4 Ways Sleeping Naked Makes You Healthier and Wealthier What if I told you in just 10 seconds a day, you can sleep better, make more money, reduce stress and lose weight?
By Travis Bradberry Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
What if I told you in just 10 seconds a day, you can sleep better, make more money, reduce stress and lose weight? Sleeping naked can do all these things and more. All you have to do is take off your clothes. While there are countless strategies floating around out there to help you improve in these areas, none is as simple -- and many are less effective -- as stripping down before you go to sleep.
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Since only eight percent of people sleep naked, most everyone can discover the benefits of sleeping in the buff. This may sound far-fetched, but hear me out before you throw those cozy flannel pajamas on.
1. You sleep better naked.
We've always known that quality sleep is good for your brain, but recent research from the University of Rochester demonstrates exactly how so. The study found that when you sleep your brain removes toxic proteins from its neurons that are by-products of neural activity when you're awake. The catch here is that your brain can only adequately remove these toxic proteins when you have sufficient quality sleep. When you don't get high-quality, deep sleep, the toxic proteins remain in your brain cells, wreaking havoc and ultimately impairing your ability to think. This slows your ability to process information and problem solve, kills your creativity and increases your emotional reactivity.
Researchers at the University of Amsterdam found that lowering your skin temperature increases the depth of your sleep and reduces the number of times you wake up in the night. Stripping down to your birthday suit is a great way to lower your skin temperature without changing the temperature of the room.
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2. Sleeping naked reduces stress.
We all know that prolonged stress is bad news. It suppresses your immune system and increases your risk of heart disease, depression and obesity in addition to decreasing your cognitive performance. Stress throws your cortisol levels out of whack. Proper rest helps to restore normal cortisol levels, which improves your stress level regardless of what's happening around you. As described in the section above, sleeping naked will help you to get a better night's sleep.
3. Sleeping naked is healthier.
Sleeping naked has a slew of health benefits, including helping you to lose weight. A study conducted by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found that keeping yourself cool while you sleep speeds the body's metabolism because your body creates more brown fat to keep you warm. Brown fat produces heat by burning calories (300 times more heat than any organ in the body), and this boosts your metabolism all day long to help you lose weight. In addition to the metabolic effects of sleeping in the buff, removing your clothes improves blood circulation, which is good for your heart and muscles. The quality sleep you'll enjoy also increases the release of growth hormone and melatonin, both of which have anti-aging benefits.
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4. Sleeping naked builds confidence.
Confidence doesn't just feel good; it's the pillar of success. It pushes you to try new things, take on challenges and persevere in the face of adversity. A University of Melbourne study found that confident people earn higher wages and get promoted more often than their less confident counterparts. Sleeping naked makes you more comfortable in your own skin. As your comfort with your body increases, so does your self-esteem and confidence.
Bringing It All Together
The benefits of sleeping naked are many -- so many that you owe it to yourself to give it a try.
A version of this article appeared on TalentSmart.
