I started out writing today's post thinking it was going to be about what time you put your pajamas on at night. This firecracker idea came out of my mother insisting that 2:30 in the afternoon is a perfectly respectable time to start thinking about going to bed. Therefore 2:30 p.m. is probably when you should put your pajamas on.
One of my sisters, Pink Tool Belt, on the other hand will not, NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES put her pajamas on before she has eaten dinner. To her, if your life has degenerated to the point where you eat dinner in your pajamas you may as well never take them off again. In fact you may as well stop brushing your hair and saying excuse me when you burp sausage burps. You have given up on any sort of civilized life.
Coming in from the diagonal opposite corner of crazy is my sister Fish Pedicure, who would live in her pajamas if she could, but would look perfectly civilized the while doing it because ... she irons her pajamas. With an iron. As if they're a cotillion gown.
Me? I don't really have any firm beliefs when it comes to nightwear other than the fact that I wear it.
(This is where my post on "What time do you put your pajamas on?" took a turn)
You see, my pajama research led me to a rather startling statistic.
30% of North Americans SLEEP NAKED.
As in, they do not wear a thing. Zero. No underwear, no flannel, no EEK, WHAT IF THERE'S A FIRE AND I HAVE TO RUN INTO THE STREET tee shirt. Nothing.
As you might have guessed, that number is higher for men than women so they're the ones bringing the average up. I don't think anyone is surprised by the fact that more men than women sleep naked. Men would ride roller coasters naked if they thought they could get away with it. Shop for toos, get gas, chat with the neighbours? Naked , naked, naked.
One thing I don't understand is if you sleep naked how do you get ready for a night of Netflixing? Do you get cozy and comfortable in your naked? You just take off your regular clothes and be naked? What if you have food delivered or decide to start Netflixing at 4 in the afternoon? Are there bands of humans wobbling around their homes naked Netflixing all hours of the day that I don't know about?
I can't even fathom this sleeping naked thing. Not at all. It would be cold, it would be weird and I feel like I'd need to wash my sheets WAY more often than I currently do. To me, not wearing pajamas robs a person of the 3 BEST parts of their day; the moment you think about putting your pajamas on, the moment you actually put your pajamas on and the moment you lay on the couch with your pajamas on.
Having said all this, you have not yet heard the MOST disturbing thing. There are some people out there who make fun of those of us who wear pajamas. And they're just as stunned by our behaviour. My reading led me to articles written by Millennials who apparently think a 2 piece pajama set is a quaint, geezer thing. Like making your way to bed by the light of a candlestick and sleeping in a long, cone shaped nightcap.
Why do Millennials think this? Because apparently ... according to some random study I found ...
65% of Millennials sleep naked.
I suspect it's because they lack the focus to be able to pick out a pair of pajamas. But that's just the guess of a geezer.
Of course now I HAVE to know how many of you sleep naked. And also, if you do wear pajamas, what time do you put them on? Are you a Betty, thinking the earlier the better? Or a Pink Tool Belt, where wearing pajamas before dinnertime indicates you've probably spent time in prison?
Me? I favour 2 piece pajama sets in white and I generally put them on around 7:30 or 8 p.m.
Have a good weekend!
Christina Contri
I occasionally sleep naked in winter, after reading an article that said you stay warmer because your body temp heats your bed linens instead of just your pajamas. I have found that to be true. However, I always seem to have the horrible "naked" dreams while sleeping nude, so I never manage more than a night at a time.
As for when I put them on... I'm a stay-at-home mom, homeschooling an almost 6-year old. I don't take them off unless we need to leave the house.
Kath
Half naked here. I keep a very cold bedroom in a very cold apartment every month of the year. The free standing room air conditioner I have in the b.r. to augment the terrible central air system in miserable Chicago summers runs as a fan constantly even if it’s not cycling the a.c. The resulting draft creates the atmosphere I prefer, but can really do a job on my thousand year old neck and shoulders when it hits me while sleeping. And by ‘do a job’ I mean I actually wake up in a state of immobility bordering on paralysis. My solution is Bean’s long sleeved mock necks in men’s tall. They’re so long they count as dresses, and I’ve never bothered with the bottoms as p.j.pants drive me nuts when they bunch up around my knees.
Sue
I sleep naked and so does my husband. Netflix on the couch is usually just underwear, maybe a robe. Maybe undies and a t-shirt. We enjoy the no-pants life at home. We don't have kids so no worries there. We live in Alabama where it is very hot so naked with a fan year-round is how we roll. Also, I HATE HATE HATE the sensation of shirts and nightgowns riding up around my neck when I sleep.
Tammy
I’m with Sue.....
Pretty much the same here in Charleston,SC.
Arli
T shirt for me! With light-weight cotton sweatpants in the winter.
Rick Bradley
I wear a t-shirt if I'm not feeling well which fortunately is infrequent. Otherwise it's much more comfortable to sleep in the buff.
