Albert Fourié's Eve Slumbers. (Wikimedia Commons)
Albert Fourié’s Eve Slumbers. (Wikimedia Commons)

It would be a stupid question to ask how many nudists sleep in the buff. But I bet a lot of other people sleep naked, too, simply because experience has taught them that the less encumbered they are by pajamas and such, the better the sleep they get.

My friend Ted, the president of the Ottawa Naturists group, was telling me recently about the health benefits of sleeping naked, and suggested I do some research on the subject.

Sure enough, there are many benefits, including a better sex life with your life partner when you cuddle in bed because you have more skin-on-skin contact which, according to a Life Hack article listing 10 benefits, “releases copious amounts of oxytocin, the neurotransmitter that helps you feel those good feelings about your significant other.”

Sleeping naked can also help your skin, the article says: “For once your body gets to breathe. Your private parts, armpits, and feet are generally restricted all day and are often covered by multiple layers, even in the summer time. Give those parts a chance to air out and breathe. This can lower the risk of skin diseases, like athlete’s foot, that result from wet, restricted skin.”

It can also reduce anxiety, cravings for bad food, weight gain and more by better regulating your body temperature and its cortisol production. Who knew, eh?

And here’s one that will make even the most diehard pajama-clad person take notice: “Sleeping with clothes on makes you grow old faster,” the article says. “Keeping your sleeping environment below 70 degrees (F) every night can help your body regulate its melatonin and growth hormone levels. These chemicals help the body do things like prevent aging and are essential to good health. When you sleep in clothes, your body heats up and prevents effective use of these hormones.”

There are other benefits, and you can read more about them in the article or by doing a web search on google for the “health benefits of sleeping naked.”

I’m sure none of this comes as a surprise to nudists/naturists, who are very aware of the benefits of social nudism as well as sleeping naked.

But in the future when you talk with people who smirk when they hear the word “nudist,” mention some of the above health benefits. In time, they might thank you for the tips.

— Jillian