Well? It's a simple enough question... Ever since I was a child I have
slept naked.
I can't remember exactly when it started: I think I was about six or seven years
old and my mother read in one of the tabloid papers that you were much less likely to
catch a cold if you slept naked. Obviously I don't remember much of the conversation
but I do remember something my father said, which I didn't understand at the time.
In the paper was a photograph of a guy and a woman in bed. I don't remember quite
how revealing the picture was, but my father said "I can see why he thinks you should
sleep naked!".
This is getting off the point: suffice to say that the number of nights I have
spent wearing clothes in bed since I was about six years old cannot be more than five.
If you ever mention this to someone, as often pops up in casual conversation(!?), their
usual reaction is "Don't you get cold?" to which I always have to say "No,
never". And I think I know why...
People's normal reaction if they are cold in bed is to wear more clothes, or thicker
clothes but I really don't think this works and here is my reasoning: I think most
people would agree that the majority of heat from the human body is generated by the trunk
(unless you happen to be an elephant!). So what happens if you put on more clothes?
You keep all that heat in, which keeps your body warm but your hand and feet get
cold. Even if you put on socks, I'm sure feet just laying in bed don't produce much
heat. Now just imagine you are naked: All the heat generated by your trunk goes to
warming up the whole bed. As long as you have a good thick duvet, or enough
blankets, that heat doesn't escape to the outside but just circulates under the covers and
warms up every part of your body including your feet!
So my advice would be that if you are cold in bed, take off some clothes and put on
more blankets... either that or find someone to keep you warm... or better still both!
And how often do I get colds? I've had about two in the last ten years.
