Many people, you included wear pajamas, underwear, and other comfortable nightwear to bed every night. But, there are also those who sleep naked. Sleep is a very important part of your life, and what is more important is getting a good night sleep to help avoid serious health issues. But did you know that sleeping naked has many health benefits? Although not most people sleep naked, it’s something you should try doing.
Why should you sleep naked?
The main reason why you should sleep naked is so that your clothes don’t hamper your body’s natural thermoregulation process. Your body is able to regulate your temperatures internally and in response to the surrounding environment. During the day, your brain regulates your temperatures depending on the times. In the evening, your temperatures drop and melatonin is produced to help prepare you for bed. Then it continues to drop until around 6 in the morning. Your brain then increases the production of cortisol and raises your temperatures to give you the energy to face the day before you wake up.
The key to enjoying uninterrupted sleep during the night is keeping your body cool. But, when you wear pajamas and other clothes this makes it difficult for your body to properly regulate your temperatures. This interferes with your sleep which causes excess sweating which constantly wakes you up.
Benefits of sleeping naked
You sleep better and deeper
When you go to sleep, your brain is able to get rid of toxic proteins that accumulate from the neural activity when you’re awake. The only way to properly remove these toxic proteins is when you get uninterrupted quality sleep. If you don’t sleep well, the toxic proteins stay in your brain cells and impair your ability to think. Your ability to solve problems and process information is slower, reduces your creativity, and increases your emotional reactivity.
However, to help you sleep better and reduce the times you wake up, you need to lower your skin temperature. The same way you would get a cooler mattress like a Tempurpedic mattress to help reduce your body and bed temperatures, so will sleeping naked help lower your skin temperature. This will prevent your body from overheating and you will get deeper better sleep.
Reduces stress and anxiety
Being stressed up all the time isn’t good for your health. It affects your immune system which increases your risk of obesity, heart disease, depression while decreasing your cognitive performance. For couples, this simple act of removing your clothes before going to bed is a stress-relieving exercise. It helps you relax and get deep sleep. With proper rest, your body is able to normalize cortisol production, the stress hormone which improves your stress levels.
You save on cash and time
Sleeping naked means you don’t have to spend a lot of money on buying expensive nightwear. In the long run, all you will need is a nightgown which isn’t that expensive. You will have fewer clothes to wash and you spend less energy doing laundry. Although you will be cleaning your sheets more often, but not as much as when you don’t have clean pajamas to wear.
Helps your skin
Sleeping naked helps your body breathes. Your armpits, underarms, private parts, and feet are covered and restricted the whole day. When you go to bed naked, you give these parts a chance to breathe and get fresh air. This reduces your risk of skin diseases like athlete’s foot and virginal infections.
Your skin looks younger and better
Sleeping in the nude can help you get deep sleep which is the secret to looking younger. Quality sleep helps to stimulate secretion of the human growth hormone that besides making us grow, it’s responsible for fighting infection, repairing cells, and helping you stay young. At low temperatures, the anti-aging hormones, the growth hormone, and melatonin, work better giving your body time to regenerate to give you better-looking skin and hair. When you sleep hot, your body isn’t able to cool itself naturally which disrupts the release of these hormones.
Improves your relationships
Sleeping naked with your partner is a great way of increasing your chemistry. The skin-to-skin contact with someone you love is a powerful body-mind therapy. By touching and cuddling, you stimulate the release of oxytocin, the hormone that promotes increased social interaction. Increased levels of oxytocin help to reduce stress and improve your well-being. Sleeping in the nude is also more visually enticing to your partner than when you’re fully dressed. It increases the arousal levels which also leaves room for fantasy.
Drawbacks
Unexpected periods
This is a point that only affects women, but it isn’t a reason to avoid sleeping naked. According to your monthly cycle, you can predict when your periods will happen, but sometimes they come a few days early or late. This can be due to hormonal changes or other factors.
Roommates who walk into the room without knocking
If you share your room with someone, sleeping naked can leave you open to some embarrassing situations. To avoid your roommate or her overnight guests seeing you naked as you run to the bathroom, wear your pajamas when sleeping.
Difficult to wash duvets and blankets
Sleeping naked puts your body in direct contact with your beddings. This makes it very easy for you to stain them with your sweat which means you will need to frequently wash them. This isn’t an easy thing especially when your duvets and blankets are made with synthetic material.
In case of emergencies
Imagine, and this is just a picture, that your house is on fire and there is smoke everywhere, you have to get out of the house quickly but you have no clothes on. You need to be ready in such situations which means you need to sleep with your clothes on.
Final thoughts
The bottom line is, do what makes you comfortable. If you love sleeping in the nude, good for you. If you’re not comfortable exposing yourself even at night, wear loosely-fitting nightwear that is comfortable and will help your body breathe well to get a good night sleep.
To read more on topics like this, check out the lifestyle category.
