Sleeping in the Nude: Raw After Hours

Ever since I bought my first apartment in New York City I’ve been sleeping in the nude. It didn’t matter if there was someone sleeping next to me or if I was all by my lonesome,,,, when I was in bed I was, most definitely, naked. Back then it was pure survival. The super had the heat blasting so high that, even in the winter, it was like living in the tropics. And you couldn’t turn it down. Coming within 3 feet of the big silver radiator was like approaching the sun; the heat radiated out like solar flares threatening to fry anything in its path. So you came home from work, opened the windows, stripped off your clothes and never put them back on till you had to leave the house again.

Sleeping in the nude was just logical. It was kind of a form of self-preservation. And after that there was just no turning back, Every time I’ve tried to wear clothes to bed I end up waking up by the heat storm that is my body and progressively throw back my covers and peel away my pajamas like a crusty scab.  Who knows why? It’s not like I’m a nudist; I do perfectly fine with clothes during the day.

Sleeping naked brings down your skin temperature. No matter what the temperature is where you’re sleeping – even the ‘hotter than Hades’ apartment – lowering the temperature of your skin allows for better, deeper sleep; you’ll wake up less during the night and end up feeling more rested in the morning. This, all alone, will not only improve your energy levels during the day but will slow the aging process. One of the foremost enemies in the fight against premature aging is sleep deprivation. Turns out taking your clothes off before bedtime is like part of a beauty ritual with long lasting effect. It’s like a natural preservative.

Lower body temperature plays a role in fighting infection because bacteria tend to multiply and take hold in warmer environments. Sleeping in the nude denies them the luxury of a cozy home in which to wreak havoc.

Sleeping in the nude is healthy. It goes hand in hand with achieving the natural vitality that we look for in a high raw diet. It also helps you lose weight. (Oh! There go the clothes right now!). Our body’s metabolism speeds up to keep us warm and produces more brown fat,. Brown fat makes heat by burning calories and ultimately helps you lose weight. On top of that blood circulation improves which is great for your heart and muscles and everything else.

Pajamas can be an impediment to movement when you sleep. Nightgowns sometimes even more so. They get wound around you and scrunched up in weird ways as you shift positions through the night and end up leading to disrupted sleep. No clothes: no fuss. Nothing (except maybe your partner if you’re sharing a bed) is going to restrict your free movement. This too will improve the quality of your sleep.

Quality sleep is essential for brain function. Your brain just doesn’t run properly without it. It’s during sleep that your brain removes toxic proteins from it’s neurons. The catch is that it needs deep sleep to do it’s job. Otherwise those proteins just stay in there and you end up feeling like a dullard. Problem solving skills, creative juices, your entire ability to think clearly is affected  – not to mention that lack of adequate sleep puts you on an emotional roller coaster ride in your day-to-day life. Who needs that? We women have enough problems with PMS, thank you very much.

Sleeping naked is sexy. Even if there’s no significant other sharing your sheets, the mere feeling of being naked underneath them increases oxytocin levels. You can’t help but feel more sensual. This leads to greater confidence in your daily life. Since confidence breeds success there’s a butterfly effect that extends far beyond the bedroom.  And if there is someone snuggled beside you, lucky you! Skin to skin contact does an even more powerful job in releasing oxytocin in the brain and creating an emotional bond between couples that actually strengthens the relationship and increases trust.

Strangely enough only 8% of people sleep naked. A minority, if there ever was one.Seems odd when you can do yourself so much good by taking off your clothes in the privacy of your own home. I scratch my head, sometimes. I mean: pajamas are cute but honestly, this one’s a no-brainer! So save the PJs for Sundays on the couch and give your sheets some serious skin!