According to a large survey, less than 1 In 10 Americans sleep in the nude.
This is a sad finding considering the fantastic (and scientifically
proven!) benefits we gain from ditching PJ's and slipping into our
birthday suit. Check out these surprising health benefits ranging from
improved hormonal balance and mood to less belly fat, more sex and
beyond.
Boost your anti-aging hormones: Plenty of people
like to feel cozy at bedtime, but a sleep environment that's too warm
can prevent the natural cooling that should take place in your body
while you sleep.
Keeping your body or your bedroom too warm (higher than 70˚F (21˚C)
will disrupt the release of your main anti-aging hormones, melatonin and
growth hormone. When we sleep in total darkness, melatonin is released,
triggering a very slight but critical cool-down in the body. As body
temperature drops, growth hormone is released and works its regenerative
magic.
In fact, sleep itself has been touted as a magic pill precisely
because it encourages the release of this youthful hormone. In a study
published in the journal "Sleep",
researchers showed that you can get safe, legal doses of growth hormone
-- and even improve athletic performance -- just by hitting the sack
for a deep, restorative sleep.
Its also good for your health in other ways -- researchers have
found that people with normal or high blood pressure experience a 20 to
30 per cent reduction in blood pressure and 10 to 20 per cent reduction
in heart rate during sleep.
Better body composition: As mentioned, wearing heavy
blankets or clothing to bed will impede the release of growth hormone,
which means you won't burn fat while you sleep or benefit from
night-time repair of your bones, skin and muscles.
Growth hormone (HGH) affects just about every cell in the body. It's
essential for tissue repair, muscle building, bone density and healthy
body composition. People who sleep less than six hours a night may be
three times more likely to develop a condition which leads to diabetes
and heart disease (and in turn, weight gain), according to researchers
at the University of Warwick.
When your sleep is insufficient, your cortisol and hunger hormones both
surge, causing a corresponding increase in insulin. You also experience
decreases in the fat-burning and appetite-controlling hormones.
Sleep deeper and longer: Research has
shown that certain forms of insomnia associated with faulty body
temperature regulation and the inability to cool down at night enough to
spark a deeper stage of sleep.
In one Dutch study,
scientists placed thermosuits on participants to lower skin temperature
less than one degree Celsius without affecting core body temperature.
The result? People didn't wake up as much during the night and the
percentage of the sleep spent in stages 3 and 4 (deep sleep) increased.
In elderly subjects a 0.4 C decrease in skin temperature caused a
decline in the probability of early morning waking from 0.58 to 0.04.
And believe it or not, you don't sweat or shiver during REM sleep so
have no fear that ditching the layers will have you dreaming of icicles.
Lower cortisol and belly fat: As you cool down at
night and growth hormone increases, cortisol will also decrease with
healthy sleep patterns. Between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. is the
time when your body is truly resting and recuperating (and cortisol
should be at it's lowest). By 2 a.m., your adrenal glands (stress
glands) begin to work to produce cortisol, in preparation for the next
day, which also peaks at 4 a.m. and then should naturally reach its
highest point around 6 a.m. -- just at the right time to get you up out
of bed feeling energized.
On the nights that you do not sleep enough, you will wake with a
level of cortisol that is abnormally high. This is known to trigger your
appetite -- especially for comfort foods (muffins, cookies, etc.) and
your tendency to overeat, increase tension/anxiety and fuel belly fat --
even in people who are otherwise thin.
High cortisol
levels weaken the body's immune system, raise blood pressure and
cholesterol, increase appetite, disrupt our normal sleep patterns, lower
your libido, and increases cravings for sugar and carbs. It will also
contribute to other hormonal imbalances and health conditions including
PMS, infertility, thyroid disease and abnormal blood sugars.
Ode to oxytocin: If you and your partner both sleep in
the nude, you can be reaping the benefits of this feel-good hormone.
Skin to skin touching (with intimacy, a massage, intercourse, or
cuddling) is all that is required. Also involved in sexual
responsiveness and orgasm, the hormone oxytocin counteracts stress and
depression by combating the harmful effects of cortisol and reduces blood pressure. It has also been shown to improve gut motility and decrease intestinal inflammation.
Another bonus? More .. ahem ... opportunities. Let's face it, there's
nothing that turns your partner off faster than head-to-toe flannel
pajamas. And orgasms are nature's best sleep aid.
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