You can not sleep? Just slip socks
A Life / / December 19, 2019
According toEffects of feet warming using bed socks on sleep quality and thermoregulatory responses in a cool environment Korean researchers, thanks to the socks you will not only fall asleep quickly, but also wake an average of half an hour longer, because it will be less likely to wake up. To understand why, let's first look at how sleep is associated with the central body temperature.
During the day, the body temperature is maintained at about 37 ℃. But at night for 6-7 hours of sleep a central body temperature drops by almost 1,2 ℃. This gradual reduction plays an important role in the neurobiology of sleep.
The faster decrease the core temperature, the faster you fall asleep.
regulates the body temperature via blood vessels in the skin. When you are hot, the brain gives the signal vessels expand. Since warmer blood from the central part of the body is distributed throughout the body and is cooled in the process. When the body temperature is low, conversely the brain gives vessels narrowed signal, restricting blood flow to the skin surface.
And then it's time to think about the feet. Hands and feet - the most effective heat exchanger body. They do not have hair, and usually they are open, unlike other parts of the skin. Researchers have discovered that warming of the feet at bedtime with warm water or use socks It promotes vasodilation. From this central body temperature decreases faster than a sleep with cold feet. And then you fall asleep faster. The difference in temperature on the skin of the limbs and the abdomen (distal-proximal or temperature gradient), - the main indicator likelihood fall asleep faster.
If you are worried that the legs will be too hot, look for socks made of natural breathable fabrics.
Scientists also suggest that the socks have a neurological effect. In the brain, there is a kind of "thermometer" - heat-sensitive neuronsSkin Blood Flow in Adult Human Thermoregulation: How It Works, When It Does Not, and Why (WSN), located in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus. They will pass pulses when the central body temperature and the final temperature are different from each other.
According to some sources, the frequency of these neurons spike discharges increases deep sleep stages and gradually decreases to awakening body. It is unclear what is the cause and which the effect. Probably, these neurons are involved in the sensation of sleepiness, which helps us to fall asleep and not wake up at night. In this case, warm feet before going to bed, you will further facilitate their work.
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