‘Dirtier than a toilet:’ Why you should never wear socks to bed

There are many benefits to wearing socks to bed – including a better sex life – but new data exposes a horrifying truth about the common habit.

Gross reason you should never wear socks to bed. Picture: iStock

Researchers are urging people to stop wearing their “dirty” socks to bed after discovering the common piece of clothing often contains the same bacteria found in cockroaches and their faecal droppings.

Wearing socks to bed has always been recommended by sleep experts as the warmth promotes a higher-quality slumber and studies show it can even improve your sex life.

However alarming new data has revealed most people keep the same pair on they’ve been wearing all day – and there’s a big issue with that.

Over 1000 Brits were polled about their sleeping habits by Mattress Next Day, who discovered 18 per cent of participants wear socks while sleeping.

But a worrying 70 per cent of those sock-wearers don’t bother changing into a clean pair before bed.

Wearing socks to bed has always been touted as being great for your sleep. Picture: iStock

The researchers swabbed the socks worn by people between 7am and 11pm and found that half of them contained pseudomonas aeruginosa — a type of bacteria that causes infections in humans.

“It typically infects the airway and urinary tract, and causes infection of the lungs,” the Mattress Next Day experts asserted.

“It can easily spread on tools that get contaminated and are not properly cleaned.”

The researchers also discovered that some socks were even dirtier than uncleaned TV remotes, a stomach-churning find considering a 2022 study by ScS found controllers are often “dirtier than a toilet”.

But new research has revealed 70 per cent of sock-to-bed wearers are bringing ‘dirty’ bacteria between the sheets. Picture: iStock

The National Institutes of Health states pseudomonas aeruginosa is commonly found in cockroaches and their faeces.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa spreads easily, so those who wear their socks all day could transfer the bacteria onto their bedding, greatly increasing the potential for infection.

The experts also added that feet have around 250,000 sweat glands meaning that moisture can build up in dirty socks creating fungi known as dermatophytes that can cause athlete’s foot.

To avoid bringing gross bacteria into your bed, researchers advised people who want to cover up their tootsies clean their feet before going to bed and pull on a fresh pair of socks.

They also urged all readers to wash their dirty socks at temperatures above 60C to kill all bacteria.

Wearing socks to bed is not all bad though, especially if you’re looking for a little boost in the bedroom.

A 2022 study conducted at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands found that when heterosexual couples were given socks, about 80 per cent were able to achieve orgasm, compared with 50 per cent when their feet were exposed to the elements.

If you want to wear socks to bed, clean your feet and pull on a fresh pair – don’t keep on the same pair you’ve had on all day. Picture: iStock

It comes not long after a US doctor warned against sleeping naked.

“The average person passes gas 15 to 25 times a day, and this can happen while you’re sleeping,” Dr Anthony Youn shared a TikTok video titled: “Why you should never sleep without underpants”

“A scientific study proved every time you pass gas you’re spraying a tiny amount of faecal material. This is true.

“And that same study shows your tighty-whities will catch all of these particles.”