Should you wear underwear to bed?

by CARI NIERENBERG

PHOTO/Photographee.eu/Shutterstock.com

Some people like to wear pajamas to bed, while others go for shorts and a T-shirt. Still others prefer to sleep in nothing at all.

For those who choose to wear something, there is yet another decision to be made before bedtime: Should you keep your underwear on or not?

Live Science recently posed this question to a few medical experts to find out whether there are any health-related reasons for men and women to choose for or against underwear in bed. Here is what the experts said.

 

In general, a woman’s bottom and genital region don’t need to be totally in the buff while she sleeps, said Dr. Alyssa Dweck, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Mount Kisco, New York, and a clinical assistant professor of OB/GYN at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. Most women can sleep with their underwear on and not risk encountering any health problems, she told Live Science. [5 Myths About Women’s Bodies]

But there is one group of women who may benefit from not wearing underwear to bed and from aerating their bottom at night: Women who suffer from chronic vulvitis (an inflammation of the folds of skin outside the vagina) or chronic vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina), Dweck said. These women are prone to vaginal yeast infections, itchiness and irritation, and are likely better off if they sleep without underpants, she said.

The reason Dweck recommends being bare-bottomed at night is because yeast and bacteria can thrive and proliferate in dark, moist and warm places, she said. When a woman’s private parts are covered up all day by confining clothing and nonbreathable fabrics, including sweaty workout clothes or sanitary pads, it can cause vaginal irritation and moisture to collect in this area, providing a perfect breeding ground for yeast or bacterial infections, Dweck said.

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