Should You Wear Compression Socks All Day?

Should You Wear Compression Socks All Day?

Author
Should You Wear Compression Socks All Day?

Rory Donnelly

Published

January 10 2022

Overview

Compression socks save your day from many health ailments like poor blood circulation, pain, and soreness in the legs. Once you get used to the comfort and healing effect of compression socks, you wouldn’t want to remove them.

Can You Wear Compression Socks All Day?

The simple answer is yes, but there's a catch! This article will address this question and more in detail while elaborating on the various health benefits of compression socks.

Let’s start with the advantages of compression socks in the first place!

Why Wear Compression Socks?

Compression socks are well-known for enhancing the oxygenated blood flow of the legs. Healthy blood circulation in the feet helps athletes as well as people doing desk jobs. Both older adults and young people with pain and soreness in their legs can benefit from compression socks. In short, compression socks are for everyone!

The reason why wearing compression socks is so comforting and healing is that they are specifically designed to put the most robust compression on the ankle and lose it towards the top. This way, the degree of pressure varies in the lower leg, unlike regular socks, which are tight above the ankles and cut off the blood flow.

What Health Conditions Can be Relived With Compression Socks?

Here are some health conditions which gets directly benefited by the increased blood flow in your feet because of compression socks.

  • Shin Splints: Compression socks are highly beneficial for shins splint They increase the blood circulation to support the veins, reducing swelling and pain.
  • Spider Veins and Varicose Veins: Compression socks support healthy blood flow in the legs by applying the correct compression.
  • Lymphedema: The stretching material of compression socks puts controlled pressure to massage your legs to aid the natural movement of lymphatic fluid.
  • DVT: The regular blood flow caused by the compression socks prevents the blood clots of DVT.
  • Diabetes: Diabetic people are prone to foot ulcers and oedema. These conditions can be prevented by wearing compression socks.
  • Peripheral Edema: The venous blood flow promoted by compression socks in muscles and veins of lower legs reduces the intensity of Peripheral Edema(more commonly called Edema).
  • Plantar Fasciitis: Compression socks correct the alignment of feet and control the inflammation and muscle damage due to plantar fasciitis.
  • Athletes Foot: Compression socks fit close to your skin. So they absorb all the extra moisture in your skin.

Can You Wear Compression Socks 24/7?

Can you sleep in compression socks? There is no harm in wearing compression socks all day, but it is always better to consult your doctor beforehand. You can sleep in compression socks at night as well. However, sleeping with compression socks is not recommended for everyone. If you have painful conditions and disorders of your legs, you can wear them at night. But not without asking your physician.

Compression socks don’t have much work to do at night. This is because your body is horizontal while sleeping, resulting in easy blood flow. In contrast, you are either sitting or standing in the daytime. So your blood needs the extra push to flow back to the heart due to gravity.

Therefore, ideal routine as per this credible source is to remove compression socks while sleeping and wear them again when you wake up. Keep extra pairs with you so that you are not without them when one pair is washing and drying.

What are the Different Levels of Compression Socks?

There are different levels of compression socks according to the severity of your swelling, pain, and muscle soreness. You can refer to the following table to determine which level of compression socks is ideal for your condition.

Medical Level

Level of Support (mmHg)

Levels of Compression

Medical Grade 1

8 to 15 mmHg

Mild Compression

Medical Grade 2

30 to 40 mmHg

Extra-firm Compression

Medical Grade 3

40 to 50 mmHg

Prescription-level Compression

What Difference Does Copper Compression Socks Make?

When you choose copper compression socks, you add the healing benefits of copper to your socks. At copper clothing, copper ions are impregnated on a molecular level into the yarn of the copper compression socks. These socks provide you protection against bacteria and offer many other health benefits. Let’s look at some of them!

  • Copper has anti-microbial properties, which don’t let viruses, bacteria, and fungi inside easily. Therefore copper compression socks are anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial.
  • Copper absorbs the extra moisture from your skin so that it doesn't become the breeding ground of fungus and yeast. This protects you from multiple fungal disorders like athlete’s foot and ringworms.
  • Do you know your sweat itself doesn’t have any odour? When it gets combined with the heat, it allows bacteria to thrive and create an unpleasant smell. It is a common problem with feet. Copper is anti-bacterial, and it also keeps your feet dry. Hence bye-bye bad odour from feet!
  • Copper also has the reputation of being anti-inflammatory. Therefore it is also used to ease the symptoms of inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and Raynaud’s disease.
  • Copper peptides are the main ingredients of many skin products because they boost collagen production in the skin. That means the skin of your feet will remain firmer and healthier by wearing copper compression socks.

We can go on and on about the qualities of copper, but the bottom line is that you will get many added health advantages by opting for copper compression socks. Still, have doubts? Read our Ultimate Guide..

ultimate guide to copper compression socks

Parting Words!

Everyone can wear compression socks daily. Moreover, copper compression socks come with additional healing and anti-microbial qualities. However, it is highly recommended that you consult your physician before starting to wear them all day because medical conditions like heart problems, nerve damage, peripheral neuropathy, and skin allergies may cause some issues.

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