We all have routines before we go to sleep, whether a seven-step Korean skincare routine or just brushing our teeth. Removing our jewellery should be another essential routine we follow every night, though people often forget or don't bother to do it.
It might not seem like a big deal, but wearing your jewellery to sleep can have plenty of negative consequences for yourself and your jewellery. Maybe you only do it once or twice when you're tired or never take your jewellery off. Either way, we're here to examine why you should take your necklaces, rings and bracelets off before bed!
Why should you always take your jewellery off before going to bed?
1. Jewellery can cause a build-up of bacteria and dirt
Think about how dirty a shirt would be if you wore it from sun up to sun down every day for weeks. If that makes your skin crawl, you'll be even more horrified to realise this is the reality when wearing jewellery. If you have a beloved pair of earrings or a ring, such as a wedding ring, you'll likely wear these for hours every day. Unsurprisingly, your jewellery can collect many bacteria, dirt and dead skin cells, with a study showing that your jewellery can have up to 428 times more bacteria than a toilet seat after only a week!
Not taking off your jewellery at night means you'll spread all of this to your bedding, causing an unhygienic place to sleep and risk causing allergies or illness. We'd recommend removing your jewellery and cleaning it regularly to avoid issues like this, alongside regularly washing your bedding for a healthy sleep.
2. It can run the risk of causing injuries
Wearing your jewellery whilst you sleep means you have a higher risk of causing injury to yourself. Necklaces can see their chains tangled in your bedding or pyjamas, which can cause them to tighten around your neck. Outside of bruising, this also has a chance to choke you, so we'd recommend not wearing any necklaces for bed.
Your ring or bracelet may have prongs, which could poke and prod at you throughout the night and cause cuts, whereas earrings could stretch or damage the holes in your ears. Alongside the risk of injuries to yourself, there's a chance your jewellery might tear your bedding or mattress, which could be very costly!
3. You could experience skin irritation
Jewellery always risks irritating your skin, as they are likely to contain traces of nickel or cobalt, a common cause of contact dermatitis. According to the NHS, contact dermatitis is a type of eczema triggered by your skin's contact with a substance that it finds irritating. This can make the skin around your jewellery inflamed, itchy or even blistered in severe cases.
Wearing jewellery for long periods can increase the risk of skin irritations, such as contact dermatitis, particularly while you sleep and sweat. Taking off your jewellery will allow your skin to breathe and heal any irritations that might have occurred.
4. It can be uncomfortable to sleep with
Sleeping with jewellery, such as rings or bracelets, can be very uncomfortable as the metals can press against your skin, particularly if you like to rest your head on your hand. You could also wake up uncomfortable with a necklace chain twisted around your neck or the backs of earrings pressing into your neck, causing sore points for the day ahead.
5. You could potentially damage your jewellery
We'd love it if our jewellery were invincible, but unfortunately, that's not the case. Sleeping with your trinkets leaves them open to damage, whether accidentally snapping a chain as you turn, bending a bracelet or even potentially losing a gemstone by getting it caught in your bedding. The best way to keep your beloved jewellery pieces in the best condition is to take them off and put them in a safe place before bed.
