Compression Socks for Long Shifts and Night Shifts

For a long shift, choose your size by measuring your ankle, then pull your compression socks on at home while you dress for work, with your shoes going on last. Pack a clean pair in your bag, and plan your washing so a dry pair is waiting for the next shift. That's the routine we'd suggest to anyone on long shifts or nights.

Put them on as you get dressed for the shift

Put them on in the morning, before you start your day. On nights, your day starts when you get up for work, so put them on then, as part of getting dressed.

Sit down on the edge of the bed, turn the sock inside out down to the heel, slip your foot in and line up the heel. Then ease the sock up your leg a little at a time rather than pulling from the cuff. Our guide to putting on and taking off compression socks goes through it step by step.

Check the top before your trousers go on. The cuff sits just under the knee, so don't fold or roll it down, even if the sock feels long at first. Ease it back down to the ankle and bring it up again more evenly instead.

Get the size right before you wear them to work

On a long shift, a badly sized sock has time to annoy you. We size by ankle circumference rather than shoe size alone, so it's worth measuring before you order. Our guide to buying compression socks covers what else to check.

Measure first thing in the morning, before you've been up and about, on bare skin. Wrap the tape around the narrowest point, just above the ankle bone, snug against the skin without pressing in. No tape at home? String, a shoelace or a phone charger cable and a ruler will do. How to measure your ankle walks through each method.

Your calf comes next: sit with your foot flat and measure round its fullest part. The ankle sets your size, and the calf is a fit check. Enter both in the fit finder on our size guide. If the calf is outside the range for that size, send us both measurements before you order and we'll advise you.

What to pack for a long shift

Keep a small kit in your locker or work bag:

• a clean, dry pair of socks, in case the pair you're wearing gets wet or splashed
• the shoes you work in, tried on at home over the socks, so you know they fit together
• a small bag for the worn pair, so it comes home to be washed and doesn't end up at the bottom of the locker

The shoes are worth that test at home. You don't want to find out at the start of a night shift that a favourite pair of work shoes feels different over a knee-high sock.

Washing between shifts

Hand wash them in cold water using a mild soap, gently remove excess water and leave them to air dry in the shade, and avoid bleach, harsh detergents, tumble drying and excessive heat. That rules out the heater or a heated towel rail after a late finish.

Air drying in the shade takes planning on a run of shifts. Wash the worn pair when you get home, hang it up, and put on a different clean pair for your next shift while the worn pair dries. If you work back-to-back shifts, count your pairs against your roster, so you're not reaching for a damp sock at the start of a shift.

Prints that suit a uniform

If your workplace has rules about uniform or sock colour, read them first. Those rules come before anything we say about prints.

Where plain is the rule, wear Black. It's plain black, with VITAL in white on the cuff, and it's the pair we describe as quiet under trousers and work clothes.

We make Espresso with a long shift in mind. On our site it's "The shift worker": cream cups and beans on mocha, with a dark chocolate cuff, heel and toe, made for nurses and anyone working long shifts or standing all day. The same goes for paramedics, pharmacists, doctors and everyone else whose working day runs long. Each of our prints is knee-high, so any pair can go on shift with you.

Where a print is allowed, Espresso brings some colour to a uniform. Under work trousers the print shows mostly at the ankle, and the rest stays covered. For a day off, or a workplace that likes a bit of fun, there's Cherry Pop's red cherries on warm cream, Daisy's white daisies on soft lavender, and Checker's black and cream checkerboard. All of them are on our compression socks for nurses page, so you can compare the prints before you choose.

Everyday socks, made for long days

Vital Socks are not medical-grade compression and are not meant to treat a vascular or any other medical condition. They're everyday compression socks, sized by your ankle, in a soft, all-season blend of combed cotton, polyester and elastane.

If you have a medical condition, read our FAQ's answer to "Can I wear these if I have a medical condition?" before you order. The same page covers how compression socks should feel when they're on.

Measure your ankle in the morning, check your size in the fit finder, then order Espresso, our compression socks for nurses and long shifts, so your next shift starts with a pair that fits.