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Why you should sleep naked

Picture: Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock
Picture: Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock

Roughly one third of UK citizens sleep in the nude, according to the National Sleep Foundation, and several studies show they are better off for it.

The other two thirds are missing out on mental and physical health benefits, better sleep, and a better relationship.

1. More touching improves your mental health and your relationship

Being able to touch skin builds a stronger emotional bond with your partner, and touching skin and being touched releases oxytocin, which helps regulate your moods. According to PsychCentral, Oxytocin is a hormone that makes you feel secure. Touching also lowers cortisol levels, making you less stressed and reducing your cravings, making you less likely to binge when you wake up.

2. Keeping cool will help you enter a deeper state of sleep

People who sleep naked have been found to have more restful and uninterrupted sleep. The warmer a person is, the more disturbed their sleep, so shedding all your layers until you're down to the flesh will keep you cool. A low temperature is essential to maintaining your 'circadian rhythm', which is your natural sleep clock, meaning your snooze won't be interrupted.

3. Freshness lowers the risk of infection

Bacteria thrives in warm places, and women can avoid yeast infections if their genitals in the free and open air. Nakedness helps keep things both cool and dry.

4. Freedom protects your sperm count

Men, especially ones trying for a baby, will often sleep naked to free their testicles and prevent them from becoming too warm. A study of 500 men over 12 months by the National Institute of Child Health and Development and Stanford University, found that men who wore boxers during the day but slept naked had 25 per cent less DNA fragmentation than men who wear tighter boxers or boxer briefs.

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