Sleeping. We sleep in pajamas. We sleep in nightgowns. In old, worn out shirts or in big, fluffy dressing gowns. Then, there are those of us who sleep naked- and those who do, lead a much better life than those snuggled up in their PJs.
Whist sleeping in the nude may seem unnecessary or uncouth, it actually has a lot of benefits. The benefits range from sexual, to physical, to psychological. However, not many of us do this- it is actually only around 10% of us who admit to sleeping naked. Perhaps the following facts will convince the rest of us to burn our nightgowns and wear our ‘birthday suit’ to bed.
1. You will sleep better
During sleep, our body temperature fluctuates. It has to adjust to how much energy you are using at the time. So, when you sleep, it adjusts accordingly as you are using less energy than during your waking hours. When you wear clothes to bed, this can prevent your body temperature from naturally changing, and so you get uncomfortable and hot. Being too hot and sweaty leads to you having an unrestful sleep. Dr Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre and author of Sound Asleep says “Your core temperature is at it’s highest at 11pm and it’s lowest at 4am. If anything prevents that decline in temperature, the brain will wake itself up to see what’s going on, meaning you’ll struggle to get to sleep or you’ll have disturbed sleep. The advantage of sleeping naked is it’s easier for the body to cool and maintain the lower temperature the brain wants to achieve”. Ditch the clothes and your body temperature will be able to naturally fluctuate, and you will sleep like a rock.
2.You will lose weight
This seems too good to be true right? Well, believe it or not, it is true. During sleep, your metabolism speeds up. That’s why sleep is important for a healthy metabolism. As mentioned before, sleeping naked helps you sleep better- therefore your metabolism can function properly, and the cool nighttime temperature actually increases your metabolism. How great it that! Also, you will burn your fat to help you stay warm when you are sleeping. Finally- you will wake up feeling full. The better sleep you have, the more cortisone is released into your body, and the lower your stress levels are. Therefore you do not wake up hungry or with cravings, and so eat less.
3.You will have more sex
Of course, if you have a partner, sleeping naked will lead to more sex- but this is not just because your clothes are already off. Your skin-on-skin contact will make you more intimate, and the release of oxytocin in your brain will make you feel more connected to your partner.
On the release of hormones initiating sex, Dr Kerstin Unvas-Moberg, a physiologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences says:
“It is trigged by closeness, particularly skin-to-skin contact. Sensory nerves on the skin send impulses to the brain, triggering the release”.
4.You will be more attractive
Even though you feel cute in your sparkly pajamas, in the long term they will not make you as attractive as sleeping in the nude will. That is because an elevated sleeping temperature- caused by wearing clothes to bed- stops the normal release of anti-aging hormones. Sleep naked and the melatonin will be released, along with a growth hormone so your hair and skin will be restored every night.
5.You will have more babies
If you want babies, that is. Both men and women can improve their reproductive heath by sleeping in the buff. Women get to air out their nether regions- as it is often a dark and damp environment, bacteria and yeast can form and can become overgrown and infected. Airing it out lets your self-cleaning private parts clean themselves. “Air it out and go commando” says Jennifer Landa, MD and author of The Sex Drive Solution for Women. For men, sleeping naked keeps their private parts at a lower temperature, keeping the sperm count high.
6.You will be more clean
Ugh, morning showers. Who has the time? If you don’t wear clothes to bed, you don’t have to shower in the morning. You stay cool throughout the night, will not sweat and so will not be sticky and gross in the morning. And your hair will stay intact!
7.You will be more productive
If you wear pajamas and have nothing to do the next day, then you will probably laze around the house in those same pajamas until you go back to bed in them. But, if you sleep naked, you’re not going to spend the day walking around your house in the nude. What would the neighbors think!? Sleeping naked means that you do not get into ‘pajama mode’ and spend all day at home because you’re already in your PJs.