To Nude Or Not To Nude, That Is The Question

Tony Guadagnino is a marketing consultant. Located in New Jersey, his clients are based across the country, focusing on social media to build their presence on the internet. He studied creative writing in college and is currently working his first novel on the subject of bullying. He lives with his partner Mark.

Over the past few weeks, I have been seeing the same controversial quiz circulating all over Facebook. When it continued to pop-up on my newsfeed, I thought it was one person getting lots and lots of replies. But, I was wrong. One person shared it, and then another, and another, and now I see it on average of three times per week. I started to think — it’s a sign, and a great topic to discuss on Diversity Rules.

Now, we have all seen Facebook quizzes, asking us our “Favorite Song from the 1980s,” or “Name Something From Your Childhood That You Don’t See Anymore.” Plus, there are lots of memes and quizzes about Trump, too. However, this topic is very racy … very controversial … and very personal, so personal that most people do not even want to talk about it. So allow me to ask the question: Do You Sleep in The Nude?

I decided to do some research on this interesting topic: What part of the population wore pajamas, who wore their underwear, and who only wore their bedsheets at night? You’d be surprised at the results.

The last Global Sleep Study performed was in 2013, and according to their study, only 8% of Americans go to sleep naked (that’s less than one out of every ten people), while 74% admits to sleeping in pajamas, and 18% say “other.” More people tend to cover up their bodies before getting their 40 winks. What country do you think has the greatest population of naked sleepers? Believe it or not, it’s Great Britain, with 1/3 the entire country climbing under the covers in their birthday suit. In fact, it’s common (and documented) knowledge that both Prince Phillip and Prince Charles sleep in the buff. (Have you seen The Crown on Netflix?) We can only imagine Prince William and Prince Harry.

Now, those who let it hang out when they are resting understand that there are documented health benefits for sleeping naked. For starters … it keeps your body cooler. Some people (especially in winter) believe that wearing layers of clothing will lead to a comfortable night of sleep. In fact, you’re overheating. Cortisol is a steroid hormone in the human body that is released in response to stress and low blood-glucose levels. If you overheat your body when you sleep, your cortisol levels go very high, which can lead to increased anxiety, bad food cravings, weight and game, and medical issues (like diabetes).

The human body is designed to decrease in temperature during sleep, and not only does sleeping in the nude keep you comfortable through the night, it determines when your body is ready to fall asleep and when it is time to wake up. The slightest cooling of the skin will help individuals fall into a much deeper sleep. When you sleep naked, it helps keep the body temperature down and sleep well so your body can produce and regulate cortisol at healthy levels.

Not to mention, keeping your bedroom below 70 degrees (and keeping the clothes off your body) can regulate your melatonin and growth hormone levels. These body chemicals help with things like slowing down the aging process. When you sleep in pajamas, your body overheats, preventing these hormones to work effectively. In other words, sleeping with clothes on makes you grow old faster. (The next time you see two people of the same age, and one looks twenty years older and the other looks twenty, you know why.) Not to mention, while sleeping in colder temperatures in the nude, your “brown fat,” which is healthy fat in your body, will help burn calories while it generates body heat. You can stay healthier while you sleep, and burn those extra calories you didn’t lose in your workout.

And think about this: your privates, your armpits, and your feet are generally restricted throughout the day, sometimes covered in multiple layers of clothes. Sleeping in the raw gives these parts a chance to air out and breathe, lowering the risk of skin diseases.

Now, I could also talk about the benefits of sleeping naked when you are sharing the bed with someone special, but I’m sure my readers are knowledgeable on that topic. But, I should report that sleeping naked and keeping your body temperature cooler keeps your sperm healthy and your reproductive systems functioning. And for women, cooler temperatures prevent yeast infections.

And think of the money you’d save, not buying those drawstring bottoms or silk pajamas to wear at night.

As I wrap up this article, I wonder how many of my readers sleep naked. The poll that I referenced was with men and women. If a poll of gay men were collected, I have a feeling the percentage would be much, much higher. So now I ask my readers … how do you sleep at night? And if you sleep naked, at what age did you start regularly? Or, did this article make you want to “experiment” tonight?

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