What are the Health Benefits of Sleeping Naked?

February 15, 2023

If sleeping naked isn't your way of life, you may be missing out on several health benefits of ditching your pajamas and oversized t-shirts for your birthday suit. Although sleeping naked is often a personal preference, some sleep experts agree that it can improve sleep quality in several ways.

For example, if you have trouble falling asleep because of excessive sweating and body heat, stripping down your nightwear helps your body stay cool while you sleep. Here are more reasons why sleeping nude is beneficial to your health, including tips on starting this routine.

How Many People Sleep Naked?

Sleeping without clothes on is unpopular among Americans. Most sleepers go to bed in full nightwear, while others sleep in shorts or t-shirts. According to studies, only 17 percent of Americans prefer sleeping completely nude.

The idea of sleeping naked is more prevalent among some groups of people than it is in others. For example, one survey shows that millennials, couples, and men are generally more likely to sleep naked. In addition, the survey reports that two-thirds of millennials sleep nude, especially during the hot summer months, describing the experience as natural and comfortable. On the other hand, only 39 percent of boomers sleep naked.

Generally, nude sleepers report having better night’s sleep than those who wear clothes to bed. Couples who sleep naked also report having a better relationship with one another.

What are the Reasons People Sleep Naked?

Here are some common reasons why some sleepers prefer sleeping without clothes on.

Personal Preference

Some people may be accustomed to sleeping naked from a tender age, and find it uncomfortable to wear pajamas to bed. Others learn how to sleep without clothes much later in life. For example, some couples begin sleeping unclothed after learning to be comfortable around each other.

Body Temperature Regulation

Sleeping hot is one of the many causes of sleep disruption, prompting many people to sleep naked. Men, in particular, have a high metabolic rate that causes their bodies to generate more heat than women. As a result, most of them prefer sleeping without clothes to help them stay cool all night.

Sleepers living in hot regions also regulate their body temperature and nighttime perspiration by sleeping without clothes. As a result, their bodies adapt to this lifestyle much earlier.

Physical Freedom

Sleeping nude helps some sleepers feel relaxed and relieved after a long tiresome day. On the other hand, some sleepers detest feeling entangled in clothes while sleeping, or tossing and turning in bed. For others, sleeping naked helps them get rid of emotional, physical, and mental stress.

Skin to Skin Bonding

Couples who have skin on skin contact when sleeping, tend to develop a better relationship with each other, and may find they are falling asleep faster. Research suggests that skin-to-skin bonding increases the levels of oxytocin in the body, otherwise known as the love hormone. As a result of oxytocin-release-induced sleep, such couples tend to live happier and healthier lives.

Top Health Benefits of Sleeping Naked

Sleeping naked has several research-proven health benefits. Besides keeping sleepers cool during hot nights, this habit improves the quality of sleep, and general health among men, women, and children.

If you’re looking for ways to experience a better night’s sleep, here are the top health benefits of sleeping naked.

Helps Sleepers Fall Asleep Faster

The human body has a 24-hour biological clock called the circadian rhythm that determines when a person wakes up or falls asleep. The circadian rhythm also depends on the body's warming and cooling pattern to regulate some hormones.

For example, the cycle controls the production of melatonin, a hormone responsible for inducing sleep. When the body's temperature drops, the body releases this sleep hormone, helping a sleeper fall asleep faster. However, high body temperature reduces the body's ability to produce melatonin, making it difficult to fall asleep.

This explains why most people struggle to fall asleep in the summer, but sleep soundly in colder months.

Promotes Healthy Skin

Sleeping naked promotes healthy skin by improving the quality of your sleep. When you sleep better, your body gets more time to regenerate new cells, improve blood circulation, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, and repair wounds. These benefits explain why many dermatologists and skin care specialists advise their patients to have enough sleep as one of the natural ways to improve their skin health.

Sleeping naked also prevents stress on the skin caused by tight clothes. These clothes can cause sleep restriction, obstruct blood flow, and cause wrinkles and irritations on the skin.

Improves Male Fertility

There are no studies that directly link sleeping nude to testicular function. However, many men believe that these two go hand in hand. This concept comes from research on tight fitting underwear worn by men, and how increased temperature around the crotch area affects sperm count production.

Men who wear tight fitting underwear risk increasing the warmth around the crotch area, which could contribute to lower sperm count. Unfortunately, many men wear such underwear to bed, oblivious of their impact on their sexual health.

Improves Vaginal Health

Men are not the only ones who benefit from sleeping naked. Women, too, have their fair share when it comes to vaginal health.

Sleeping naked improves reproductive health in women by reducing the growth of candida yeast around the female genitalia. In addition, it allows for better airflow around the area, preventing moisture from building up.

Moisture buildup around the vagina creates a conducive environment for yeast infection.

