There's a compelling (and gross) reason you should start sleeping nude.

Do you wear knickers to bed?

I don’t. I’m a bit of a nudist, if I’m honest. If I don’t have to be wearing underwear, I won’t. It is with great passion and enthusiasm that I fling my bra off at the end of the day, or make myself a morning coffee in the buff when my flatmate isn’t home (sorry, Sophie).

But what I do know if that there are many women out there who swear by wearing undies to bed, and sometimes their bras, too.

So what are the health benefits or implications of keeping our bottoms all nestled up in knickers overnight, as opposed to letting them ride wild and free?

#freethebottom

According to research from from US publication Live Science, there are both major pros and cons to wearing underwear to bed. They interviewed a panel of underwear/bottom specialists (aka. gynaecologists and urologists) to get the low down… on down there.

“Most women can sleep with their underwear on and not risk encountering any health problems,” Dr. Alyssa Dweck, an obstetrician and gynaecologist in Mount Kisco, New York, told the publication.

“But there is one group of women who may benefit from not wearing underwear to bed and from aerating their bottom at night.”

(Aerating their bottom?! *Giggles*)

Those women would be ones suffering from chronic vulvitis, which is an inflammation of the folds of skin outside the vagina; or chronic vaginitis, an inflammation of the vagina.

If you are suffering from either of these things, then you'll be prone to yeast infections, itchiness, redness, and general discomfort.

For you, ladies, it's a no-knicker situation.

Bacteria breeds in dark and moist situations (yes, sorry, we know, gross etc) which is basically what's going on during the day in your nether regions. Opting for loose pyjama pants or going completely nude at night gives your vagina time to breathe.

Pants or no pants, here is some glorious bed inspo. (Post continues after gallery...)

And as for men, it makes no difference. I mean, to the person they're sharing a bed with it might, but as far as their, errr, man bits go, it means nada.

"For men, there is no health benefit, nor is there any harm, from going commando to bed," says Dr. Michael Eisenberg, a urologist and the director of male reproductive medicine and surgery at Stanford University Medical Centerin Palo Alto, California.

Similarly, it doesn't matter if men are wearing boxers or briefs - so all of that stuff your mum told you about tight underwear killing off sperm is not true. Sorry Mum.

"(Dr Eisenberg) recently worked on a study... that looked at whether the type of underwear men wore — or its absence — had any effect on a couple's ability to conceive a baby during a 12-month period," reported Live Science.

"The researchers asked about 500 men about their underwear choices during the day and at night. Results showed it didn't make much difference for conception outcomes what men wore at night (boxers, briefs or nothing at all)," Eisenberg said.

So there you go, folks. Take a leaf out of Marilyn Monroe's book, who only wore a dab of Chanel No. 5 to bed.

Or maybe Lady Victoria Hervey, who wore this crazy lovely outfit to a LA party last week.

Okay, then.