The Health Benefits of Sleeping Naked

Insomnia is a bigger issue in the United States than most people think. More than a third of all American adults aren’t getting enough sleep. That’s enough to be considered an epidemic. Sleeplessness doesn’t just make you yawn; it has a significant effect on obesity, diabetes, blood circulation, muscle health, heart health, the immune system, and cognitive behavior.^[1]

Because of our sleep crisis, more people than ever before have resorted to sleeping pills. In 2015, Americans spent an estimated $41 billion on sleep aids. Nearly nine million Americans use sleeping pills, and that figure continues to rise.^[2] This is cause for concern as sleep aids can have severe health consequences. They may lead to dependence, addiction, and a number of negative side effects.^{[3, 4]} Fortunately, if you can't sleep or just need a better night's rest, there’s an all-natural trick you can try.

7 Reasons to Sleep Naked

Simply sleeping naked has a host of health benefits including better sleep, balanced mood, better sex life, weight loss, and sexual health for both men and women.

1. Sleeping Naked Gives You Better Quality Sleep

Temperature has a tremendous effect on your sleep patterns and quality. While your body temperature is usually somewhere around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, cooler ambient temperatures support better sleep. A slight drop in room temperature signals your body that it’s bedtime, causing your brain to release a sleep hormone called melatonin. An ideal room temperature for sleeping is around 65° F.^{[5, 6]}

Ambient temperature, pajamas, sheets, blankets, down comforters, the body heat of a sleeping partner, and the family cat dozing on your feet can all add up to make things uncomfortably warm, causing you to wake up. Shedding your pajamas and sleeping in the buff is a fantastic way to cool yourself down and enjoy your rest. Since nudity is free, it’s also significantly cheaper than cranking up the AC.

2. Napping Nude Supports Your Mood

Chronic insomnia drastically increases the risk of anxiety and depression.^[7] Even partial sleeplessness can put you in a cranky mood. Fortunately, a good night’s sleep can quite literally clear your mind. We’ve always known that sleep helps support brain health, but only recently have we begun to understand why.

During your waking hours, your brain tissue gradually accumulates beta-amyloid, a protein that is toxic to nerve cells. When you sleep, your body signals the glial cells in your brain to open up and flush away these toxic proteins. With the better sleep you’ll get from going au naturale, you should be able to drain your brain and feel refreshed the next morning.^{[8, 9]}

3. Sleeping Stark Naked Sparks Your Sex Life

Frequent nudity leading to more frequent sex may seem like a no-brainer. However, there’s a little more to it than just easier access. Skin to skin contact triggers your pituitary gland to release oxytocin. Often called “the love hormone," oxytocin promotes feelings of attachment and emotional closeness. In other words, sleeping naked will put you in the mood for love more often.^[10]

4. Going Commando Promotes Sperm Count

Not only does sleeping nude help with the aforementioned increase in sex, it can help improve sperm count as well. The ideal temperature for sperm production is just a few degrees cooler than body temperature. Tight undergarments leave the testes too hot. Men who sleep sans undies tend to have a higher sperm count and better sperm quality than those who wear boxers or briefs.^[11]

5. Nudity Supports Vaginal Health

Sleeping naked isn’t only important to men’s health; women can get the benefits of sleeping in the buff as well. The vagina is a resilient, self-cleaning organ, and sleeping nude helps it maintain balance and regulate pH levels. Constricting clothing traps heat and moisture. Warm, moist conditions encourage the growth of yeast and bacteria, possibly leading to vaginitis. Fresh air is the enemy of infection. Letting things air out by leaving your body uncovered at night can help prevent yeast infections and leave you feeling fresh.^{[12, 13]}

6. Lose Weight by Losing Your Pajamas

No, you probably won't be able to just sleep yourself slim, but when combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise, proper sleep can help support metabolism and encourage weight loss.^[14]

Sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on your hunger hormones, leading to weight gain and obesity. Your hunger hormones are leptin and ghrelin. Leptin decreases your appetite, while ghrelin increases it. Your body produces leptin naturally while in the stages of deep sleep. Fitful sleep prevents your body from producing an adequate supply of leptin, while overproducing ghrelin.

This imbalance in your hormone levels leads to an abnormally elevated feeling of hunger, causing you to eat more than you should. Poor sleep patterns are closely associated with high Body Mass Index (BMI) and obesity across all ages. Stripping before bed allows you to get better sleep and normalize your hunger hormone levels.

7. Sleeping Bare Helps Skin and Hair

Beauty rest is absolutely a real thing. Cortisol is a steroid hormone that your body produces in response to stress and low blood sugar. Missing sleep can also cause a surge in cortisol levels. Unfortunately, elevated cortisol levels suppress growth hormone and disrupt your system, damaging hair growth and degrading skin. Keeping your cortisol levels low with the right sleep schedule will help keep your hair strong and your skin beautiful.^{[15, 16, 17]}

Points to Remember

Proper sleep is critical to your overall health. Sleeping nude won’t cure all sleep disorders, but it could help you rest a little better. It’s fun and free in more ways than one. Give it a try tonight and see if you feel the difference.

There are many other ways to naturally improve your sleep habits. Keep your bedroom dark, turn off electronics a couple of hours before bedtime and do not bring them into where you sleep. If natural habits are not helping, the time-trusted natural herbal remedy, valerian, may help.

What helps you sleep? Comment below!

†Results may vary. Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your physician.

Dr. Edward Group, DC

FOUNDER | HEALER | ADVOCATE

Dr. Group, DC is a healer and alternative health advocate, and an industry leader and innovator in the field of natural health who is dedicated to helping others. He is a registered doctor of chiropractic (DC), a naturopathic practitioner (NP), and proud alum of Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management. Dr. Group, DC is the founder of Global Healing – a mission and vision he has shared through best-selling books and frequent media appearances. He aims to spread his message of positivity, hope, and wellness throughout the world.

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