Promotes Healthy Relationships

Couples who keep skin-to-skin contact while sleeping tend to experience less stress, anxiety, or self esteem problems. They also tend to have a healthier sexual relationship, a positive body image about themselves, and can have high self esteem.

Better Sleep Quality

Some sleepers barely get through to the third or the fourth stages of sleep, where the body receives most of the benefits of achieving better quality sleep. The third is the Non-Rapid Eye Movement sleep stage; it takes between 1 and 2 hours of sleep to get to this stage of sleep. The last one is the dream stage, also known as the Rapid Eye Movement sleep stage.

Since sleeping with clothes can cause numerous disruptions due to sleeping hot, entanglement, and discomfort, many sleepers barely experience the advantages of restful sleep.

Other Benefits of Sleeping Naked

In addition to the benefits explained above, sleeping naked can:

• improve metabolism
• prevent weight gain
• lower the risks of heart disease
• boost self esteem
• improve your mental health
• promote positive overall body image

How Often Should I Change My Sheets if I Sleep Naked?

Sleeping naked also comes with several responsibilities, including changing your bed sheets as often as possible. This is because all the natural body fluids and oils seep into your bed sheets when you sleep naked, which makes them susceptible to dirt.

Additionally, bed sheets also soak up hair oils, lotions, and other products you use on your skin. That explains the importance of changing and washing your bed sheets as often as possible.

Most experts advise sleepers to change and wash their bedding once every week to eliminate the buildup of dead cells, oils, dirt, and body fluids. This is because leaving bed sheets unchanged for more than a week can expose sleepers to contaminated sleep surfaces, which cause skin irritation, acne, or allergies.

Tips for Sleeping Naked

If you plan to start sleeping naked, here are a few tips to guide you.

• First, ensure you have a couple of bed sheets and pillowcases to make it easier to maintain your bed hygiene.
• Then, invest in good quality bed sheets that are easy on the skin, can keep you warm, and wick moisture away from your body.
• Next, use a warmer comforter or blanket to keep you from freezing.
• Be sure to commit to a sleep routine that helps you relax and regulate your body temperature before you sleep.
• Since it may be your first time sleeping naked, you may want to begin with sleeping with a t-shirt for a few nights to make you more comfortable to strip down over time.
• If you have a partner, let them know that you are changing your sleeping hygiene, inform them of how it benefits your relationship, and encourage them to join you.

What to do if You Can't Sleep Naked

If sleeping naked doesn't work for you for one reason or the other, such as having sleep and chronic disease, you can opt for nightwear made from natural fibers, such as cotton and wool.

Natural fibers are chemical-free, flexible, breathable, and easy on the skin, which promotes healthy sleep. In addition, they are known for their soothing properties that can help you in achieving quality sleep.

Bedding for Naked Sleepers

Another aspect of sleeping naked is finding the right bedding. Here are a few considerations you need to consider when shopping for such bedding.

Your Partner

If you share a bed with your partner, you want to consider buying a breathable hybrid latex mattress that doesn't trap heat while you sleep, to help you maintain lower body temperature. Additionally, consider buying soft, moisture-wicking bed sheets made of natural fibers to absorb body fluids, and keep you dry all night.

Protecting Your Mattress

Using a mattress protector is one way of improving your bed's hygiene and prolonging the lifespan of your mattress. This is because your skin excretes fluids and oils, and releases many dead cells and hair, which can easily reach your mattress when sleeping naked.

Warmer Covers

Sleeping naked can be uncomfortable during colder months if the bedroom temperature is too cool.  Even though the ideal temperature for sleep is cooler versus warmer, if you sleep in your naked body, you may find yourself too cold to sleep well. If you choose to sleep naked, consider using all-season blankets made of wool and other natural fibers with the ability to regulate a sleeper's body temperature. That way, you can stay warm during cold nights, and cool during hot nights.

How Eco Terra Beds Can Help Improve Your Sleep Quality

At Eco Terra, we understand that a mattress plays an important role in determining a sleeper's comfort and quality of sleep. For this reason, our specially formulated Hybrid Latex Mattress caters to the needs of various sleepers, including those who prefer sleeping naked.

This mattress is free from chemicals, and contains 100% natural latex, and a supportive coil system. In addition, its surface includes a breathable cotton cover that feels soft and easy on the skin.

The mattress comes in medium and medium-firm levels of firmness, ideal for all types of sleepers to help achieve better sleep. However, if you wish to have a softer or firmer mattress, you may opt for the natural latex mattress topper for the best quality sleep. Besides changing how your mattress feels, this topper can help you regulate your body's temperature, ease pressure points, and keep it clean and durable.

Now that you know how sleeping naked can benefit your health, you need the right mattress and topper for better sleep. That's where Eco Terra Beds comes in to provide nature's finest mattresses and sleep accessories at reasonable prices.

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