This is why you should always sleep naked

We are in the dark depths of winter and being cosy is key, but perhaps you should be stripping off rather than wrapping up. In bed, at least.

It turns out there are tonnes of science-backed reasons why you should embrace a little nudity at night.

You might get a better night's sleep

Sleeping naked, and lowering your body temperature in the process, shifts your sleep to the deeper stages you need to feel truly rested, according to research.

An Australian study also found that a drop in core temperature is needed to initiate normal sleep.

You might lose weight

A cool environment at night was found to change men's body fat composition in one study, reducing white fat - which is associated with obesity - and increasing brown fat, which burns energy to create heat.

This ignites your metabolism, making it easier to lose weight.

Giving yourself some air has benefits all over

Whatever it is you've got down there.

Tight boxers increase the temperature around the testicles, potentially damaging production, according to a 2015 study.

And, if you have a vagina, sleeping naked could help it 'breathe', as wearing underwear increases its temperature and moisture.

Ronald Blatt, a gynecologist at Manhattan Center for Vaginal Surgery, told Vice:

The vagina certainly does need to breathe and that can be accomplished by sleeping without underwear

This will cool you down, air you out, and may prevent yeast infections which usually happen in moist, and warm areas of the body.

However, there isn't any deciding scientific evidence out there to prove it's better for the vagina to sleep without underwear.

So, perhaps it's time to join the third of UK adults - according to a poll - who go commando in bed if you haven't already.

More: Having sex makes it easier to sleep, according to science