Should you wear underwear to bed?

When it’s time to go to sleep, everyone has their own preferences for how to stay comfy. Some guys sleep in robes, some wear pajama shirts and pajama bottoms, some wear just a shirt or just pajama pants, and some sleep either in the nude or just in their underwear. Which brings us to the meat of this blog post, the age-old question:

Should you wear underwear to bed?

Let’s talk about the benefits of sleeping commando.

Wearing underwear to bed can leave you feeling gross in the morning. That extra layer of fabric can hold onto moisture, like sweat, which can lead to the formation of bacteria and yeast. It’s good to let things breathe, and the only way you can really do that is either to wear super-loose garments or to just let it all hang out. This is especially true if you live in a hot, humid climate like the South. (BTW, did you know that our distribution center is in Atlanta? This is an issue that hits close to home for us.)

If you’re prone to wearing literal “tighty-whities” to bed, you may want to stop that. Wearing tight underwear to bed has actually been proven to mess with your fertility by reducing the quality of sperm due to excessive squeezing and overheating. Not only that, but too-tight underwear can cut off your circulation and make you uncomfortable, which leads to poor quality sleep. If you frequently wake up and find lines on your skin from your underwear, you may want to go commando or wear something looser to bed.

As you can see, there are some very valid reasons to not wear underwear to bed. That being said, there are also some benefits to wearing underwear to bed, which makes this a truly complex and nuanced issue.

As long as it’s not so tight it’s crushing your junk, wearing comfortable, well-fitting underwear to bed gives you privacy. Sleeping in your underwear ensures that you’re never fully exposed, which some guys find comforting. If you need to get up in the middle of the night, especially if you live with other people, you don’t want to have to put underwear on just to do that. If you have roommates or live with your parents, sleeping with underwear on just makes sense.

Plus, a lot of people feel exposed when they’re not covered in some way. As we said above, the key to getting good quality sleep is to make sure that you’re comfortable. If you’re comfortable sleeping in the nude, keep doing that. If you’re comfortable when you’re covered, just make sure you’re wearing light, comfortable underwear and loungewear to bed.

Wearing underwear to bed can also keep your pajamas, and your sheets, clean for longer periods of time. After all, underwear forms a layer between your body and whatever else you’re wearing. Think of underwear like a protective shield that keeps the fluids your body leaks naturally from escaping onto other surfaces and materials. You should still wash or change your sheets about once a week, though! Think of it as a self care ritual.

Best men’s underwear for sleeping.

Whether or not you want to sleep in underwear is a personal choice, but if you do choose to stay covered, you gotta do it with the right materials and the right styles. Choose fabrics that are soft, light, and breathable, and choose styles that aren’t going to restrict your motion or dig into your skin. If you’re looking for the best underwear for men to sleep in, you’re in the right place. Leo has a wide range of choices for staying covered, comfortable, and healthy all night long.

If you’re a fan of briefs, consider our Ultra-light brief with ergonomic pouch to sleep in. It’s made of our specialty FitTech fabric that’s extremely light and breathable. You can feel it when you take it out of the package – the weave is specially designed to allow optimal airflow because it’s porous.

If you’re a boxer briefs guy, you’ll be glad to know that we used that same ultra-breathable FitTech material to make our Ultra-light boxer brief with ergonomic pouch. This style covers down to mid-thigh and although it’s fitted, it’s not too tight. If you don’t like the feeling of your thighs rubbing together while you sleep, this style was made for you.

If you’re looking for the best of both worlds, we also have a trunk that’s extra breathable, made using the same ultra-light fabric technology and with the same ergonomic pouch, but only covering the top of the thighs. No matter which style speaks to you, it’s important to choose underwear that’s breathable for sleeping, and we’ve got you covered (literally) in that respect.

In conclusion: Should you wear underwear to sleep? The choice is yours. But if you do choose to wear underwear to sleep, choose underwear made for sleeping in.