Going to bed in the buff has more perks than you might think. These research-backed benefits will have you ditching the dowdy flannels and sleeping naked tonight.
People may sleep better in cooler temps than warmer ones. Why? Your natural body temperature naturally declines as you sleep, says Christine Hansen, certified sleep coach, member of the National Sleep Foundation, and founder of Sleep Like a Boss.
As your body temperature declines, your cortisol levels go down and your melatonin levels go up. “That’s why when it’s too hot, you feel nervous and jumpy and can’t sleep,” Hansen says. Because wearing PJs or sleeping under heavy covers can disrupt your body’s natural cool-down, it can, in turn, disrupt the quality of your sleep.
However, you don’t want to be too cold either: If you’re so cold that you’re shivering, you’re probably not sleeping deeply.
While there’s no one perfect temperature for good shut-eye, the National Sleep Foundation recommends setting your thermostat between 60 and 67 degrees—but if you’re sleeping nude and waking up shivering, feel free to turn it up. That cooler sleeping temperature offers other nice benefits, as well.
Admittedly, the research here is limited, but Hansen believes it’s possible that sleeping naked can make you more at ease with yourself and your body. “It’s more the idea that you’re shedding a social norm that says being naked is bad or something you shouldn’t be or do that helps,” she says.
Your body has two types of fat, white and brown. White fat doesn’t do much, but brown fat generates heat and may help you burn calories as you sleep. A 2014 study in Diabetes followed five men who slept in a climate-controlled room set to varying temperatures over four months.
By the end of a month, the researchers found that with the heat lowered to 66 degrees (from 74), the men had almost doubled their volumes of brown fat. Thanks to this effect, cooler temps might boost your calorie burn by 30 percent. Sleeping nude in a cool room isn’t the same as putting in a strenuous workout, but hey, when it comes to losing weight, every little bit helps, right?
Especially if you have a really good mattress, Hansen says. A high-quality mattress that’s not full of artificial materials will allow for better circulation, which lets your skin breathe. That, in turn, helps your skin regenerate itself (your collagen production levels go up at night while you sleep) throughout the night.
The result? A lit-from-within glow when you wake up in the morning after sleeping naked. Plus, research shows getting enough z’s helps skin recover and refresh. If sleeping nude helps really does help you sleep, then the skin benefits are a bonus.
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