbour 20 times more filth than a toilet seat. The heated, moist conditions within them create an ideal environment for microbes to flourish – and when those socks find their way into bed, all that filth follows.
Sleep experts at Bed Sava share: “With more bacteria than your bathroom, your socks are one of the dirtiest items you can bring under the duvet. It’s a hygiene nightmare hidden in plain sight.”
This is hardly an uncommon practice. Research indicates that 18% of individuals routinely sleep wearing socks, and disturbingly, 70% of them fail to switch to a fresh pair before retiring.
This means millions throughout the UK are unwittingly bringing tainted socks beneath their bedding each night. The specialists caution this practice spreads bacteria from socks onto bedsheets, pillows and even mattresses. Gradually, germs accumulate, transforming the very space intended for rest and recuperation into a wildly contaminated area.
What’s lurking on your socks?
The bacteria lurking in socks isn’t merely harmless. Swab tests revealed that 50% of worn pairs contained Pseudomonas aeruginosa – a pathogen associated with cockroach droppings that can trigger skin infections, rashes and even respiratory illness.
To compound matters, the bacterial composition on soiled socks closely resembles that of a household doormat – amongst the grimiest items in any home. Put simply, wearing socks to bed is essentially like snuggling up with your front doormat.
Part of the issue stems from the sheer quantity of microbes your feet naturally harbour. Each foot contains approximately 10 million microbes per square centimetre, with up to 1,000 different species residing on one person’s skin.
Whilst many are benign, socks ensnare this flourishing ecosystem in a warm, damp environment – precisely the conditions bacteria require to proliferate. When worn through the night, they transform into a microbial incubator, with germs spreading across feet, bedding and sleeping surfaces.
Over time this heightens the risk of fungal infections such as athlete’s foot, whilst creating a less sanitary environment in bed. The experts’ guidance is clear – abandon the socks at bedtime.
If you absolutely must wear them, only use a freshly laundered pair designated for sleeping. Better yet, allow your feet to breathe naturally overnight.
The experts say: “Your bed should be a place of rest, not a bacterial breeding ground. If you wouldn’t rest your head on a toilet seat, then you shouldn’t be wearing dirty socks in bed either.”
That comforting, snug sensation of sleeping in socks may seem innocuous, but the science paints a starkly different picture. With bacterial counts surpassing that of a lavatory seat, millions are jeopardising their health every night.
So, before you snuggle under the duvet tonight, remove those socks. Your feet – and your bed – will be significantly cleaner for it.