In the middle of a heatwave imagining anything other than sleeping totally naked seems like a form of self-torture, but sleeping nude isn’t just a way to cool down in the summer months.
In fact stripping down to your birthday suit for bedtime also has lots of health benefits (not to mention the benefit of shocking your neighbours when you forget to draw the curtains).
And we’re pretty sure your partner won’t mind either...
1. It boosts men’s fertility.
Although not everyone is trying for a baby, it is important to know that studies have shown sleeping naked can help boost a man’s fertility (and not just for that reason).
Sleeping naked means you have, on average, 25% less sperm DNA fragmentation, compared to men who sleep in clothes and wear tight boxers during the day.
2. It makes your relationship happier.
It might seem to be fairly obvious that sleeping naked with your bed partner would mean you both have a little more reason to smile, but this isn’t all about sex.
A study found that 57% of couples who slept in the buff claimed to be happy, compared to 48% in pyjamas. This might be thanks to your body releasing feel-good hormone, oxytocin.
3. It reduces your stress levels.
We could all do with a little less stress in our lives, and if our relationships are happier that’s probably going to go some way to helping. But Neil Robinson, a sleep expert at Sealy, told HuffPost UK that sleeping naked also reduces our stress through hormone release.
“Sleeping naked helps to decrease cortisol, increases the growth hormone and balances melatonin, all of which work to reduce stress levels,” said Robinson.
4. It helps to regulate your body temperature.
Did you know that certain types of insomnia are associated with the faulty regulation of body temperature?
The Los Angeles Sleep Study Institute reports that this not only affects your sleep cycle, but also inhibits you from drifting into a deep sleep. So sleeping naked means you are less likely to overheat and subsequently sleep better.
5. It keeps your skin healthier.
Because sleeping naked helps you to regulate your body temperature it helps to reduce sweating on your bed sheets, leaving bacteria and potentially causing skin conditions or body acne.
So sleeping naked gives your skin a chance to breath, Neil Robinson said: “Sleeping naked can also improve circulation and can keep your skin healthier.”
6. It reduces your risk of diabetes and heart disease.
When you sleep naked you are more likely to drop into a deeper sleep (because your body temperature is more stable and you don’t wake up in a hot sweaty mess) and deep sleep has lots of benefits.
People who sleep less than six hours a night may be three times more likely to develop a condition which leads to diabetes and heart disease, according to researchers at the University of Warwick. So get that beauty sleep.