If you’ve ever gone through a period of colds or flu symptoms, chances are you’ve used some sort of foot cream or powder to help prevent the symptoms from returning. While foot creams and powders are a good idea, they don’t actually cure or prevent colds and flu. They are designed to help you feel better so you can stay healthy and not infect others. The main problem is that many of us don’t wash our hands regularly enough, or we forget to put on our socks and only wash our face or arms.
Wet socks or foot powders help to stimulate your circulatory system because they trap moisture. When covered (usually insulated) with cotton, damp socks constrict and therefore stimulate your circulatory system. In a nutshell, you take dry ice cold wet socks off and put them back on and wear them all night long. The increased blood flow stimulates your circulatory system, which in turn, triggers your immune system to fight off the flu symptoms.
Here’s the biggest benefit to wearing wet socks: wearing a pair while you sleep not only prevents common cold or flu from returning, but it also reduces stress throughout the day. Studies have shown that stress can reduce your immune response and your sleep quality. By wearing a pair of socks while you sleep, you have a reduced need to worry about running your hot water and drying yourself off when you come out of bed at night. One reason that stress can lead to a common cold or a more serious illness is because it delays the body’s natural healing process. Wearing a pair of socks before bed every night means that the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is put on a pair of socks, so you’re always wearing a clean pair of socks to bed.