Is it Normal to Wear the Same Underwear for Longer Than a Day?

Just learned that my boyfriend goes for days without changing his underwear and Im horrified, the post reads . Is this a normal dude thing?

Many guys replied that they change their undies every time they shower, which is usually every day (excluding camping trips or the occasional hangover day), with one guy commenting: If I dont change my boxers its usually depression.

men dont change sis... hes been wearing the same pair of underwear for four days - absolute fiend (@shau3n) February 3, 2019

While a daily shower and change seems to be the norm for these guys, at least one in five men arent doing that. In May 2015, sociology research by the University at Maryland found that 28 percent of men believed that wearing the same underwear two days in a row was completely fine. And who among us hasnt had a lazy Sunday where we lounge around in our pajamas or whatever we were wearing the day before?

But as one Reddit commenter put it, there is an all-important caveat: Going a few days without a shower is fine. Taking a shower and then putting your dirty underwear back on is deviant.

More than that, its also bad for your health. Everybodys underwear contains traces of bacteria and fecal matter, which can cause a pretty bad smell. Not to mention the build-up of sweat and dead skin cells, which in combination with chafing and overgrowth of yeast can irritate the skin, leading to itching, unpleasant rashes, and even fungal conditions like a staph infection or tinea cruris, commonly known as jock itch . This applies doubly if youre the sweaty, active type.

Statistically married men change their underwear twice as often as single men. Not by choice. - Jim McCue (@JimMcCue) February 6, 2019

And if you sleep in your smalls, youre even more susceptible to itchy skin conditions. Responding to a study on the

health risks of unwashed sleepwear

, professor Sally Bloomfield from the London School of Hygiene said: You shed skin cells at a vast rate all the time. They are full of microorganisms. We all have skin and gut organisms that are usually not harmful on our skin and in our gut. But if they get into the wrong place, they can cause problems.

In brief, fresh boxers are best. As one writer put it in a story for Tonic , Don't use the sniff test as an excuse. Saving your private parts from bacteria overgrowth is better than saving some water doing laundry.

And really, is there any better feeling than putting on clean underwear first thing in the morning?