Have you ever noticed that no matter how cold it is, as soon as you get under the quilt or blanket, you take one leg out after some time? This is not just a habit of children or women, millions of people around the world do this while sleeping.
The interesting thing is that this is considered a strange habit, but it happens for completely scientific reasons. This is your body’s natural way of preparing itself for good and deep sleep.
Dr Sheetal Goyal (Consultant Neurologist, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central) explains that this is a common sleep behavior and an effective sleep hack, which makes your sleep deep and peaceful without any effort. Let us know from the doctor through this article what is the real science behind it?
the temperature remains correct
There are special types of blood vessels in our legs, which extra body heatTakes out quickly. When the body becomes hot inside the blanket, then these vessels become active and balance your temperature.
fast cooling effect
As soon as one foot is taken out, cold air hits the skin of the feet and it quickly removes the heat from the body. This reduces the core temperature of your body, i.e. the temperature at which it is easier for the body to fall asleep.
sleep signals directly to the brain
As soon as the temperature inside the body drops slightly, the brain immediately mistakes it for sleep and goes into calm mode. This is the reason why sleep comes quickly and deeply as soon as the feet come out.
increased production of melatonin
The cooling effect helps in the production of melatonin hormone. This is the same hormone that sets your body clock and relaxes the body at night.
Perfect balance of heat and comfort
If the entire body is covered in a blanket, one feels suffocated or overheated, but by keeping one leg outside, the body strikes a perfect balance between heat and cooling, which is called ‘thermal balance’.
This balance is the most important element of good sleep. This is not a habit, Body’s Natural Sleep System Is.
Dr. Goyal says that taking one leg out of the blanket is a completely natural way, which helps in controlling the body temperature and gives good sleep. It is especially beneficial for women who feel hot at night, have frequent sleep disturbances, feel restlessness and take time to fall asleep.
The next time you take one leg out, know that your body is smartly preparing itself for healthy and deep sleep.