While basking naked under the heat of the sun is essential to catching some vitamin D, science suggests that sleeping in the buff also has its perks, including catching some z’s.
According to the separate surveys by the Global Sleep Survey Report and the Costa Mesa-based Anna’s Linens survey, only one-third of the British population and 8% of Americans dare sleeping in the buff. But science has already disrobed 6 reasons why sleeping like Adam and Eve is sexier, healthier, and cooler—figuratively and literally.
1) Sleeping Naked Improves Sleep Quality: (Numerous Health Benefits!) According to the findings of sleep expert Dr. Chris Idzikowski of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, the body’s core temperature is at its highest at 11 pm and at its lowest at 4 am. Anything that prevents the body from cooling down will disturb the brain from its much needed sleep, leaving a person tired the next day. He added that sleeping naked makes it easier for the body to cool down and maintain the lower temperature the brain wants to achieve. Although it is important to release heat at night, you should still not get too cold – and the hands and feet in particular should be kept warm. Cold hands and feet constrict blood vessels and reduce blood flow to keep the heat from escaping.[1]
2) Burns Calories: “Sex burns calories, but sleeping?” Yes – the mere act of sleeping is now related to burning calories—well, not just sleeping but “skinny sleeping”. All credits belong to type of “good fat” called brown fat. A recent celebrity in the realm of diabetes research, brown fat burns calories while white fat just stores calories. Scientists just recently discovered the presence of brown fat in adults, as opposed to the earlier assumption that it melts away with age.[2]
3) Produces Oxytocin aka. “The Love Hormone”: (Numerous Health and Happiness Benefits!) If sleeping with a spouse or an intimate partner, go naked! Skin-to-skin contact generates a boost of oxytocin – known for its benefits to physical and mental health. Known as the “pair bonding” hormone, oxytocin maintains closeness necessary for relationships and reduces anxiety. Recently, a survey by New Hampshire-based Cotton USA reported that 57% of people who sleep naked claim to be happy with their relationship, compared with 48% of pyjama wearers and 43% of nightie wearers.
More importantly, sleeping naked with the person you can be intimate with is physiologically healthy too. Several studies by Dr. Uvnäs-Moberg and Dr. Peterson have revealed the various benefits of oxytocin: lowers blood pressure, alleviates stress, improves glycemic control, and helps wounds heal faster. Sleeping naked together also causes more sex which provides a couple more benefits.[3][4]
4) Prevents Vaginal Infections: Not wearing underwear at night does not make the vagina prone to infections. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Allowing the vaginal area to breathe and cool down at night is essential to clean hygiene, especially if prone to UTIs or fungal conditions. Since bacteria and fungi thrive in warm and moist conditions, disrobing even the undergarments at night is a healthy practice. In some cases, wearing a thong or the wrong type of underwear could even increase one’s risk of having vaginal infections. Sleeping without underwear is also sometimes advised for treating vulvovaginitis or swelling/infection of the vagina and vulva.[5][6][7]
5) Reduced Diabetes Risk: Although not a cure for obesity, several findings have seen the effects of brown fat in improving metabolism and insulin resistance. So how does sleeping naked come into the equation? By allowing the body to cool, the brown fat burns on its own. In an experiment led by Dr. Francesco S. Celi, the men exposed to mild cold every night for a month, had a 42% increase in brown fat volume and a 10% increase in fat metabolic activity. The brown fat increase improved their insulin sensitivity, a potential source for curing diabetes in the future. [8][9]
6) Reduces skin problems: Excessive or warm clothing at night may not only cause sweating—which disrupts your sleep—but also trap the toxins from your sweat. When you’re sweating with your clothes on, it’s either you wake up and change or your clothes become damp and your skin reabsorbs your sweat with the toxins. Although sweating does not cause acne and other skin problems, improper hygiene after sweating becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. Overheating at night not only disrupts your sleep but also could potentially cause heat rash and other skin infections. [10][11]
7) Improves Hormone Balance: Since sleeping naked improves the quality of sleep, it also improves the body’s ability to recharge. Staying up late has been linked to poor fertility in women. Poor sleeping habits may cause irregular periods, a symptom of infertility, because of inadequate production of the hormone leptin. Inadequate sleep disrupts the production of leptin, a hormone necessary of ovulation. Furthermore, poor sleeping habits causes premature aging and affects fertility hormones, says Dr. Tracy Latz, a psychiatrist in North Carolina. A study at the University of Southern Denmark puts men at the same risk of decreased infertility due to lack of sleep or sleep disturbances. The findings suggest that poor sleep lowers sperm count as the results showed that the sperm counts of major night owls were an average of 29% lower than those with healthy sleep patterns. In a related study, it was found that restricting sleep significantly lowers testosterone levels.[12][13][14]
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