What Is Wet Sock Treatment and Can It Help Your Cold?
What Is Wet Sock Treatment and Can It Help Your Cold?
Wet sock treatment is a real remedy: Many people swear that wearing wet socks to bed improves blood circulation and boosts immunity to fight off illnesses like the common cold. But what does science say? Continue reading to learn how a wet sock treatment may actually work to make you feel better, but for psychological rather than physical reasons.
What is Wet Sock Treatment?
According to the folk remedy, wearing an icy-cold, wet pair of cotton socks to bed at night with your feet buried under blankets is all you need to do to get rid of a cold. The legend says that you will awaken in the morning completely free of illness! If you want to give it a shot, here's how to do a wet sock treatment:
- Take a 5–10-minute hot bath. Apparently, starting off with warm feet is critical for the treatment's effectiveness.
- Place a pair of thin cotton socks in a bowl of iced water to soak. Wring out the socks thoroughly.
- Use a dry towel to thoroughly dry your feet and body.
- Put on ice-cold, wet cotton socks and cover your feet with thick (dry) wool socks
- Go straight to bed and put your feet up
- Avoid becoming chilled (drinking hot lemon ginger tea can help warm you up).
- Go to sleep for the night.
Some people report that they wake up with their entire body wet from sweating during the night. They recommend changing into dry pajamas but continuing to leave the socks on. Lastly, you can remove your socks in the morning or when they are completely dry.
Cold wet socks
The History Behind the Remedy
The wet sock treatment is one of the many hydrotherapy techniques that originated a long time ago in Europe. The process of hydrotherapy makes use of the characteristics of water to promote blood flow and alleviate certain diseases' symptoms.
Wet sock treatment as a naturopathic medicine is based on the idea that the cold moisture inside the socks causes the body to increase blood circulation, which in turn boosts the immune system.
And many people who use wet sock therapy contend that it actually works: they report soothed aches and chills, a boost in the immune system in the upper respiratory tract, and a more restful night's sleep while they feel unwell.
What the Science Says
Despite many success stories, there is no actual science supporting the wet sock treatment as a medically effective remedy for infections like a cold or the flu.
In actuality, there is no cure for the common cold. But, there are measures you can take to improve your comfort while the cold is still present, such as getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of water.
Psychological Effects of a Wet Sock Treatment
Because there is no science behind wearing wet socks as a medical treatment, any effectiveness in boosting the immune system and promoting a better night's sleep might actually be better attributed to that of a placebo.
A placebo is a substance or treatment that has no therapeutic value but instead alters how patients perceive their condition and promote the body's natural chemical pain-relieving process. In other words, if you want to believe that it works, it actually just might.
Remedies associated with the placebo effect cause the brain to react in a real way
The Placebo Effect
Since ancient times, people have believed that your brain can trick your body into believing that a fake treatment is the real deal—a process known as the placebo effect—and thereby promote healing. Science has now discovered that, in the right situations, a placebo can be just as effective as conventional therapies.
But the placebo effect is more complex than simply believing that you can heal yourself. If you give your mind the chance, it can be a potent tool for healing. In the case of a wet sock treatment, people may feel better and recover from a cold more quickly if they believe that putting on wet socks before bed will help them breathe easier and fall asleep faster, particularly if the treatment is effective for others, too.
Wet Sock Treatment for Babies and Toddlers
According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, children appear to respond to placebos more strongly than adults. This may help to explain why treating children with wet socks for the common cold reportedly works even better than with adults.
Furthermore, the placebo would be more effective if the person administering the wet sock treatment (a parent or guardian, for example) showed concern for the infant or child, was cordial and sympathetic or had a high expectation of the treatment's success.
Wet sock treatment for babies and toddlers
Side Effects
Your feet may experience a few problems if you decide to wear wet socks to bed frequently. If the friction between the foot and the sock is increased by moisture, it can cause blisters and sores on your feet. If your feet are constantly in wet socks, bacteria can grow because dampness is a breeding ground for them. However, you shouldn't have to worry too much about side effects if you're only experimenting with wet sock treatment for a brief period.
Final Thoughts
Wet sock therapy is a naturopathic treatment that some patients may find helpful. As part of the hydrotherapy treatment, it is said that you should wear cold, wet socks all night long. In doing so, the body is meant to strengthen the immune system, enhance circulation, and clear congestion by increasing blood circulation in response to cold socks. But since the wet sock method isn't supported by science as a medically effective treatment, it might just be the most effective placebo for the common cold ever.
Sources and Further Reading
- Placebo - Wikipedia
A placebo is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value - Greater Response to Placebo in Children
Greater Response to Placebo in Children Than in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in Drug-Resistant Partial Epilepsy - Hydrotherapy - Wikipedia
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2022 Louise Fiolek
