What Occurs in Your Body When You Cease Sharing a Bed with Your Partner?
The notion of sleeping beside a loved one has been idealized to the point where singles everywhere fantasize about waking up next to their special person. However, a quarter of contemporary couples say, "It's not as great as it's made out to be," and contentedly settle into separate beds (according to Newsweek). While co-sleeping with your partner is common in today's world, it was once strongly discouraged — and not for the reasons you might think.
Doctors in the Victorian period cautioned against sleeping in the same bed, asserting that the healthier individual would lose their vitality to improve the weaker partner's well-being (as reported by The Guardian). Dr. William Witty Hall even argued that individuals who sleep beside each other and inhale each other's germs, "... will eventually suffer in health and physical and mental strength, and will die before their time is due.
Opting for separate sleeping quarters may enhance your overall health.
You're likely aware that getting fewer hours of sleep than needed can make you an irritable partner, parent, or coworker the following day. Beyond just having less patience, inadequate sleep can significantly damage your health.
When you don't clock in the recommended 7 to 9 hours per night, you're more prone to memory problems, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, accidents, weight gain, heart disease, and a weakened immune system (via Healthline). It can even heighten your risk of early death, as noted in a 2010 meta-analysis.
If you're sleeping beside a snoring partner or are disrupted by differing sleep schedules, you're even more susceptible to these adverse effects.
If you're concerned about your sleep quality, consider sleeping apart from your partner and observe if your sleep gets better (via The Healthy). Enhanced sleep could lead to positive changes in various aspects of your life, such as your mood or libido. Surprisingly, even your relationship might benefit from not sharing a bed with your partner.
Can sharing a bed enhance your well-being?
Many couples choose to sleep separately due to snoring or different sleep schedules. While sleeping apart can help some people sleep better, studies show that sleeping next to a partner can actually improve sleep quality and health.
Sleeping together can improve sleep quality for couples, with less sleep disruptions and better REM sleep. Cuddling also releases oxytocin, reduces stress hormones, and lowers blood pressure. Sleeping together can improve your health and relationship by syncing your heartbeats and boosting intimacy.
Can sharing a bed enhance your well-being?
Whether you opt to sleep in the nude or fully dressed, you likely hold sleep as sacred. It has the power to make or break our nights. Sweet dreams aren't guaranteed, but when they do occur, it's pure bliss. To enhance our sleep quality, we often turn to various products — ranging from melatonin and weighted blankets to special teas — in hopes of achieving better rest. However, if you're someone who layers up before bed, you might be doing yourself a disservice. There's a simple method to promote a restful eight hours: Sleep in your birthday suit.
If you begin sleeping naked, you'll fall asleep more quickly.
If you often find yourself gazing at the ceiling, either patiently or impatiently, waiting for the Sandman to arrive with his magical sleep dust, here's our suggestion: Try sleeping naked!
Sleeping naked can help you sleep better because it keeps you cooler and prevents your clothes from bunching up, which can disrupt your sleep. Heat can affect your sleep cycle, making you more awake and reducing deep sleep.
A restful night's sleep can often be the key to alleviating your concerns and troubles. If sleeping in the nude aids in falling asleep more quickly and maintaining restful sleep throughout the night, it's safe to conclude that baring it all in bed could lead to a happier, more balanced, and well-adjusted you.
Sleeping without clothes might lower your chances of getting an infection.
Sleeping without underwear can help prevent vaginal infections by reducing moisture and bacterial growth.
Additionally, the doctor mentioned that "women can experience irritation of [the vulva] that can result in itching and pain." She further explained, "Sleeping without underwear reduces rubbing in this sensitive area." Reduced friction leads to less discomfort during the night, ensuring better rest for you and your intimate area. A win-win situation.
Sleeping without clothes can enhance male fertility
Are you in the process of trying to start a family? It all starts with shedding your clothes — and for multiple reasons. According to a study in the journal Human Reproduction, "elevated scrotal temperatures" can "negatively impact testicular function." Therefore, certain tight underwear, like tightly whites, may reduce a man's sperm count.
When you and your partner slip into bed without clothes, the likelihood of things heating up increases — even with cooler body temperatures. The logic is straightforward: cuddling without any barriers can easily lead to other intimate activities between you and your partner.
Dr. Michael J. Breus, a clinical psychologist recognized as The Sleep Doctor, highlighted this seemingly obvious fact in an article for Psychology Today: "Being naked and physically close in bed together can also have sex — particularly the spontaneous, unplanned kind — more likely and more frequent."
Sleeping naked may enhance your skin's condition
Snooze naked and your skin will thank you. Seriously, beauty sleep is not a myth; getting a good night's rest regularly will likely result in a more youthful complexion.
When you sleep, your body repairs itself and generates new cells. Your skin produces collagen overnight, which in turn gives you more supple skin. New York-based dermatologist Patricia Wexler told WebMD that sleeping for only five hours a night (as opposed to a minimum of seven) can result in double the wrinkles and fine lines.
Furthermore, clinical psychologist and sleep expert Michael J. Breus explained to the site, "Sleep deprivation causes a decrease in blood flow to the skin surrounding your face. Skin becomes dull, and you don't get those rosy cheeks anymore."
Are there any drawbacks to sleeping without clothes?
If you intend to sleep naked, you'll need to be more meticulous about washing your bedding. According to dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, the downside of sleeping in the nude is that sweat, bacteria, and saliva have a higher chance of spreading from your hair, mouth, eyes, and genitals to other areas.
Sleep specialist Dr. Shelby Harris advises that bed sheets should be washed at least once a week and recommends opting for natural-fiber bedding for the best results.
What if you're staying in a hotel? Should the thought of bed bugs concern you when you're, well, more exposed? According to Amy Brightfield, features director of Better Homes and Gardens, in an interview with HuffPost, "Wearing PJs doesn't make it any more or less likely that you'll pick up bed bugs."
Still, she recommended perusing hotel reviews and conducting a cleanliness inspection before settling into that king-size bed without a protective layer.