We’ve all been there. All of a sudden, you notice you feel a little more tired than usual. Maybe you just didn’t get good quality sleep last night? Oh, or maybe it’s because you had a heavy breakfast. But then, you feel that tiny scratch in your throat. At that moment, you have an idea what you’re dealing with. Your body is fighting off a bug. You know you can’t get sick right now. You have so much good work to do, so many fun plans ahead of you. You don’t want to be coughing and blowing your nose through it. In fact, you simply won’t. You have to fight this. Plan B isn’t an option.

You have to fight this sickness before it gets you. You attack your google browser, diving deep into the advice of well-meaning strangers. You’re sipping your orange juice and taking shots of apple cider vinegar with garlic and cayenne when you come across an article suggesting you wear wet socks to bed to cure this oncoming cold.

Sounds weird and gross, but interesting. Should you try it? Science and every article says yes, you absolutely should. The age-old trick of soggy socks is said to be the magic cure for a variety of symptoms. Meet your new best friend, the wet socks. This may be a one-sided friendship in your favor, however, as these guys will do so much for you that you’ll never be able to repay them for.

Wet socks can cure your cold.

I know. You can be a little bit of a baby when you’re sick. We’ve all been there. You just want to surround yourself with things that are soft and warm. You want a soft voice to tell you that you’re going to be okay as you quietly ignore all your troubles and drift off to sleep. Hate to burst your bubble, but nevermind no I don’t. You’ve got to go to extremes to fight off this cold so you can go on to live happily ever after free of sickness. You can’t change the world while you’re blowing your nose. That’s an original quote from me, by the way, and yes you can borrow it.

Wet socks can help you sleep.

The experts at Bastyr Center for Natural Health often prescribe the wet socks treatment to their patients and see them come back touting a variety of overnight benefits. One, in particular, is that they experienced better sleep. The doctors found that the increase in circulation has a sedating effect, allowing you to fall asleep quickly and enjoy a deeper, higher-quality sleep.

Wet socks can cure your hangover.

So, I’ve heard that sometimes when people drink too much they might not feel well the next day. Personally, it’s never happened to me (hi, mom!), but if it happens to you, you may want to consider wet socks so you can show up to work or brunch the next day bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. The wet socks regulating your blood pressure and temperature while you sleep can help counteract some of the negative side-effects of alcohol consumption like overheating while sleeping and poor-quality sleep. The results are waking up feeling better than you would otherwise.

Wet socks can aid in digestion.

Increased blood circulation affects every area of your body — including your stomach. As your blood gets moving, your stomach and intestines will take the hint and get going, too. It’s just like taking a brisk walk, only you can do it while you sleep, waking up to a better digestive system.

Wet socks can help relieve pain.

The increased movement of blood in your body can help encourage and facilitate a pain-relief response. The circulation exposes your body to a steady supply of nourishment and oxygen from your blood cells, which can trigger a healing reaction and a reduction of pain.

Here's what you do.

Before you snuggle up into bed and waft into dreamland, soak a pair of cotton socks in cold water and wring them out. Set them aside while you dip your feet in some hot water. Think hot tub, but even hotter. Your skin should turn a little pink. Dry your feet off and then put the cold socks on. It hurts, I know. Right away, put on a pair of dry wool socks over your soggy socks. I’m a sock expert, not a doctor, so I’ll let Dr. Katie Corazzo of Mind Body Green explain what then happens in your body:

“The vessels in your feet will constrict as your feet cool down, which sends all the good nutrients into your organs and tissues. These nutrients are needed to fight off infections and stimulate healing. Then your feet will start to warm up again, and your vessels will dilate to release the heat. This is when the junk in your tissues is dumped into your bloodstream so that your body can dispose of it. The alternating of hot and cold creates a pumping mechanism that stimulates your circulation and lymphatics. The results are an active immune system and decreased congestion.”

So there you have it. You can wake up feeling better and nothing will be holding you back from conquering the world. If you’re still not 100%, you can repeat the process for a few consecutive nights until you’re up and fully functioning again.

Should you try wearing wet socks to bed? As sock experts, our official stance is that it might help and it probably won’t hurt. And to make it more fun, you could pick out some fun novelty socks for the occasion. Honestly, I’ve tried weirder things to get healthy. Happy wet sock sleeping, friends!

So, what do you think? Have you tried this health hack before? Leave a comment below and let us know!