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Health experts give two toes up to wearing socks in bed

Put your best feet forward when you slide into sleep ... by covering them up!
/ Source: TODAY

If you've ever been told not to wear socks to bed, it's time to think again.

Turns out the habit is not only totally fine, it may help promote a better night's sleep!

As NBC News medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar explained last February, it's actually quite helpful on a number of levels, and just recently the National Sleep Foundation agreed.

RELATED: 10 strategies for a more restful night's sleep

Aside from just making you feel a little warmer down there, apparently heating your cold feet tells your brain it's time for bed.

"Heating cold feet causes vasodilation — dilation of the blood vessels — which may tell the brain that it is bedtime," the site stated. "After the blood vessels open in the hands and feet, heat is redistributed throughout the body to prepare for sleep."

That said, maybe your feet are cold for a reason: As Dr. Azar added, the ideal temperature for sleeping is around 65 degrees. Yikes!

wearing socks in bed
Shutterstock

Mashable also suggested that if you've got dry, ragged heels that are ruining your sheets, wearing moisturizing socks will also help your heels get less snaggy overnight and save those sheets.

RELATED: Want a better night's sleep? The secret might be in your foot

Meanwhile, if you're waking up groggy here's one more tip: Stick that foot outside of your blankets to help regulate your body temperature and give yourself a more restful night. And socks or no socks, isn't that what we all want?

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