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If you go to bed at night without taking your socks off, a new study may change your mind.
Socks worn in bed after a full day are dirtier than a TV remote and even a doormat, scientists report after lab experiments.
Among the bacteria found on socks were E.coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a pathogen commonly found on cockroaches and in their droppings.
The scientists agree that wearing socks to bed may be key to a good night’s sleep as they help regulate your body temperature.
But they stress the importance of putting on a new pair right before bed, rather than sleeping in the pair you’ve been wearing all day.
A new survey from MattressNextDay found that people wear socks to bed that are dirtier than a doormat
The new study was led by MattressNextDay and Dr. Deborah Lee, a health specialist and medical writer at Dr. Fox Online Pharmacy.
Our feet have about 250,000 sweat glands, so if you wear your socks from waking up until the next day, moisture can build up and bacteria and other microorganisms start to grow.
At night, the bed is warm and you sweat, so this is an ideal breeding ground for pathogens, such as pseudomonas, staphylococcus aureus and E.coli,” said Dr. Lee.
“I would recommend going to bed in clean pajamas and a clean pair of bed socks—if you choose to wear socks to bed.”
Before the experiments took place, MattressNextDay conducted polls on Reddit to determine if wearing socks to bed is even a common practice.
Of the 1,017 people who voted, only 18 percent said they do sleep in socks — but only 30 percent of those who change their socks before going to bed.
For the experiments, MattressNextDay wiped down eight men’s and women’s socks that had been worn from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Each person wore the same socks while wearing shoes, exercising and generally going about their daily routine.
The experts also wiped a doormat and the TV remote for comparison.
They found four of the socks with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the same bacteria found on cockroaches and in their feces.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is described as an opportunistic pathogen commonly found in soil and groundwater. Pictured Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonies on an agar plate
Although Pseudomonas aeruginosa rarely affects healthy individuals, it can cause infections affecting the respiratory and urinary tract in people with weakened immune systems.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa was also found on the doormat, but not on the remote control.
Socks also contain traces of Clostridium perfringens – another pathogenic bacteria and one of the most common causes of food poisoning – as well as Bacillus cereus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea.
There were also coliforms – bacteria present in the digestive tracts of animals and humans – including E. coli, commonly known as fecal bacteria.
There was also Staphylococcus aureus, a common cause of skin infections, including abscesses, respiratory infections such as sinusitis, and food poisoning.
The team warns that these harmful species can end up in your bedding overnight if you don’t put them in the laundry basket after a day’s use.
They recommend washing your socks, underwear, and bedding at 60 degrees to kill any bacteria and viruses.
But the team insists that we should wear socks to bed as it can lead to better sleep, better sex life and more benefits.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, commonly found on cockroaches and in their feces, was found on four of the socks and the doormat, but not on the remote control
Wearing socks to bed at night can be beneficial because it can promote sleep, said Dr. Lee. “Your core body temperature drops before you fall asleep.
People with cold hands and feet take longer to fall asleep.
“Wearing socks warms your feet, causing blood to flow to the skin and blood vessels to dilate to dissipate heat.”
“This means that you conduct heat from the core to your peripheries.”
The full results of the study have been published on the MattressNextDay website.