Beyond personal preference, we asked experts if there are any benefits to using a top sheet when it comes to hygiene, and how often you need to clean your sheets.<\/p>\n
“Ghosts” were one of the reasons for wearing pyjamas. Another person told us: “I fell out of bed and broke my arm real badly. I was naked at the time.”<\/p>\n
For those against wearing anything in bed, getting tangled up in clothing as they move around during the night was a top justification.<\/p>\n
While there isn’t peer-reviewed research focused on bedwear, Dr Maddison says mattress and bedding companies have conducted surveys over the years.<\/p>\n
Their findings are generally pretty close to what our Instagram followers voted.<\/p>\n
Dr Maddison says it’s really climate dependent \u2014 where people live, and what season it is \u2014 but the survey data doesn’t capture these details.<\/p>\n
“These are companies just putting surveys out, which is a nice starting point, but they haven’t asked for geo locations. They haven’t specified time of year.”<\/p>\n
Temperature and sleep in the heat<\/p>\n
Feeling too hot or cold can affect our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep, says Dr Maddison.<\/p>\n
It’s important to get it right, because sleep impacts almost every part of the human system<\/a>, and getting a good night’s rest may even be a factor in how long you live<\/a>.<\/p>\n What you wear, the ambient temperature of the room, and the type of fibre your mattress and bed linen are made of will all have an effect on your sleep.<\/p>\n If it’s hot and you lie naked on top of your bed sheets with the fan on, that will keep you cooler, says Dr Maddison.<\/p>\n “If you sweat and then you have air flow over your skin, that is a cooling mechanism.”<\/p>\n That might sound obvious, but there is evidence pyjamas can help with temperature regulation in certain conditions.<\/p>\n Sleeping naked can make you feel even hotter because it may not allow moisture to evaporate<\/a> between your body and your mattress.<\/p>\n That’s why other factors like what bedding you have, and whether you use an air conditioner or fan, come into play. You may need to trial what works best for you.<\/p>\n Leon Lack is an emeritus professor at Flinders University with a special interest in sleep.<\/p>\n He says the ideal room temperature varies between 15 degrees Celsius and 22C.<\/p>\n “If the ambient temp is 24C, you could get away with just sleeping on top of the mattress without any covering.<\/p>\n “But the main thing is to experiment. For some people that will be too chilly, and they would need at least a sheet to feel comfortable.”<\/p>\n For couples who share a bed but feel hotter or colder than one another, he recommends investing in two different bed coverings.<\/p>\n Health and hygiene factors Couples may have different needs when it comes to clothing and coverings in bed. (Pexels)<\/p>\n If you’re sleeping in the nude, you will likely need to wash your bedsheets more often<\/a>, says Dr Maddison.<\/p>\n “We do lose dead, flaky skin. There are bacteria, and if you don’t have that extra layer of pyjamas between you and your bed linen, you may need to increase the frequency [of sheet washing].”<\/p>\n If you are wearing underwear to bed, she says there is evidence to show making sure it’s not too tight and a breathable fabric is important.<\/p>\n Wearing tight synthetic clothing and underwear can make the vulval environment hot, and can cause vulval irritation,<\/a> for example.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n