Flash
Never worn them never will. Got supper soft blanket for Netflix time. :)
judy
can someone explain Netflix to me.at 78 dropped tv and landline,subscribed to netflix,hulu,have amazon prime and lots of free utube-politics for me,music for my husband with alzheimer's-loves music. I turn on netflix and I am baffled-even trying to find something in the categories is way too time consuming. How do all of you find it so riveting? Oh and I sleep in underwear and a t shirt and no they are not pantaloons and a corset!
Ella
Jaysus, how can you sleep with all that on? Don’t you get all tangled up? And a flannel nightgown? Like to the floor? I would die!! First of all, all that flannel makes me sweat just to think about it. There are numerous studies which say sleeping nude is healthier. And you don’t get all tangled up in layers of cloth. I have sexy lingerie for well...yanno. I have loungewear for flopping on the couch to watch Netflix....but when it’s time to sleep, all that stuff comes off. In the morning the loungewear goes back on so I don’t scare the neighbours when I let the dog out. I shower before bed and I wash and iron my bed linens at least once a week so I think I have that aspect covered. Have you ever actually tried sleeping nude? You may like it....
marli
Everything you said I agree with!! :)
Lee Ann
Bingo. My exact routine also.
I get overheated in an ice cold room because I LOVE the weight of my heavy comforters. And I absolutely will not tolerate waking in the night being choked by my clothing tangling about me.
I always keep a heavy robe handy nearby just in case of a fire. Lol
Sally
Yes - exactly the same here too. I literally cannot get into bed unless I have just showered and the thought of sleeping dressed in anything at all makes me feel very claustrophobic and fighty. I’m in trouble if I ever need to go into hospital as I don’t own one piece of nightwear (I do have a dressing gown though for when we have guests).
p
no worries about needing a gown for hospital
they have semi-private gowns you have to wear :/
Melissa
Semi private in that only the back half of your private’s are exposed
Ruthann
Me too. Same routine except Bathrobe in the morning before shower in the morning.
susan
Ella, you lost all credibility with me when you said you iron your sheets. That's just wrong. I know I have an iron but I'm really not sure where it is because I haven't used it for years.
Ella
Hahaha!! I iron EVERYTHING! My sheets are either 1200 tc cotton or linen and both need to be ironed while wet because they get so wrinkled but once ironed are kitten soft. I catch up on all my PVR’d shows while ironing. It’s kind of therapeutic for me.
Lisa
Agreed..... except for ironing my sheets!
Megan
Exactly! I may or may not wash sheets every 3-4 day but never go longer than 6! I start sweating at the thought of all those clothes 🥵
I have never actually ironed my sheets though. I feel like I am a little too lazy to do something like that.
Stephanie
Completely agree here too. I do own the two-piece kind and change into them as soon as I'm home from work (so before dinner) if I'm not going anywhere that evening, but as soon as bed time hits (after shower) - everything comes off. More constricting than a Boa snake. Ugh!! I do go for flannel sheets in winter though.
Lynn Johanson
Amen sister! I try sleeping in some version of bed clothes every now and again, especially while traveling. Everything ends up all twisted and I wake up in the dark wondering where I am and why I'm so dang uncomfortable.
Really not into the ironing though, really. I'm better with a hammer.
Paula from Canada
Agree! Always a shower before bed and NAKED all seasons. I hate that feeling of being tangled up in clothing at night, plus when I started having hot flashes, at least I didn't have a layer of jammies to rip off frantically.
I have one little nightshirt for sleeping for when I'm not at home and even then, I must be NAKED underneath. If I feel I need to wear loungewear for Netflix bingeing, my pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt do just fine.
It is imperative to shower or bathe before bed, though, because otherwise, gross!
Karen
I'm starting to wonder how violently you all sleep if you're getting tangled in your clothing, lol. ~ karen!
Jenny Durling
I'm definitely in the naked sleeping camp. I do recall sleeping in Tee and panties when I was in college but not when I ditched clothes altogether. Now I can't imagine sleeping in clothes. If I'm wearing a tee because it's cold when I get into bed, I end up feeling tangled and hot and have to tear it off.
Lounge wear goes on as soon as I'm in the house for the evening. It sits on the dressers overnight and I can grab it in an instant if clothing is necessary. For those who have not tried it, I think if you do you'll never go back to sleeping in clothes again!
JuraDanni
Yep naked sleeper here also! Love it wouldn’t dream of wearing clothes to bed. It’s better for you to air out your lady bits. If I’m not going anywhere I’ll wear my pjs anytime of the day but in bed it’s definitely nakedtime!
Susan
I'm 100% with Ella. I always shower before bed. Nothing comfier than slipping between the sheets nice and warm from the shower. Haven't worn pajamas since I was a teenager. I hate being tangled and sweaty.
Jacquie Gariano
Iron your sheets???? I haven't seen that done since my Mom finely quit it when she was in her 70's.
