Engineer Reveals The Concerning Reason People Shouldn't Sleep Without Clothes On
Her theory might have you thinking twice about sleeping in the buff.
Africa images / Canva Pro An engineer has an important PSA for those who choose to go to bed naked.
After hearing her rather disgusting declarations, you may think twice about getting under the covers to sleep with no clothes on.
The engineer claims that sleeping naked could have some unpleasant consequences.
In a TikTok video that has been viewed nearly 10 million times, the engineer and mom known as @lazy_gourmet explained how we soil our sheets without even realizing it if we don’t wear undergarments while sleeping.
“When you sleep naked, you’re pooping in your bed,” she warned. “People will take showers and get all clean, take everything off, get under the covers and toot toot toot all night, and that is not just hot air coming out of your body.”
The woman claimed that flatulence releases “poop particles” that get on our bedsheets if we’re not wearing any pants or undergarments when we go to sleep.
“I love it when guys say they launder their linens once a week, but that’s six days of sleeping in their poopy sheets,” the woman said sarcastically. “I would not want to have a sleepover with anybody who says that they don’t wear pajamas or boxers to bed."
“Stop sleeping naked and pooping in your bed.”
In addition to her sleep-soiling claims, she also said it's time to stop using hand dryers in public restrooms and stick to paper towels.
Public restrooms are little Petri dishes of poop and not for the reasons you think.
Citing a 2018 study published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, she explained when we use public restrooms and flush the toilets, fecal particles get into the air and are sucked up and multiplied by the air-powered hair dryers. It was discovered that using the hand dryer for 30 seconds could produce “18 to 16 colonies of bacteria.”
Your hands could also be exposed to pathogens and spores from the use of hand dryers in public restrooms which is why she urged others to use paper towels if available.
Her theory on sleep-soiling might actually have some merit.
For those skeptical of the woman’s theory on sleeping naked and involuntarily soiling the sheets, it's an actual condition known as nocturnal stool incontinence and is not as uncommon as you might think.
During an episode of the podcast, “The Not Crazy Podcast," award-winning writer and speaker, Gabe Howard, and health patient advocate, Jackie Zimmerman, elaborated on incontinence while sleeping, and that it can be a side-effect of some psychiatric medications.
“The first thing to do, well, not the exact first thing, but maybe after you do some other things, is probably to call your doctor. And that’s important for a couple of reasons,” Zimmerman said. “One, to report to your doctor that this happened and put it in your file. So if it keeps happening, maybe you need to reassess your medication. The other reason is because this kind of event is so underreported. It does not become known as a side effect of medications because we don’t want to talk about it.”
“It’s also important to bring it up to your psychiatric service providers because it might not have anything to do with your medication. It might not have anything to do with your mental health. It might not have anything to do with your mental illness. It could just be bad luck,” Howard added.
Photo: sitthiphong / Canva Pro
“People do get sick. People do get diarrhea. You decide to eat at that sketchy joint that just opened and you’re like, hey, the prices are good. You get steak for $5.99. And it made you sick.”
However, even if you are not sick, struggling with any mental health conditions, or taking medications, you can still accidentally soil your sheets while sleeping.
Although, the idea that you should not sleep naked is not backed up by much research.
“The topic of going commando under the sheets is not routinely discussed in academic conferences, and a literature review will not turn up any erudite studies on the topic,” Urologist Aaron Spitz told HuffPost.
Women, in particular, may want to wear undergarments when they go to bed for a variety of reasons.
“If you’re someone who has a lot of vaginal discharge or you’re on your period, sleeping in undies may be your best option to prevent a nighttime mess in the morning,” OB-GYN Dr. Sherry Ross explained to HuffPost.
Photo: EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA / Canva Pro
Spitz shared that even some males may experience discomfort from sleeping without underwear, and may want to throw on a pair of boxers before they go to sleep.
Whether to sleep with pajama pants or underwear on is a matter of personal preference and comfort. Some people feel more comfortable sleeping in pajama pants as they provide warmth and coverage, while others prefer sleeping in underwear for a lighter and more breathable feel.
There is no right or wrong answer, and individuals should choose whatever option feels most comfortable and conducive to a good night's sleep.
However, if you are going commando, you may want to wash your sheets more frequently than you would if you were wearing bottoms, just in case the rumored “poop particles” the woman discussed may be true.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.