According to a survey completed in 2012, only about 8% of American people sleep nude. That’s a little surprising, especially when you find out all of the benefits that come from it. Right now, the vast majority of people wear some sort of clothing to bed, and that actually comes along with problems that are affecting them throughout the day. Every night, they don flannel or cotton or nylon and they crawl in the bed with no actual realization that they are essentially shooting themselves in the foot.
When you sleep in clothes, you are disrupting your sleep in numerous different ways. So, let’s talk about the importance of sleep for a minute. In addition to the many ways sleep helps your body, it has a dramatic impact on your brain. When you get enough sleep:
- You will lower stress levels. Stress in the body causes the release of cortisol, which will directly interfere with memory and concentration.
- When you are sleeping, your mind uses this time to strengthen and consolidate memories so that they are instilled for the long term.
- Sleep allows your brain time to reset so that you will be able to focus and think more clearly the next day.
- There are even studies that have shown a lack of sleep can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Sleep improves the motor cortexes of the brain, which control voluntary movements. Your reflexes will improve.
- Sleep improves neuron function in the dendritic branch of the brain, improving long-term memory.
That’s really just the basics too. There is so much more to how sleep improves your brain function. So, now, let’s talk about seven reasons why going to bed nude will improve your sleep function.
1. Your Circadian Rhythm Will Love You
Your body goes through a pattern called a circadian rhythm. Essentially, this is like an inner alarm clock that tells you when to go to sleep and when to wake up. When the circadian rhythm is out of whack, you will find it much harder to sleep, and to sleep deeply especially. However, restful sleep is a must for brain function.
Essentially, when you get ready for bed, certain things trigger sleep:
- Darkness
- Quiet
- Lower body temperatures
All of these things trigger your brain to relax. If any one of them is interrupted, then this can, in turn, interrupt your circadian rhythm. For example, this is a problem that people who work at night encounter. They have to sleep during the day, but the light is telling their body to stay awake.
When you wear clothes to bed, you are encountering a similar thing. Any amount of clothing at all will warm up your body temperature. Since your body isn’t given time to cool down like it needs to, this tells your brain you are supposed to stay awake. This is especially a problem for people who wear flannel or nylon or those who wear full clothing to bed.
You have probably already noticed this to some extent. Have you ever tried to go to sleep in a warm room? It was nearly impossible, wasn’t it? When you sleep in a cooler space, then you will sleep better. So, it only makes sense that sleeping nude will mean sleeping cooler and more comfortably.
2. It’s Healthier for Your Naughty Parts
This is especially true for women. Sexual organs on women especially are breeding grounds for bacteria. Certain types of those bacteria are actually good, but others lead to conditions like yeast infections. Wearing underwear or pajama bottoms to bed will constrict the amount of air reaching the lady bits. As a result, the bacteria can proliferate, exacerbated by sweat. For men, sleeping in boxers or briefs or pajama pants can lead to more problems with jock itch.
Now, if you have ever had a vaginal infection or yeast infection, you know how nearly impossible it is to get a good night’s sleep. That kind of discomfort will leave you tossing and turning.
When you sleep nude, you are actually allowing more air to get to those parts. This allows them to stay dry and stops bacteria from proliferating.
3. You Will Boost Your Confidence
If you are one of those people with low self-confidence, then you probably know that this can be a source of stress in your life. You worry constantly about how you look and that affects different situations throughout the day. Since your mind is distracted and you are experiencing more stress, this can lead to lack of focus and other cognitive problems. It can certainly keep you from paying attention to what you need to.
One of the best ways to boost confidence, and this may surprise you, is sleeping nude. While that may sound like the opposite of the truth, it actually does work.
Okay, the truth is, at first you are going to feel self-conscious. Since you already have issues with your body, letting it all hang out can be a daunting task. However, over time, you will get more confident with your body and sleeping nude will just be the norm.
As you gain confidence and actually feel sexier, then this will boost your confidence throughout the day too.
There’s another nice side effect. People who sleep nude are much more likely to start their day with sex too. And, that is a great way to reduce stress.
When you don’t have to worry about your self-consciousness, you will be freeing up your brain to think about other things during the day and that will improve your productivity.
4. You Can Actually Reduce Your Belly
I know that this sounds strange, but there is scientific evidence of it. When you sleep, your body cools down, which increases growth hormones and lowers cortisol levels. Cortisol, or the stress hormone, greatly contributes to belly fat. When you sleep properly, you can actually reduce cortisol and decrease belly fat.
