2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44
How it works - scientists explain.
According to Korean researchers, thanks to the socks, you will not only fall asleep faster, but also sleep on average half an hour longer, because you will wake up less often. To understand why this is happening, let's first understand how sleep is related to core body temperature.
During the day, the body maintains a temperature of about 37 ℃. But at night, after 6-7 hours of sleep, the central body temperature drops by almost 1, 2 ℃. This gradual decline plays an important role in the neurobiology of falling asleep.
The faster your core body temperature drops, the faster you will fall asleep.
The body regulates through the blood vessels of the skin. When you are hot, the brain signals the vessels to expand. Thus, warmer blood from the central part of the body spreads throughout the body and cools in the process. When the body temperature is low, the brain, on the contrary, gives the vessels a signal to constrict, limiting the flow of blood to the surface of the skin.
Then it's time to remember about the legs. The palms and feet are the body's most efficient heat exchangers. They have no hair and are usually open, unlike other parts of the skin. Researchers have found that warming the legs before bed in warm water or with socks helps to dilate blood vessels. From this, the central body temperature drops faster than when sleeping with cold feet. This means you will fall asleep faster. The difference in temperatures between the skin of the extremities and the abdomen (or the distal-proximal temperature gradient) is the main indicator of the likelihood of falling asleep faster.
If you are worried about getting too hot for your feet, choose socks made from breathable natural fabrics.
Scientists also speculate that socks have a neurological effect. The brain has a kind of "thermometer" - heat-sensitive neurons (WSN) located in the preoptic region of the hypothalamus. They transmit impulses faster when the central body temperature and the temperature of the extremities differ from each other.
According to some reports, the frequency of the spike discharge of these neurons increases during deep sleep and gradually decreases before the body wakes up. It is not yet clear where the cause is and where the effect is. It is likely that these neurons are involved in the feeling of sleepiness, which helps us to fall asleep and not wake up at night. In this case, warming your legs before going to bed will make their work easier.
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