Is Sleeping Naked Good for Your Body?

Alone, Partnered, or Half-Nude

Medically reviewed by Valerie Cacho, MD

Whether your bedtime attire consists of pajamas or nothing at all is a personal choice and preference. But some research suggests sleeping in the nude by yourself—or with a partner—may come with some potential health benefits.

This article discusses how sleeping naked may help your core body temperature, possibly leading to skin, reproductive, and other health improvements.

Does Sleeping Naked Improve Health?

While most available research hasn't explicitly focused on the potential health benefits of sleeping nude, some existing reports point to ways this habit may help improve certain parts of your health and well-being.

Sleep Duration

As your body gets ready for sleep, your core temperature naturally drops and stays that way overnight. Experts generally recommend keeping the room temperature around 68 degrees F for optimal sleep. If your body cools down naturally by donning less clothing before bed, this may signify that you're ready to sleep.

Sleep Quality

Your core body temperature can also impact the quality of your sleep. Wearing pajamas to bed and crawling under the covers in a warm room may interrupt sleep. While sleeping in a colder environment didn’t interrupt sleep the same way, researchers believe using bed covers and PJs helps support thermoregulation (the body’s way of balancing its core temperature).

Skin Health

One study looked into how adequate sleep may benefit the skin's wound-healing abilities, finding that recovery happened more quickly in people who got enough sleep. While more evidence is needed, researchers suggest that if sleeping naked helps you resist more peacefully for longer periods, your skin health could also reap the benefits.

Vaginal Health

Vaginal yeast infections occur when there's an overgrowth of the naturally occurring fungus Candida. Infections can develop when insufficient airflow circulation, like when tight underwear or clothing, restricts the area. Eliminating underwear and bottoms while sleeping may prevent this infection from forming overnight.

Male Reproductive Health

Tight underwear and clothing can cause the temperature of the scrotum to rise, impacting sperm concentration. Researchers believe this may lower sperm count and sperm vitality, which is why boxers are often recommended over tighter-fitting underwear.

Sleeping naked overnight may keep body temperature cooler overall, impacting sperm health in a positive way.

Self-Esteem

Some research shows that eliminating clothing may affect body appreciation, suggesting that in certain cases, partaking in activities sans clothes may lead to an improved positive body image. While more scientific evidence is needed, study results may provide an initial look into how this sleeping habit could affect self-esteem.

Anxiety and Stress Reduction

Studies show that people with mental health conditions like depression are prone to sleep issues. Sleeping in a way that helps you sleep more soundly and for extended periods, which, for you, may be while naked, may help balance out stress, depression, and anxiety levels that may be triggering the sleep issues in the first place.

Weight Management

Getting adequate sleep can help lower the levels of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) in the body, which may help control potential weight gain.

Other research suggests that sleeping with exposure to cooler temperatures (such as while donning less clothing in a cool bedroom) might support active calorie burning through brown fat, the fat (brown adipose tissue) that keeps you warm when you’re cold. This could lead to shedding weight. However, more research is needed.

Muscle Recovery

It's no secret that sleep is key for muscle recovery and other fitness markers. Research shows that the body releases growth hormones when asleep, particularly in the deep sleep stages needed for rest and restoration. If sleeping nude allows you to sleep deeply, you may be on the path to better muscle growth and stamina.

Chronic Disease Prevention

People who don't get enough quality sleep may be at a higher risk of diabetes and, consequently, at a higher risk for heart disease. Several studies looked into the link between sleeping fewer hours and the greater chance of developing a chronic disease like diabetes.

While a connection between chronic disease prevention and sleeping naked hasn't been made, it's possible that if sleeping nude helps you fall into a deep slumber faster and stay asleep longer, you might be supporting your overall health.

What About Skin-to-Skin Contact With Someone Else?

Skin-to-skin contact is often referred to in terms of parent and baby bonding. However, oxytocin (a hormone) can be released whenever there is skin-to-skin physical contact with another person. Some studies suggest that people in romantic partnerships have higher oxytocin levels in their blood due to this type of physical touch and interaction.

In theory, this could mean that if you and/or a partner sleep in the nude in the same bed, there is potential oxytocin exposure, leading to the overall bonding and calming health benefits that the hormone is known for.

Emotions Around Sleeping Naked

Some people may not feel comfortable sleeping without any clothes on, and that's perfectly OK.

Modesty, often defined as shyness or fear of body exposure around another person, can cause embarrassment or other similar emotions. For others, a past trauma or a religious or cultural belief may be the reasoning behind not wanting to sleep nude.

Know that it's completely normal to feel uncomfortable sleeping naked, just like it's also normal to feel comfortable doing so. If you're curious about the potential health benefits of sleeping in the buff, bring up with your healthcare provider i any questions, concerns, or emotions you may have or are experiencing.

Sleeping Half-Naked Is Possibly Beneficial Too

Not ready to make the jump from PJs to nothing? Ditching some articles of clothing and leaving on, say, an oversized shirt may reap some of the same health benefits, too.

This may be a solid option for people who sleepwalk and live with others or may need to jump out of bed at a moment's notice to care for an infant or other family member.

Summary

Sleeping naked may be one way to fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night, due to how the body self-regulates its core temperature without the extra clothing layers. While more research is needed, this improved sleep factor may be key for your physical and emotional health and well-being.

If sleeping in the nude is not for you, eliminating a few articles of clothing at night may be beneficial, as well.

Read the original article on Verywell Health.