Beyond that, when your sleep is interrupted by clothing or excess warmth, this will actually increase cortisol and produce a higher appetite. That means when you wake up in the morning, your body will already be stressed and you will be hungry.
5. You Will have More Sex…and That Makes You More Productive
Obviously, when you sleep nude, you are likely going to have more sex. After all, it is just easier and sexier. When you engage in intercourse, your body produces oxytocin, which is a feel good hormone. This hormone does a lot of things in the body, including:
- Reducing stress
- Lowering risk of depression
- Reducing inflammation
When you have more of this feel good hormone in your body, you will function better during the day. Your mind will be clear and not interrupted by stress. Things that may have distracted you and worried you before won’t interrupt so much. As a result, having sex often improves cognitive function – and when you sleep naked, there is a better chance you will engage in this activity in the first place.
6. You Will Get More Sleep
The main reason why you have to take a shower in the morning is because you sweat during the night because you are too hot. Your skin gets grimy and your hair gets greasy. When you sleep with clothes on, you are increasing your risk of sweating. And, that means you will have to get up earlier in the morning to take a shower. The average person needs an extra half hour to shower each morning, and that is a half hour you could have spent sleeping.
While it may not seem like that much time, it does add up. Getting enough sleep is key to cognitive function and being healthier overall. So, buying yourself a little more time can make a big difference.
7. It’s Easier
Think about it. When you get home from a long day, you probably spend a little time relaxing. Soon, it is time for bed. You are tired. You want to hit the hay as soon as possible. If you go about things the normal way, you have to go get pajamas out, change clothes, crawl into bed, and then spend an untold amount of time shifting and adjusting just trying to get comfortable with your pajamas. You lose a lot of sleep time doing all that.
Sleeping nude just makes things easier. You shed your clothes and hop into bed. Automatically, you will be more comfortable since you don’t have to shift clothes around. That means you can get to sleep much more quickly.
If you sleep with a ceiling fan on, then your body surface will start to cool down immediately, and that means a deeper sleep more quickly too.
Other Health Benefits of Sleep
We talked about how good sleep will improve your cognitive function, but there are also other health benefits to it as well, including:
- It can help you live longer.
- It will improve your immune system.
- Sleep can ease inflammation that leads to a variety of conditions.
- It can help your body to recover from injury or illness more quickly.
- Sleep can improve creativity.
- Sleep can help you maintain a healthy weight by improving metabolism.
Essentially, sleep is so important to your health overall.
However, there is a big difference between sleep and good sleep. You could actually get eight hours of shuteye every night and not get any of these benefits. That’s because if your sleep is interrupted, then you never get into the deep patterns that actually allow your body to rest. Instead, you remain in a lighter level of sleep, and that actually accomplishes little to nothing. The key is deep sleep. That’s when your brain waves slow down and you improve cognitive function as well as health overall.
Of course, getting that deep sleep is impossible if you are too hot or uncomfortable. So, sleeping naked is definitely the answer.
Creating the Perfect Sleep Conditions
If you want to vastly improve sleep, then it is a good idea to go a step further and create the perfect sleeping conditions in your bedroom. Here’s how to do it:
- Make sure the room is dark, and that means totally dark. Even the smallest bit of light can interrupt sleep cycles. So, get rid of nightlights and electronics that create a glow. If you can’t make the room totally dark, then consider a sleep mask or room darkening drapes.
- Make sure the room is a comfortable and slightly cool temperature. Turn down the air conditioner a little or turn on a ceiling fan.
- Choose only comfortable bedding. While you may be tempted to buy those cheap sheets, if they pill up quickly, they won’t be comfortable. The fitted sheet should fit well and stay on the bed. The sheets should be high quality so that you will be comfortable.
- Eliminate as much noise as possible. This should include outside noise if you can. If you can’t, then consider earplugs.
- Don’t take your cell phone or tablet into the room. You are probably used to having it by your bed, but that is a distraction. The flashing light, vibrations, or sounds will actually keep you awake. And you may be tempted to check your email or Facebook in the middle of the night.
- Sleep nude. We have already established why.
If you take these steps, then you will ensure you are creating the perfect sleep conditions so that you can get enough real rest every night.
Sleep is a must for cognitive function and for health overall. And, the best way to get quality sleep is to sleep nude for the reasons we discussed here. It will ensure your body temperature is able to drop, you will be more comfortable, you will build self-confidence, and you will even buy yourself more time to get rest. All in all, even though so few people do it, sleeping nude just makes sense and offers the best benefits for your mind and body.
Resources:
http://elitedaily.com/life/sleeping-naked-scientifically-good-for-you/949371/