THERE IS AN optimal temperature in the sleeping environment, which ranges from 16-18 degrees. For sleep to be restorative, our bodies need to be cool. Body temperature goes down while we sleep by about two degrees; it’s part of going into ‘energy saving mode.’ Sleeping naked makes it easier to regulate temperature and reach the optimal point.”
The comfort of sleeping naked is a personal choice that can significantly impact your sleep quality. While the merits of nudity versus pyjamas in bed haven’t been studied extensively, some research shows benefits to sleeping naked. “Overheating to the point of sweating because of synthetic, uncomfortable pyjamas will wake you up during the night,” Dr. Brito explains. Dr Guy Meadows of Sleep School says it isn’t necessarily the worst thing to do for pyjama-wearers. However, the comfort and freedom of sleeping naked can provide more restful and rejuvenating sleep.
Deeper Sleep
For the body to properly release melatonin, the hormone that brings on sleep and keeps us unconscious through the night, it needs to be cool. Sleeping naked or in a cold room can help you stay cooler, leading to deeper sleep. This is because if you’re too hot while trying to sleep, your body won’t release as much melatonin, making it harder to get and stay asleep, as Sammy Margo, a chartered physiotherapist and sleep expert for bed company Dreams, explains.
Margo notes that everyone has a different set point at which they start feeling the cold. If you grew up in a warmer climate, you’d feel the cold more than someone used to a temperate climate. However, like with cold-water bathing or wild swimming, you can gradually expose yourself to cooler temperatures that should help you sleep.
If you’re prone to feeling the cold but still want the benefits of sleeping nude, there is a solution. “Research shows that if your peripheries are cold, that may cause more frequent night awakenings,” says Margo, who mentions her hands and feet feel physically painful if they get too cold.
Increased Anti-Ageing Hormones
Once your body is in deep sleep, it can start restorative work, repairing damaged cells by releasing Human Growth Hormone (HGH). HGH can reverse signs of ageing by restoring cells in the skin, hair, muscles, bones, and other tissues. It also reduces blood pressure and could boost your workout. A 2011 study from Stanford University found that higher amounts of HGH from better sleep improve athletic performance.
Not getting enough sleep, perhaps through being too hot in bed, impedes the release of HGH. Researchers at Warwick University found that those who sleep for less than six hours each night are three times as likely to develop type 2 diabetes or heart disease. It is because cortisol, the stress hormone, and ghrelin, the hunger hormone, both surge, so you’ll be more tempted to eat and have poorer control over your appetite when you do.
Genital Health
“There’s evidence to suggest that women who sleep naked are less likely to develop yeast infections,” says Margo. “You need adequate air circulation to prevent candida, a natural yeast, from flourishing in the vagina. You tend to see women who wear tight or synthetic underwear or bedwear which doesn’t allow much airflow developing these conditions.”
“For men, there was a 2015 study from Stanford University which found men who go nude at night had 25 per cent less DNA fragmentation in their sperm compared with men who wore tight briefs day and night,” adds Margo. “We know men who keep their testicles cool have better sperm quality. Wearing underwear to bed increases the temperature of the scrotum, which can decrease sperm vitality and count.”
Happier Relationships
According to Margo, Sleeping naked with a partner may increase connection. Partners who spend time in skin-to-skin contact release more oxytocin, the hormone associated with love that makes you feel good. This can also help to reduce anxiety, which can improve your sleep. Higher levels of oxytocin also have positive effects on sexual responsiveness, and some research shows it can improve orgasms. Even for singletons, spending more time without clothes can enhance self-esteem, as a study from Goldsmiths University found.
Higher levels of oxytocin also have positive effects on sexual responsiveness, and some research shows it can improve orgasms, too. Even for singletons, there’s a benefit to spending more time without clothes. A study from Goldsmiths University found that being nude enhances self-esteem.
What if You Don’t Want to Sleep Naked?
Choose nightwear with natural fibres if you don’t want to sleep naked. “Linen, bamboo, or silk,” advises Dr. Lindsay Browning, neuroscientist and sleep expert at And So To Bed. “These fabrics will wick away sweat and keep you dry and cool at night. It’s essential for women suffering from night sweats in the menopause.”
There are benefits to non-nude sleeping, too. Pyjamas may improve the lifespan of your bed linen, says Dr. Browning. “If you sleep naked, then dead skin cells and sweat will go directly into the bedsheets, leading to a build-up of bacteria and potential bedbugs and mites, whereas pyjamas will absorb that,” she says.
