Getting Naked to Fight Depression

1992. I’m running. Up West 10th, past Safeway, past the Starbucks. I’m running like an exploding jack in the box.  I turn a corner, running, past that craggy maple tree, past the fire hall. I’m running NAKED. I am NAKED. I’m not taking my medication. Seriously. No that’s not a joke – well it is and it isn’t (Victoria Maxwell)

Naked means Healthy

Per the latest experts’ studies, confirming the old theoretical assumptions, spending more of our day naked can improve the health and appearance of our skin, encourage our bodies to burn more fat, and help us help us feel more confident and at peace with ourselves.

Wearing restrictive clothing can cause excessive sweating which may lead to inflammation of the skin follicles, rashes and breakouts. Going bare gives your skin a chance to breathe.

Ditching the layers helps your body eliminate sweat toxins and improve blood circulation.

Pediatricians agree that infants thrive with a daily dose of “naked time” because the unhampered range of motion aids brain development, stimulating neuron growth. Recent discoveries reveal that the “plastic” brain changes and develops throughout our entire lives. Neuroplasticity pioneer Michael M. Merzenich believes, “Everything that you can see happen in a young brain can happen in an older brain.” Doesn’t this imply that “naked time” is equally valuable for humans of any age, especially the elderly?

Getting naked while going to bed is even more beneficent. Studies have shown that going to bed with no clothes on can help you sleep better as your body finds it easier to lower your temperature (which helps you fall asleep and stops you waking up in the night). This lower temperature is also thought to increase your levels of brown fat. Brown fat is what the body burns to keep us mammals warm. It fires up the metabolism and burns calories so having more of it is a good thing.



The obvious advantage to your health is also getting out to feel the Sun in nothing but your birthday suit in order to soak up that much-needed vitamin D. Though you can take supplements, vitamin D is better absorbed by our bodies from the sun's rays. If you can get your skin exposed to it for 10-15 minutes a day you're laughing (literally, the humble vitamin helps fight depression).

Another benefit, which is especially true for women. Sexual organs on women especially are breeding grounds for bacteria. Certain types of those bacteria are good for the health, but others lead to conditions like yeast infections. Wearing underwear or pajama bottoms to bed and the clothes during the day time will constrict the amount of air reaching the lady bits. Thus, the bacteria can proliferate, exacerbated by sweat. For men, spending time in clothes can lead to more problems with jock itch.

When you spend some time of your day nude, you are allowing more air to get to your private parts. This allows them to stay dry and stops bacteria from proliferating.



And finally, the mental and emotional benefits of nudity are manifold. Dr Jenn Mann, creator of the No More Diets app believes that modern humans are very disconnected from their bodies. And getting naked can help us reconnect. She said: "Being in the nude reduces shame. You can work on self-acceptance and that can be very healing."

Self-actualization proponent Abraham Maslow believed “Nudism… is itself a kind of therapy.” Health benefits of social nudity include stress reduction, satiation of curiosity about the human body, reduction of porn addiction, a sense of full-body integration and developing a wholesome attitude about the opposite gender. Research at the University of Northern Iowa discovered that nudists have significantly higher body self-acceptance. Another study concluded that teens at a New York nudist camp were “extraordinarily well-adjusted, happy, and thoughtful.” It’s also excellent for children to grow up free of shame about the human body.

Also, being comfortable in your body is inevitably transferred into confidence. Confidence doesn’t just feel good; it’s the pillar of success. It pushes you to try new things, take on challenges, and persevere in the face of adversity. A University of Melbourne study found that confident people earn higher wages and get promoted more often than their less confident counterparts. Getting naked makes you more comfortable in your own skin. As your comfort with your body increases, so does your self-esteem and confidence.

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