Socks are an important part of our foot health and lower leg area. So why are socks important?   We have always taken socks for granted.  Socks can help to protect our feet in many different ways.  Socks can help to absorb moisture as well prevent coldness, of course, and provide extra padding for those that need it.  Socks can also help to control the temperature of the foot area too.  Socks are an important part of the health of your feet and can have many different benefits.  Read on for more information.

So what’s the real importance of socks…well…as a young child I hated wearing socks.  I always tried to put my sneakers on as quickly as possible so I could run out the door.  My mother would always ask me to put them on, but who had a minute to spare with something as trivial as putting on a pair of socks?  There was a world to explore, and adventures to be had.  Now I see my young self in my daughter.  I hear my mother’s words coming out of my mouth as she puts on her shiny, light-up sneakers without a pair of socks.  After asking her to put on a pair of socks, she stares at me with her large curious eyes, and asks, “Why, Mommy?” It makes me wonder.  What are the benefits to wearing socks?

Keeping our feet warm 

Socks are often worn for this reason.  We don’t like cold feet.  Socks can help keep your feet toasty and snug all day long.  People with poor circulation might feel that their feet are always cold, and a pair of socks could offer great comfort.  Socks are the perfect tools to help with temperature control.  People who tend to get cramps due to circulatory struggles in cold weather can go one step further and try a pair of compression socks.  The main aim of these socks are to improve blood circulation in the legs and feet.

Wearing socks to bed also helps with temperature control while you are sleeping.  It can help prevent heat loss through the skin and keep our core body temperature higher than it would have been without socks.  Wearing socks while sleeping also assist in blood flow in the feet and can help with falling asleep faster.  The fact that you won’t wake up shivering with cold feet, means a more rest filled night.

Preventing wear-and-tear 

This has happened to all of us.  It’s a beautiful day and you’ve decided to take the dog for a nice, long walk.  About halfway, you feel some chafing in your shoe.  This is never a good sign when you still have a long walk ahead of you.  Your skin starts to feel sensitive and a tingle of irritation starts to brew.  A few steps later, you start to feel the beginning of a blister forming.  The walk back is an unpleasant one that would much rather be forgotten.  A good pair of socks could help prevent friction against your skin that would have caused that nasty blister to form.  These days there are socks on the market that even come with a no blister guarantee.  Now that is a big relief if you are nervous about getting blisters.

Keeping feet dry 

Another great benefit of wearing socks is that they help to keep our feet dry.  We lose a lot of moisture all over our bodies in the form of sweat daily.  Our feet are no exception, in fact our feet contain more sweat glands per inch than any other body part.   Wearing shoes without socks all day could lead to your feet feeling damp and uncomfortable.  The feel of sweaty feet is never a pleasant one.  A good pair of socks will help result in dry and comfortable feet.  Socks made of acrylic fibers wool, cotton or wool tend to be the best at keeping our feet dry.

Less smelly feet 

If you’ve ever gone a busy day without a pair of socks on, your nostrils took a punch the minute you removed your shoes.  The damp and stuffy conditions inside shoes worn without socks are ideal for unwelcomed odour.  As your feet sweat the excess moisture gets absorbed by the innersoles of your shoes.  This moisture could take anywhere between 24 and 48 hours to dry completely.  The idea of having to put on a pair of shoes that is still damp and smelly from the previous day, is never an appealing thought.  Having unpleasant smelling shoes can be embarrassing.  Not only will your shoes smell bad, but your innersoles might become unsightly.  Your shoe might end up looking like you’ve been wearing your innersoles as outer soles.  Wearing socks will help avoid stains and discoloration of our innersoles.  Taking care of your feet could result in taking better care of your shoes.  The NHS has some great tips for foot odour too.

A protective barrier 

Humid and damp conditions create the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.  If left untreated, this could lead to skin conditions or infections like Athlete’s foot.  Although not life-threatening, it could lead to itchy, burning, irritated and flaky skin.  This can be very uncomfortable and we can help prevent conditions like these by wearing socks.  These conditions are not only annoying, they can be quite costly to treat and can take some time to be treated successfully. It makes sense to try to avoid these conditions all together by wearing socks.

Healthier heels and soft feet

Good quality socks can offer some cushioning for your feet.  Being on your feet a lot can lead to tired feet, and wearing proper socks that add some padding can help to lessen the stress on the feet. A proper fitting sock leads to less friction in the shoe and can help avoid calluses and cracked heels.  The fact that socks help to absorb the excess moisture made by feet, means that the feet won’t dry out as much as they would if no socks were worn.  Wearing socks also help to protect your feet against unexpected elements that could cause irritation, such as dust or gravel.  People who prefer to go without socks sometimes find their feet hardening which could eventually result in cracked heels and calluses.  As cracked heels could result in pain and discomfort, and in extreme cases, infections, they should not be ignored.  Healthy heels are happy heels.

The Importance of Socks – Conclusion

In conclusion, I feel that a good pair of socks are just as essential as footwear.  They help us daily in a subtle way to put our best foot forward.  We have looked at the importance of socks but you may have something you may want to add and pleas do so in the comments – we love to hear from you!  Our own Well Heeled ShapedUp Diabetic Socks help with many of of the above points so why not take a look!