Expert Shares Why You Shouldn’t Sleep Naked In A Heatwave

With the weather finally realising it's supposed to be summer, there's the inevitable drawback of it being a bit too warm to sleep - but if you think stripping off might be the best way to beat the heat, then think again because experts actually warn against it.

Yep, while it seems to make sense to sleep in the nude to keep yourself cool, it could really have the opposite effect of making you more hot and bothered.

Julius Patrick, lead sleep physiologist at Bupa's Cromwell Hospital told Cosmopolitan: "When you sleep naked, sweat actually collects on the body and then remains there.

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"However hot it is when you drift off, remember your body temperature will drop during the night.

"If you're wearing light clothes to sleep in, it soaks up any sweat you have, which can cool you down."

Well, that sounds fairly sensible to me.

Fellow expert Dr Guy Leschznier, a sleep physician and neurologist, agrees that wearing light clothes could be the way forward.

Dr Leschziner told Radio 4's Today: "People may be better off sleeping in clothing rather than sleeping naked.

"If you're wearing a natural fabric like cotton it acts as a wick for your sweat and it can increase the surface area for the sweat to evaporate, thus may make you feel much cooler."

Sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley also backs wearing PJs - but only if they're made of natural fibres such as cotton.

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He told The Daily Mail: "The pyjama fabric draws sweat away from your body and will make you feel a lot cooler and more comfortable."

And there are other things you can do to try and keep cooler before you head off to the land of nod, such as taking a cool bath or shower; keeping curtains or blinds closed all day to keep the sun out; chilling your sheets and pillows in the fridge or freezer, or even trying to have a kip downstairs where it's likely to be cooler as heat rises.

But one of the most important things, according to Professor Jim Horne, of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, is to not stress about it.

He told the Mail: "Try to leave your worries outside the bedroom and certainly don't start fretting about whether you can get to sleep."

So there you go - sweet dreams, guys.

Topics: UK News, Interesting

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19