If you find sleeping naked strange or a taboo, you probably either haven’t yet tried it or you just don’t know that it has some positive effects on the human body.
Want to know more about these surprising, yet helpful qualities of sleeping with no clothes on? Well, read along to find out.
Controls cortisol levels
One of the most important benefits of sleeping naked and letting your body cool properly at night is that it helps maintain healthy cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone which is related to stress. High levels of cortisol lead to numerous concerning conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, different types of disorders and imbalances, weak immune system and increased appetite. The cortisol levels in the body are usually lowest when you are sleeping deeply (normally between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.). But after that period of time, they start to rise in order to prepare the body for the day and to leave you feeling more fresh and well-slept when you wake up in the morning. The problems occur when the body doesn’t get the proper sleep it needs to recharge. When you are under-slept, in the morning your cortisol levels are unusually high and this can lead to several discomforts at first (for example, increased appetite). It is highly possible that you will have strong cravings for sugary and foods. Also, you will be more prone to over-eat. Want to get rid of that belly fat? You may find the solution in sleeping naked and getting a proper night sleep.
Deeper and better sleep
As we know, our body temperature plays a big role when it comes to the quality of our sleep. It was proven by a study in Australia that some types of insomnia can actually be caused by poor body temperature adjustment during sleep. A different research also showed that you can reach deeper levels of sleep when your body temperature is regulating properly while in bed. Another study held by Dutch scientists made an experiment in which the partakers were given thermosuits to put on which would lower the skin temperature without affecting the overall core temperature of the body. The results showed that the participants experienced a pleasant, undisturbed and deeper sleep.
What we can sum up from all these studies is that being too warm in bed at night can lower the quality of your sleep. So why not try throwing the pj’s and warm blankets away for a night and sense the difference yourself.
Better quality of the sexual life
Sleeping naked stimulates different types of hormones which are good for the body and another one of them is oxytocin. This is the “love hormone” which is released when experiencing orgasms, sexual desires, also stress. It helps fight depression and also it contributes for gut health and a healthy blood pressure. Maybe it is needless to say that sleeping naked with your partner can light the flame and increase your sexual desires which can improve your sexual life as a whole.
Increases anti-aging hormone levels
Believe it or not, sleeping naked can actually help you look younger for longer. As we stated, it is really important to let your body cool during sleep but what is more that you can do is to keep the temperature of your bedroom lower than 70˚F (21˚C). The warmer the air is while you sleep, the more you suppress the release of the anti-aging hormones (melatonin and growth hormones). When it is dark while you sleep, melatonin is being released into your body and this slightly contributes to the cooling of the body. Also, when the temperature of your body is lower, this stimulates the release of the growth hormones which benefits your skin. The journal “Sleep” wrote about a study which found that sleep itself stimulates the release of the growth hormones.
Overall body health
As it was already mentioned above, high skin temperature while sleeping can suppress the release of growth hormones which are responsible for a healthy body functioning and good skin.
The University of Warwick proved by a study that sleeping less than six hours a night can lead to many unhealthy conditions like diabetes and heart problems. Weight gain is also related to sleep deprivation. The release of the stress hormone, cortisol, is stimulated when you are not getting enough sleep and this triggers hunger hormones as well. This way, the levels of insulin also increase. Moreover, the hormones which are responsible for fat-burning and the control of the appetite increase.
Reduces risk of yeast infections
Yeast infections are common and can be easily cured with proper nutrition and an immune system boost. However, sleeping naked can even lower the risk of getting them because yeast grows in warm and moist conditions. By having no clothes on while you sleep, you give your body the opportunity to cool down and stay dry all night long which prevents yeast from growing and spreading.
Confidence boost
By sleeping naked you start to feel more and more comfortable in your own skin. This gives you an amazing confidence boost which will definitely make you feel more happy. Also, by gaining more confidence you will want to check yourself in the mirror more often and that can encourage you to look your best all the time.
By Eevee G.
Hat tip to our friends from The Mind Unleashed for the concept.