Why You Should Sleep Naked Tonight: 11 Benefits

Having trouble sleeping is a common experience for adults in the United States. Sleep experts suggest creating a calming environment to help you fall and stay asleep. This might include sleeping in the nude.

Some research shows that sleeping naked can improve your quality of rest, offering potential health benefits like muscle recovery and reduced disease risk. Sleeping naked may also increase feelings of self-esteem and partner intimacy and support vaginal and male reproductive health.

How well you sleep matters. Signs that your sleep quality is suffering include taking a long time to fall asleep, waking up more than once per night, or feeling tired during the day.

Sleeping naked may improve sleep quality by supporting body temperature regulation at night. Your core body temperature naturally lowers before and during sleep, and your body can more effectively regulate its temperature without layers of clothing.

This can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep. It can also help prevent climate-related interruptions—like a hot summer night—from interfering with the quality of your sleep.

Most adults require at least seven hours of sleep per night to feel rested and maintain proper mind and body function. However, many people don’t routinely get enough rest.

Cooling down signals to your body that it’s time to sleep. Therefore, experiencing a slightly chilly environment before and during bedtime can help maximize the total time you are asleep.

Sleeping naked keeps you feeling cooler while going to bed, helping you fall asleep faster. Your body can self-regulate its temperature better while naked, supporting the optimal sleeping temperature of around 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.33 degrees Celsius). This can make it easier to stay asleep and reach the recommended seven hours of rest. 

Sleeping naked with a partner can improve intimacy in your relationship.

During skin-to-skin contact, the body releases the hormone oxytocin. Sometimes called the “love” hormone, oxytocin is a feel-good chemical that plays a role in social relationships, trust building, and emotional bonding.

Some studies suggest people in romantic partnerships tend to have higher levels of oxytocin in their blood due to this level of physical touch and interaction. If you, your partner, or both of you sleep naked, you’ll increase your skin-to-skin contact, leading to higher oxytocin exposure and stronger emotional bonds with each other.

Spending more time naked may contribute to increased body appreciation.

Research shows that activities without clothing can be linked to improved body image and self-esteem. While more evidence is needed to connect these findings to sleep attire habits specifically, this study suggests sleeping naked may positively affect self-esteem.

Naked sleeping may offer some psychological benefits.

Sleeping in a cooler environment—which a lack of pajamas provides—can help keep cortisol (stress) hormone levels lower at night. Research has found a potential connection between lower nighttime cortisol levels and improved mood and mental health.

Other studies have suggested that people with mental health conditions like depression and anxiety are more likely to experience trouble sleeping. If sleeping naked helps you sleep more soundly, it could help lower stress hormone levels that interfere with mental health.

Sleep assists with muscle recovery and overall physical fitness.

Research shows that the body releases growth hormones while you’re in a deep sleep stage, which helps restore muscle health after exercise. Since sleeping nude may help improve sleep quality and time spent in deep sleep, it could help improve muscle growth and stamina.

Sleeping naked may support skin health in a few different ways.

Tight clothing—especially if not freshly washed—can trap dirt, sweat, and bacteria on the skin, leading to acne breakouts. Keeping your skin free from restricting fabric at night might help aid clearer skin.

Other studies suggest the skin’s wound-healing abilities are more efficient in people who get enough sleep and in people who sleep in cooler temperatures, as both factors help boost tissue repair and generation. As a result, sleeping naked may be useful for skin recovery and rejuvenation.

Naked sleeping might also offer some protection against vaginal yeast infections.

These infections develop when there’s an overgrowth of the naturally occurring fungus Candida on the skin. Wearing tight clothing or underwear restricts airflow to the areas of skin underneath, which could create an environment for fungus overgrowth. 

For this reason, it’s possible that getting rid of pajamas at night could help prevent or reduce the risk of this infection forming.

Avoiding restrictive pajama bottoms at night could benefit male reproductive health.

Studies have linked tight underwear to an increase in the temperature of the scrotum, potentially affecting sperm concentration. Researchers theorize this could lead to a lower sperm count and vitality, supporting the argument for boxers over tighter-fitting briefs.

Since sleeping in the nude is likely to help maintain a lower body temperature, it may also contribute to better sperm health.

Preliminary studies have linked sleeping in cooler conditions to active calorie burning of brown fat, which is the type of fat that helps keep you warm. Sleeping naked might help shed excess weight, though additional research would be needed to support these findings.

The improved sleep quality of sleeping nude may help lower levels of ghrelin (a hunger hormone) in the body, potentially supporting weight management efforts.

A lack of sleep has been linked to several chronic health conditions, including heart disease, hypertension, and kidney disease. Not getting enough quality sleep might put you at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and, in turn, heart disease.

Though there’s not currently a specific link between sleeping naked and chronic disease prevention, if sleeping naked improves your slumber, the habit could support your overall health.

If you’re intrigued about the potential health benefits of sleeping naked, here are some tips to help get you started:

• Begin gradually by wearing less clothing or (looser-fitting) underwear each night until you’re comfortable sleeping completely nude
• Play with the room temperature to ensure it’s ideal for sleeping naked, and adjust your thermostat slightly with the seasons
• Make sure your bedding is comfortable and breathable to avoid skin irritation and maintain a cozy sleep environment
• Change or wash your bed sheets at least weekly to remove sweat and bacteria buildup that can transfer to your skin
• Consider showering before bed to keep your sheets clean and help your body recognize it’s time for sleep
• Keep a robe or change of clothing by your bedside in case of sudden or unexpected situations where you need to get dressed quickly

Other useful sleep hygiene habits include ensuring the bedroom is dark, cool, and quiet, avoiding cell phone use before bed, and getting regular exercise during the day.

Some research suggests that sleeping naked can promote better sleep, leading to various mental and physical health benefits. By encouraging core body temperature regulation, naked sleeping may help support reproductive function, skin health, cortisol levels, metabolic control, and more.

To try nude sleeping, keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature and make sure you have clean and breathable bedding.