This heatwave, put your socks in the fridge (yes, really)

The key to nodding off on a balmy evening? Popping your socks in the fridge. Seriously…

While it might sound like a slightly bizarre course of action, it’s a scientifically-proven sleep tip to bring down your body temperature, which is essential to a good night’s snooze.

The tip comes courtesy of Mattress Online’s resident “sleep geek”, James. With the hottest day of the year so far coming up this bank holiday (temperatures are said to reach highs of 25 degrees Celsius, and we’re here for it…!), it might well be the bedtime hack you need to send you to slumber. The tip was inspired by a TikTok video from Doctor Azmain, which was first shared during the heatwave of summer 2022.

You can place a pair of bedtime appropriate cosy socks in the fridge at any time of the day, only to whip them out and put them on before you go to bed. This cools down your body overall. The reason for this is because your feet (and hands) play a key role in our heat regulation, having the largest effect on our overall temperature compared to body parts – it’s the same reason wearing socks and gloves will help you stay warm in winter.

Fans of the ‘foot or both feet outside of the duvet’ trick for sleeping will also, intuitively, be trying to cool their feet to help them nod off.

However, there’s one consideration to be aware of: “You might want to let your family know before doing this, lest they be surprised by an unwanted pair of socks amongst vegetables,” warns James. Noted!

Other tricks recommended by the “sleep geek” include shutting out the sunlight, through keeping blinds down or wearing a sleep eye mask (particularly if you’re trying to get a particularly early night or don’t want to be woken up first thing in the morning).

Another temperature regulating tip, proposed on TikTok by meteorologist Jodi Kodesh, is to put aloe vera on your skin just before bed for a cooling effect – apparently it’s even better than a cool shower for lowering your body temperature.