Sleeping naked can be better for your health

Bad news for the lingerie and pajama industry: Sleeping naked may be better for your health.

Only around eight per cent of Americans sleep in the buff according to a National Sleep Foundation poll - but your birthday suit may be the best suit to sleep in.

For one, it helps to regulate your body's temperature and so get you a better night's sleep.

Your temperature fluctuates throughout the night - getting colder as you fall asleep and warmer as your get close to waking up - and jammies can interfere with these natural fluctuations.

As your temperature drops, night clothes can make you too hot, leading to tossing and turning, says Men’s Health sleep advisor W. Christopher Winter, M.D.

There are other reported benefits to shedding your sleepwear.

A study in the journal Diabetes concluded that sleeping naked as a jaybird can actually help you lose weight.

Not only does a chillier sleep rev up your metabolism but it increases production of a brown fat stored in your neck that burns calories in order to heat up your body - something that doesn't happen if your PJs are doing the warming up work for you, according  to Men's Health.

Sleeping in the raw also helps protects your private parts, according to Brian Steixner, M.D., a urologist based in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

This is because pyjamas and underwear can keep heat and moisture in and create the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Both men and women's genitalia will benefit from having an airy, cooler, dryer place to sleep at night.

Sperm production can also be helped by sleeping au natural. Tight underwear and too warm testicles are bad for the swimmies, according to Men's Health.

A cooler sleep also helped the body regulate the stress hormone cortisol.

On top of all of these reported health benefits, sleeping naked against a partner increases your oxytocin levels.

This 'cuddle chemical' - also called the 'love hormone'- helps relieve stress, alleviate depression, fosters feelings of bonding and even lowers blood pressure, according to Raw Story.

But not every nationality seems to have an aversion to sleeping naked. According to a 2013 survey by the National Sleep Foundation, one-third of British people reported sleeping in the buff, reports Live Science.

As for why people don't sleep naked, no doubt fear of middle-of-night emergencies, naked sleepwalking, children and house guests are among the reasons.