Should you sleep in the buff…or in underwear or pajamas? This simple question actually has consequences for your health.
The website Livescience.com recently polled medical experts to determine which sleeping method is healthier.
The answer? It’s better to go nude at night. Here’s why…
Men
The cooler you are while sleeping, and more air around your private parts, the less chance for skin diseases, irritations, and the dreaded jock itch.1
Wearing underwear at bedtime also lowers male fertility, according to a major study published last year.2
Researchers found that men who wear tight underpants both during the day and at night have 25% more damaged DNA in their sperm than men who wear loose boxer shorts during the day and nothing to bed.
This is because a man’s testicles function best at about 94 degrees Fahrenheit. This is below the overall body temperature of 98.6. Going nude at night provides the cooler environment needed to produce the best-quality sperm.
When a man switches from sleeping in underwear to going naked, it takes about three months for sperm quality to improve, say researchers.
Other Heat Sources Men Should Avoid
Doctors point out that men who want to have children also should avoid other traps that can raise testicle temperature:3
- Using a laptop on your lap
- Heated waterbeds
- Electric blankets
Women
Women prone to yeast infections are advised to let their skin aerate at night. Wearing underwear or pajamas lessens air flow.4
And women who suffer chronic vulvitis (inflammation of the skin fold outside the vagina) or chronic vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina itself) should definitely sleep in the buff.
Dr. Alyssa Dweck is clinical assistant professor of OB/GYN at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She explains that when a woman wears constricted clothing all day and all night, moisture can collect in the genital area. This creates a breeding ground for yeast and bacterial infections. Airing out the area at night can help avoid infections.
During the day she recommends breathable cotton underwear for women. Cotton allows more air flow than other fabrics, said Dr. Dweck.
Women who do not experience yeast or bacterial infections are probably just fine wearing cotton underwear or pajamas to bed, she said. But sleeping in the buff can do no harm.
Sleeping au naturel is not the only way women can fight yeast infections.
Candida is one of the worst—and most common—types of yeast infections. It can even cause cancer. Here’s how to free yourself from this scourge.
In Good Health,
Angela Salerno
Executive Director, INH Health Watch
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References:
1http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-sleeping-naked-you-probably-didnt-know.html
2http://www.sciencealert.com/men-should-wear-boxers-and-sleep-naked-to-keep-sperm-healthy-study-finds
3http://www.babycenter.in/a564482/dads-to-be-how-your-lifestyle-can-affect-your-fertility
4http://www.livescience.com/54556-wearing-underwear-to-bed-health.html