Happy Healthy YOU
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Kelly Spencer - Happy Healthy YOU
(A wellness column by Kelly Spencer: writer, life coach, yoga & meditation teacher, holistic healer and a mindful life enthusiast!)
Commando.
Birthday suit.
Exposed.
Nude.
Au Natural.
Just a couple terms for being without clothes.
The exposure of the naked body is met with mixed reviews by many and as adults we often reserve nudities for hygiene, changing our clothes or sex.
When I was in Cuba, many Europeans had no issue at all with catching rays of sunshine in the raw. They seemed quite comfortable and relaxed. While it is legal to expose the women’s breast publicly in this neck of the woods, this is not witnessed as much aside from a mother breast feeding.
The comfort level for nudity is seen in various degrees with many different people. Some grew up in a "naked house" and have a higher level of comfort to sleep naked, go skinny dipping or even walk around nude, while others feel that the more clothes, the better, feeling squeamish in the flesh even by themselves and wear T-shirt, sweater, PJ pants and socks to bed.
But the naked truth is there are many health benefits to sleeping naked, being naked and reaching the point where you feel comfortable and liberated in your own skin.
Have you ever asked yourself if you like being naked, or do you avoid it at all costs?
So, let's start at the beginning. You were born in your natural state: naked. As a child, being naked was freedom. Whether it was running around before bath time or swimming naked, as a child, it was pure privilege and independence. Growing up, we may have got some mixed signals about what is appropriate or not, regarding the revealing of our skin, especially if female. There also might be unreal expectations of what the perfect man or woman’s nude body should look due to adopted belief systems, social media, magazines or entertainment. Embracing and accepting that you don’t have a body like Ryan Gosling or Kim Kardashian might be more effective if you spent some quality time with nude-you. There are significant benefits with spending time naked that brings mental, emotional and physical health, including the way it helps to overcome body image issues and helps people to relax and feel more comfortable in their own shell.
Let’s start with sleep time. If you wear the likes of a snowmobile suit to bed, perhaps you can start slow and remove one article of clothing at a time until you get down to nothing or next to nothing. If you are sleeping alone, according to Dr. Fran Walfish, a Beverly Hills family and relationship psychotherapist and author, reaping the benefits of naked sleep will likely result in better sleep, since clothes can hamper your body’s natural ability to cool itself down and achieve an ideal temperature for sleep and metabolism.
The Los Angeles Sleep Institute also states there is a link to body temperature regulation and insomnia. Sleeping naked assist to maintain a body temperature through self-regulation and allows you to sleep better. If you are not sleeping solo, skin to skin contact when you sleep with nada or minimal on with someone else releases oxytocin, a hormone that reduces blood pressure and combats stress and depression.
Self-acceptance and self-love is not always easy. Ask anyone you know and see if they are happy with themselves. Chances are they list all the flaws that they can. But its about embracing and loving ourselves. When you begin to get naked, you learn to appreciate your body and realize how beautiful you really are, flaws and all. Many of you might be cringing in fear at the thought of this nude self-love, but what better way to face your fears of body image and self-acceptance?
Being naked and getting exposure to the sun’s rays increases your body’s vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is directly related to your immune system. When you have optimal levels of vitamin D, your body’s immune system is improved, and you will be better equipped to ward off viruses, including the common cold and flu. So, go lay outside commando or with minimal clothing, on your private balcony or in your yard or even inside in a window that lets the sunshine in.
As an exposed, breathable organ, our skin needs air to breathe. Covering yourself in tight clothing can weaken your skin, because your skin reabsorbs the toxins, which come out when you sweat, says Dr. Satish Bhatia, Dermatologist. Being naked will help your skin to respire, by eliminating the toxins from your body. 2015 research led by Stanford University revealed through the study of 500 men for one year, that men that wore loose fitting boxers or slept naked had 25 per cent better fertility then those wearing tight and constraining under garments.
If you are not quite ready to streak around your home, then try just going with naked feet. Removing your socks and shoes and walking barefoot has its health benefits too. Barefoot walking or running helps in vital stimulation of our brain. Dr. Sunesara, General Physician, Mumbai says, “the stimulation, which is created in the sole of the foot encourages our brain to boost more neuron connections.”
Let’s get to the “bare” facts of this. Nudity is natural, especially in the privacy of our own homes and bed. And whether you spend more time being barefoot or decide to do the toddler-before-bath-streak through the house, the naked truth is spending more time getting comfortable with our own skin can expose greater health and happiness.
(If you would like to see an article on a specific topic, please email kelly@indigolounge.ca).