If wearing compression socks all day is good, wearing compression socks 24 hours a day should be better, right? The honest
answer to this question is "It depends." Understanding whether wearing compression socks at night would work for you
involves understanding a basic principle of how compression socks improve circulation.
Compression socks improve circulation by working against gravity.
Compression socks improve circulation by working against gravity.
If you are someone who needs compression socks, the underlying health issue for you is a problem with circulation through
the veins in your legs. Healthy veins have valves that keep blood flowing upward toward the heart, where it can be
reoxygenated and recirculated back out through your circulatory system.
If you have an issue with venous reflux, venous stasis, varicose veins, or some other issue with the flow of blood through the
veins in your legs, chances are that high blood pressure, stress, or sometimes infection, over a period of years, has worn out
these valves so blood tends to collect in the veins in your feet and lower legs instead of flowing upward as it should. The
problem is worse if you have to sit all day, or if you do a lot of standing without moving.
Compression socks apply graduated pressure around your leg to encourage the flow of blood up through your veins. They
have more pressure toward your toes and gradually lessening pressure as they go up your legs to counteract the force of
gravity. Compression socks do what the valves in your veins can't so blood doesn't accumulate in your lower legs. This
gradually helps you overcome the problems associated with poor venous circulation such as redness, itching, skin
breakdown, and bulging veins.
When you are lying down, compression socks don't have gravity to work against
What happens when you wear compression socks when you are lying down?
Wearing compression socks when you are lying down at night certainly doesn't impair circulation through the veins in your
legs. Your body recirculates blood from your toes back up toward your heart 24 hours a day. What's different when you are
lying down is the absence of the force of gravity. Your veins don't need as much help to move blood up your legs to your heart
as they do when you are sitting or standing.
That doesn't mean there never is a reason to wear compression socks at night.
Some people suffer from a condition called orthostatic hypotension. When they stand up, they get woozy or dizzy and may
even pass out because blood doesn't reach their brains. There has been clinical research that finds that wearing compression
socks at night can prevent orthostatic hypotension when getting out of bed in the morning.
If morning orthostatic hypotension is a problem for you, then it's a good idea to speak with your doctor about wearing waisthigh tights at night, not just compression socks, to have even better control over the fluid shift that comes when you get out
of bed in the morning. If you have a problem with orthostatic hypotension all day long, it may be helpful to wear tights all day
long as well as at night.
It's also not unusual for doctors to tell their patients at risk for deep vein thrombosis, or who have just had vein surgery, to
wear compression socks 24 hours a day.
Compression socks make blood flow faster even when you are lying down. When blood flows faster, it is less likely to form
clots. Keeping pressure on veins even when you are lying down reduces the risk of a blood clot that might form in your legs
and eventually find its way to your lungs
There's one more good reason to wear compression socks 24 hours a day.
Some people just feel better the more they wear their compression socks. It's always a good idea to check with your doctor
before you start wearing compression socks every day and into the night, and you need to change your socks and wash your
legs every day unless your doctor specifically tells you otherwise, but compression socks are generally safe for 24hour wear.
Discount Surgical has compression socks, knee-highs, leggings, and tights in every size and in multiple colors and styles. We
have the best compression garments at the best price, and we're here to help you find exactly the compression wear you
need.
