When I was 18, I started sleeping naked. I've never stopped.

I don't know why I originally decided it was a good idea to slip commando between the sheets. It was the summer between high school and college, so I hadn't left my parents' house yet. I was used to sleeping in a nightgown, but it often got tangled up around my legs or slipped off my shoulders while I was sleeping, leading to uncomfortable adjusting when I woke up. Sometimes, it even woke me up. But, still, I don't think sleeping naked was a conscious decision. It was more of a spur of the moment thing. Just an idea I got one day that I thought it would be cool to try. 

It was the best, most comfortable sleep in my young life. I never went back.

I'm Serious About Nude Slumber

When I say I never went back to sleeping with clothes on, I MEAN it. In my dorm, at friends' houses, at relatives' houses, at hotels, and sleeping over with guys I was dating. It didn't matter if I was sharing a room or a bed with someone who was fully clothed; I remained naked during sleep time.

Even if it was freezing outside and made the house cold even with a heater, you would find me asleep naked, under a pile of blankets and fluffy comforters.

Any time of year, any region of the world, any residence be it mine or someone else's, I was sleeping naked. This is still true today.

You've Got to Be Smart About it, Though

Now, I'm no dummy. I know things can happen at night to force you to get up and flee to the outdoors (oh, incidentally, I don't camp, but if I did, I'd sleep naked in my sleeping bag). So, I always keep something to wear nearby, within easy reach. Usually it's a sun dress or a robe, depending on what the temperature is like outside. I don't want emergency personnel to find me buck naked on the front lawn. That would be embarrassing. 

I sleep in the nude, but I do so in a prepared, smart way. :)

It's also nice to have a robe handy to put on immediately upon getting up on super cold mornings.

On hot mornings, I may walk around the house naked for a while before I get dressed, but this is just because I don't have kids yet. I'll have something light and comfortable to slip on when I get up on those heat-drenched, humid mornings when little pairs of eyes are about the place. I'm not a nudist (despite what my husband says).

Oh My God, Sleeping Commando is SO Addictive--Honestly

I fell in love with sleeping naked for many reasons, and it was addictive from the very first time, like a powerful, heady drug that I couldn't give up because it made me feel SO GOOD.

Yes, it was more comfortable to not have to wrestle with a nightgown while I was trying to sleep. But it was so much more than that.

Have you ever slipped nude between a set of clean, freshly laundered sheets? Let me tell you, it is pure bliss. It's like heaven on your skin, like an all-over caress. It also makes you feel ultra-sexy; the mere act of sleeping nude gives you a sense of sexual confidence. There's something strangely erotic about it, even if you're sleeping alone. 

You stay cooler when you sleep naked, which promotes better sleep in general. Plus, there's the feeling it gives you of being just a bit daring, going against societal conventions that say you need to wear clothes to bed; it's a satisfying way to give the metaphorical finger to what the world considers proper, and makes you feel like a bad-ass rebel. 

I love it.

And, it turns out, I made a smart decision the evening I first decided to go commando to bed. 

Sleeping Naked Actually Has Some REAL Health Benefits

I read about the health benefits of sleeping naked only recently. It seems my body knew it was good for me before my mind did, since I became addicted to the luxury and rebelliousness of it so quickly.

Knowing what I know now, I'll NEVER stop sleeping nude (not that I would have, anyway). Here's why you should consider doing it, too. Everyone would be better off by taking off their clothes before going to sleep.

1. It Improves Your Skin

If you sweat while you sleep because it's too hot, you increase your risk of fungal conditions on your skin, like athlete's foot and yeast infections. These things thrive in warm, moist environments. Sleeping naked keeps you cooler and reduces your risk of getting all itchy and gross. 

It also gives your skin a break from being stuck beneath multiple layers of clothes all day; letting your skin air out while you sleep nude also keeps it free of fungus your clothes may have been helping to breed.

2. It Reduces Stress

If you get too hot while you sleep, your body has a harder time regulating cortisol, the hormone associated with stress. When you have a hot, sweaty night, you'll wake up feeling angrier, more on edge, more anxious, and with more cravings for unhealthy comfort food. 

When your stress levels are increased because of cortisol being out of whack, it impairs your immune system, too, making you more susceptible to illnesses and chronic health conditions that are not good.

On the other hand, if you're nice and cool while you sleep, your body will regulate its cortisol perfectly, resulting in a calm, even-tempered, healthier, and happier you during your waking hours. This makes life much more lovely for you and the people who have to be around you.

3. It Can Make You Happier

The happiness factor from sleeping naked isn't just because your cortisol is regulated, though that's part of it. If you sleep with a partner who also sleeps naked, there's a good chance of skin-on-skin contact while you sleep. All humans need touch from other humans to be truly healthy, and skin-on-skin touch is best.

Why? Because this type of contact releases the chemical oxytocin into your system. Oxytocin is one of the "feel good" chemicals produced by the brain. When you've got a body pumped full of oxytocin, you can't help but feel happy.

Oxytocin even improves your immune system, reduces inflammation, and slashes your risk of depression. It can even lead to more emotional intimacy with your partner, because you'll feel open to it.

If you're sleeping with a partner, why not try sleeping naked together, whether you have sex or not, and see what it does for you?

4. It Can Make You More Creative, Help You Solve Problems Better, and Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

Who knew you could get so many mental benefits just by stripping down to your birthday suit for bed? But, apparently, you can. 

A good night's sleep clears out the accumulated toxins from the day out of your brain. In this way, sleep is like a brain scrubber; the better quality of sleep you get, the cleaner your brain becomes. Clean brains are able to think clearly. This improves productivity, creativity, problem solving ability, and your ability to deal accurately with other people on an emotional level.

Who doesn't want those benefits?

Conclusion--The Naked Truth

I've known since I was a teenager that I love sleeping naked. The only times I've worn anything to sleep since then were when I was in the hospital recovering from my two knee surgeries, and that's only because they make you keep that hospital gown on (and no one gets decent sleep in a hospital, anyway). Otherwise, it's been nude sleeping for me all the way.

Knowing what I now know about the actual health benefits of sleeping naked, and not just the tactile and confidence-boosting benefits I noticed right away, I recommend everyone try sleeping in what God gave you. 

Just do it once, and see how it feels. Decide if you like it, if you got better sleep because of it, or if you notice any other benefits the next day. Are you calmer, more relaxed, happier, able to think more clearly, and/or more energetic? It could very well be because you slept naked.

Try it, and let me know your thoughts on it after you do. You may just become a naked sleeping convert, like me.

The BEST way to sleep. ;)