An Australian study concluded that some forms of insomnia
can be provoked by improper body temperature regulation at night. Another study
showed that the regulation of in-bed body temperature could significantly help
in reaching a deeper sleep. In one study in particular, Dutch scientists placed
thermo suits on participants in order to lower their skin temperature without
affecting core body temperature.
As a result, the participants had an
uninterrupted sleep and spent more time in the deep sleep stages.
Combat
belly fat and lower cortisol levels
Natural body cooling at night can also help you lower your
cortisol levels. Cortisol, or the so-called stress hormone, is responsible for
a number of disorders, including high blood pressure and cholesterol levels,
disturbed sleep and increased appetite, hormonal imbalances, and a weak immune
system.
Between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., when your body is resting
deeply, the cortisol levels reach their minimum. After 2 a.m., the glands that
produce cortisol start working more actively in order to prepare the body for
the next day and make you feel energized when you wake up.
When you don’t get enough sleep, you wake up with abnormally
high cortisol levels, which is likely to stimulate your appetite (especially
for comfort foods, such as sweets and cakes) and enhance the tendency to
over-eat. Needless to say that this can contribute to increasing your belly
fat.
Stimulate
the release of anti-aging hormones
Keeping your body or your bedroom at a temperature higher
than 70˚F (21˚C) prevents the release of melatonin and growth hormones, which
are most vital anti-aging hormones.
Melatonin is released when you sleep in complete darkness,
which triggers a slight but significant cooling in the body. Growth hormones
are released as body temperature decreases. Moreover, a study published in the
journal “Sleep” showed that sleep itself can trigger the release of growth
hormones.
Healthy
body composition
The increased body or bedroom temperature impedes the
release of growth hormones as mentioned above, which is essential for tissue
repair and healthy body composition.
A study at the University of Warwick concluded that those
who sleep less than six hours are three times more likely to develop diabetes
and heart disease, and therefore, unwanted weight gain. Lack of sleep is
associated with the release of cortisol and hunger hormones, which cause a
corresponding insulin increase; while it is also related to less active
production of the fat-burning and appetite-controlling hormones.
Boost Oxytocin
Oxytocin is a powerful feel-good hormone (also called the
“love hormone”), which is involved in orgasm and sexual responsiveness, stress,
combating depression, reducing intestinal inflammation by improving gut
motility, and blood pressure reduction. So if you and your partner are sleeping
in your birthday suits, skin to skin touching can boost the release of
oxytocin. And of course, we can’t neglect the most obvious benefit of sleeping
naked: it can trigger sexual desire in you and your partner and thus you will
have more intimate moments together.
If these aren’t enough reasons for you to ditch the bulky
pj’s tonight then I don’t know what is..
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