Can Two Little Words Help Improve Relationships, Self Esteem, Depression, High Blood Pressure, Overall Health, and Overall Happiness? We'll Find Out!

In my last piece, entitled Two Little Words, I ventured into an area that is known for making people blush. I delved into the importance of those two words and why those two little words have such a profound impact on our lives. I followed that up with one on the changing laws in our society and how nudity is becoming a more widely accepted practice in America's changing landscape. Today I'm going to delve into the benefits of the words Get Naked and discuss the physical, mental, and emotional health benefits from what should be America's favorite pastime.

Just a few years ago, it feels like, I was sitting in a classroom with numerous colleagues and co-workers of different ranks and degrees of experience. Our instructor, Gayle, had taught numerously updated and required refreshers on mental health for our profession and was the most popular teacher of the year. To put it mildly, she was a hoot and a half, which is great if you have to sit through another round of training that you'll never have time to master a skill from, or for the matter, a chance to utilize most of the skills. As she would go on to explain, much of the class is as much about being aware of mental health issues in America as it is about being aware of our own mental health and how important it was for our careers. She was, as it turns out, absolutely correct. In the years after the class, I got to see that first hand, but that's an entirely separate story.

If you want to bring up a subject that will turn a bunch of thirty to fifty-somethings a little red in the cheeks, bring up nudity. Why she picked me I never really knew, but she came up to me during her discussion on healthy sleep habits and asked me a question.

"Do you think your sleep habits are healthy?" Gayle would ask.

The answer was no. At the time I slept maybe two hours at a time, mostly in the mornings from eleven to one in the afternoon and then I'd sleep from seven to nine in the evening before getting ready for work again.

"Try this, if you don't already. Try sleeping naked."

Sleeping Naked Can Help Improve Sleep?

At the time of the class, I remember the thought in my head when it was suggested. It's awfully impractical. But, in further examing her claims and reading up on the subject at different times over the years since, I've come to understand the value of her belief that sleeping naked cures many of the problems we have with sleep.

Will Cole is one of the top 50 Functional Medicine Experts in the United States and has participated in studies. According to Cole, women who sleep naked allow their "lady bits" to breathe more, which is good because of the health considerations women have. Underwear that is too tight or doesn't breathe enough can lead to problems bacterial and fungal infections. After living with a couple of women and getting to know a few others I remember hearing descriptions of the effects these types of infections have on a lady's parts. It certainly did not sound like a good experience.

For men, there are also certain health considerations we need to take into consideration, and admittedly, I wouldn't have thought of this if I hadn't done some research on the subject. In a study of 500 men, it was found that men who wore tight briefs or snug boxer briefs suffered 25 percent more damage to their sperm than did men who wore boxers or slept in the nude.

A brief review of the research also aligned time spent in the nude with increased self-confidence and improved health. Scientists were left to believe that sleeping in the nude was a good way to start.

Other than the benefits of sleeping nude, being nude helps you to sleep better.

Better Sleep

Besides the obvious degrees of comfort, sleeping in clothing can lead to clothing catching on bedding, interrupting your natural movements while you sleep. Looking at the image above, one definitely looks more comfortable than the other.

When our bodies prepare to sleep our systems naturally lower our temperature to help initiate sleep. It seems that just a one to two-degree drop in temperature can make the difference between a restful, full night of sleep, and a night of restless, fit-filled sleep, that ends far too early in the morning. The better our sleep the better we function in everyday life, be it professionally or in our personal lives. Look back and remember the last time you didn't sleep or barely slept for some reason. How great of a day was that?

Another benefit of sleeping naked includes having clearer, healthier skin. Tight clothing and synthetics in fabrics stifle the skin, resulting in rashes and clogged pores. At night, when your sleeping, you can let your skin breathe freely, which helps to support its' natural ability to detox.

Get Some Sun On Those Buns

Even if you're not quite ready for the full-blown trip to a nudist colony or even the nude beaches, considering an outdoor nude activity has some benefits included with it. Have you ever seen the videos or photos of people socializing on nude beaches, splashing in the water, enjoying the life they chose? They're almost always smiling. The physical and mental health benefits are evident.

Skin Exposure to sunlight stimulates the production of nitric oxide. Nitric Oxide, if you ask any athlete or bodybuilding, has many benefits in recovery but it also helps to lower blood pressure. A stress-free day out in the sun without your clothes or cares may lead to better days when you return to the office.

Getting plenty of sunshine, soaking in those suns rays, feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin is a relaxing experience and the more skin exposed to the sun, it stands to reason, the more benefits from it if they're benefits to exposing skin to sunlight. How about depression? Well, vitamin d has a positive effect on depression in people, so cheer up a bit, get out in the yard, sunbathe somewhere, go on a naked hike. Maybe this week will look a little better and your next weekend might lead you to that club, beach, or even just that private spot in your yard where you can lay back and enjoy some sun on those buns.

Always remember to bring plenty of Coppertone, or whatever brand you prefer, because lets' face it, the sun has been proven to cause cancer if we enjoy it too much and nobody likes a dried-out piece of leather curling up to them at night.

Better Relationships

Besides the fact that being seen and accepted while naked can lead you to feel better about yourself and developing a better appreciation for the human body, the benefits are...muti-faceted. Improved relationships with your partners are not only quite possible, but as a normal rule, they all need a little tweaking from time to time.

Being with the one you love, or even just that perpetual friend with benefits that you've had for years, is something that should be fun, and if you are getting naked... The close feelings and the release of oxytocin aside, we've all been seeking skin-to-skin contact since basically the day we were born. We realize at a certain point, puberty, that the need becomes much more visceral than before and from puberty, thru adulthood, we spend an inordinate amount of time in our lives centered on finding that contact. Try spending a Saturday afternoon just lounging around, playing a board game, or just snuggled up with the one that matters to you the most and see if you don't start to fill the "bliss" of the happy hormone release overtaking you as you ride that oxytocin high all day.

Like any relationship, when things get complicated or tough, fights tend to occur. This is natural. Next time you start to get into it with your partner, you should both consider stripping down to your nothings. I'm betting it won't take long before you're struggling to remember why you were mad!

If getting naked more can lead to lower blood pressure, healthier self-esteem, decreased depression, better sleep, increased mental and physical health, and an overall happier life, then I only have one thing left to say. Do you remember those two little words? They don't seem so little anymore, do they?