Rising up, perhaps you had been advised that you just’re purported to sleep sans underwear to let your nether areas “air out” in a single day. Or maybe you’ve simply by no means been a fan of going to mattress commando. However is there a “proper” reply with regards to your well being — and does it differ by intercourse? We talked to medical doctors to seek out out.

First, know that the underwear versus no-underwear debate isn’t one which’s backed up by a lot analysis, mentioned Orange County, California, urologist Dr. Aaron Spitz.

“The subject of going commando beneath the sheets isn’t routinely mentioned in educational conferences, and a literature evaluation won’t flip up any erudite research on the subject,” Spitz, writer of “The Penis E book: A Physician’s Full Information to the Penis,” advised HuffPost.

Dr. Sherry Ross — an OB-GYN and the writer of “She-ology: The Definitive Information to Girls’s Intimate Well being. Interval.” — mentioned that it actually comes down to private alternative.

“There isn’t any proper or incorrect reply whether or not you determine to sleep with or with out underwear,” she advised HuffPost.

And whereas there’s no scholarly consensus on the matter, there are some components to take note of when deciding what’s best for you. We talked to a handful of consultants to get their take.

Should you’re somebody who has quite a lot of vaginal discharge otherwise you’re in your interval, sleeping in lingerie “could also be your best choice to stop a nighttime mess within the morning,” Ross mentioned.

These with male genitals, then again, could expertise discomfort — significantly of their testicles — in the event that they go commando “as a result of compression which will happen from their thighs or the mattress whereas they toss and switch of their sleep,” Spitz mentioned.

If that’s a problem for you, he recommends sleeping in a pair of supportive underwear to stop any uncomfortable squashing.

One other factor to contemplate: Carrying underwear to mattress means your genitals aren’t making direct contact together with your pajamas or your sheets. So you possibly can wash this stuff rather less continuously — which is a plus for those who hate doing laundry.

Sleeping in underwear may also shield the urethra, the tube that connects the bladder to the skin of the physique, from irritants or an infection, Spitz famous.

For example, “mattress sheets in resorts and mates’ homes could also be washed with detergents which will trigger irritation to the urethra of some people,” he mentioned. “Underwear, even the loose-fitting variety, will function a protecting barrier to the urethra.”

Spitz additionally warned that it’s potential for the urethra to get contaminated by micro organism on the bedding the place an individual’s naked butt has been rubbing towards the sheets.

“Since most individuals don’t change their sheets each day, it’s good to have underwear on, enjoying protection for the sheets, not just for micro organism, however for leakage of urine or nocturnal emissions of semen which will happen for some,” Spitz added.

Not each pair of underwear in your drawer is well-suited for sleep, although. You’ll wish to select an choice that’s each comfy and fabricated from breathable supplies.

“Cotton and bamboo are good selections for underwear, as they’re gentle, absorbent and breathable,” mentioned Dr. Aanand Geria, a dermatologist at Geria Dermatology in Verona, New Jersey.

For sleep, Ross mentioned she recommends full-coverage underwear over thongs as a result of a thong’s “anatomically unfriendly design makes it simpler for dangerous micro organism of the colon to seek out their manner into the vagina and bladder,” which may enhance the chance of an infection.

Should you’ve ever apprehensive that tight-fitting underwear would possibly have an effect on your fertility, a 2018 Harvard College examine discovered there could also be some profit to carrying loose-fitting boxers as an alternative of briefs that are inclined to warmth up the scrotum. (Researchers checked out males’s normal underwear-wearing habits, not particularly their in a single day undergarments.) However different analysis has prompt that alternative of underwear makes no considerable distinction on fertility outcomes.

And hopefully this goes with out saying, however for those who’re sleeping in underwear, make sure that it’s a clear pair — not the one you went for a jog in earlier or a pair you pulled from the hamper.

“Since underwear is available in shut contact with the pores and skin, it’s uncovered to sweat, oil, filth, microorganisms like micro organism or fungus, and even bodily fluids,” dermatologist Dr. Joshua Zeichner, affiliate professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York Metropolis, advised HuffPost. “Sleeping in dirty underwear can contribute to pores and skin irritations and even infections.”

Should you sweat lots in your sleep or are susceptible to sure pores and skin or genital circumstances, then it could be higher to sleeps sans underwear to maintain issues drier and extra comfy beneath the belt, Geria defined.

Carrying tight or nonbreathable underwear can entice moisture within the genital space, creating a moist surroundings the place micro organism and fungi thrive, he mentioned.

For instance. for those who’re coping with jock itch — a fungal an infection of the groin space — then going commando is likely to be a good suggestion, mentioned Zeichner, “as it could enable the world to dry out and never retain moisture that promotes overgrowth of fungus.”

And when you’ve got a historical past of vaginal infections or itching, then “you might be higher off sleeping commando to permit the pores and skin of the vulva and vagina to breathe,” Ross mentioned.

Even for those who’re not susceptible to pores and skin or genital points, chances are you’ll discover it simply feels good to sleep with out underwear, because it provides this delicate space of the physique a break from being lined by material all day lengthy. Plus, doing so can forestall bacterial buildup which will result in pimples or disagreeable odors down there, Ross mentioned.

“The sweat glands and hair follicles are susceptible to filth buildup simply as every other space of the physique with hair and sweat,” she defined.

It’s price reiterating that for those who’re sleeping with out underwear, it’s best to take into account washing your pajamas and bedding extra continuously to maintain issues hygienic.

All of that mentioned, what you put on to mattress (or don’t) finally comes right down to what feels good to you and helps you get a great evening’s sleep. If what you’re doing presently is working for you, then there’s no have to make a change. But when it’s not working, it may well’t damage to change issues up.