Jani Wolfe
Never never never on sleeping naked. Sounds disgusting and gross.
I put on my nightgown after my shower at about 11pm or later and go to bed.
I agree with you, having a naked ass on the sheets would require washing sheets alot more often.
Tracy
I put my PJs on after I shower (never before)… lounge in them... and then take them off before getting in bed. (Not completely naked though - must have on undies!!) Then when I get up, I put them back on if it's a lounge-y morning, or not if I am getting ready for work! :)
As far as what - two piece. Always pants or long capri-style; never shorts.
Linn
I could of written that myself, Tracy! I toss and turn too much to be bound up by pj's!
Connie
I also seem to toss and turn too much to wear jammies. I also have hot flashes that make me soooo hot that I have to sleep with just a sheet. And here's the clinker, I'm 73 and still on the never-ending roll of too hot to sleep comfortably.
I don't give a rat's ass what anyone thinks about my sleeping naked. My life, my body, and I want comfort.
Darcy
I’m so with you on this. I even go so far as having two fans on me in the middle of the winter, no jammies and no covers much of the night.
Lynn
Totally agree with you.
TucsonPatty
T-shirt and panties at 8-9-10? Winter sees me in varying layers of t-shirts with shorts sleeves, long sleeves, sleeves cut off into a sort of tank top, and a sweatshirt. With sweatshirt bottoms and socks. I lose layers as the weather gets warmer, until only a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off and the aforementioned panties and zero socks with the hard hot summer. I have the thermostat at 59 degrees F in the winter and 79 in the summer. I put the outfit on as soon as I get home from work, which is usually late - sometimes 9 - 10 p.m. When I was a kid, I wore babydoll pjs - that sounds like something they don’t or shouldn’t call them any more. Shorty pajamas I think we also called them.
Pattie Meyers
ODG. I have l have died laughing at this one. I am a geezer who swings both ways.
A
I am always cold. always. so I wear pajamas all year. I have cotton ones for Spring, and flannel ones for Fall and Winter. i dont out them on until I am getting ready for bed, which is unfortunately at a very late hour.
Tara Marion
PJs. Tank top and pj bottom, short bottom if it’s summer.
I’m 49 and I like pajamas!
Sleeping nude feels weird. I can’t sleep!
Terry
I put my pajamas on to lounge around watching Netflix and ordering food. When I go to bed I take them off and hang them on a hook on the back of my door in case I have to go the bathroom/let the dog out/let the grandkid who always loses his key in. I think I was about 10 when I quit wearing pajamas to sleep in, I'm 61 now and too old to change my habits.
Stephanie
I don't wear two piece pj's - a dressing gown is my outfit of choice. I put one on in the morning when I get up and when I absolutely have to get dressed to go out, I change. If I don't have to go out again after I come in, it's on with the bathrobe. I understand about eating in it but I've gotten over it and the dog doesn't judge. I think if I ever answered the door in anything but a bathrobe the mailman would faint. I have enough robes that I can have a fresh one each day (and they don't require ironing).
Sylvia
I think the name ‘dressing gown’ is the geezer version of the two piece pajama!! Haven’t heard it used for years.
Jane
Of course it is a dressing gown or even a 'gooonie' (for the Scots amongst us) no self respecting Brit would call it a bathrobe!!
Sandy
That’s interesting! I always pictured it as a nightgown or more Cary Grant like robe! Wait..did Cary Grant even have a dressing gown??
SusanR
Yes, Cary Grant had a dressing gown. Of course Cary Grant had a dressing gown. Silly woman. :)
Miller Sandra
I am so with you. Since I retired I only dress to leave the house or if someone is coming over and then it depends on who it is. My grandkids have been known to ask if “grandma” ever got dressed. Nightgowns and robes for me with fluffy socks. Nightgowns with a bird print are my favorite.
Mel
My husband sleeps naked and I can’t stand it. Pajamas are cozy and lovely especially in winter. I put my pj’s on before bed unless I’m super tired or feeling fat, then it’s right after dinner. Never ever before dinner!
Michelle
Slept in old tee shirts for years. Recently decided to up my game and bought a few cute knee length nightgowns. Have never liked the two piece pajamas. Too warm for me. I change right before going to bed. I spend evenings in yoga pants and a fleece top. Slept naked when I was much younger!
Amy
I have teenage sons - it’s two piece pjs for me with a zip up hoodie if I’m cold. But I must admit that before kids I slept naked about half the time.
Carol O
Never cared for pajamas, I wear flannel nightgowns (or light cotton sleeveless gowns in the summer). However, this time of year I'll put on my nightie with jammie pants on underneath for lounging and watching TV, usually between 7-9pm, once I'm IN for the night. I'm curious as to how Pink Tool Belt got her name.
Denise
If I remember correctly she is rather handy as well with her tools and does indeed own a pink tool belt. I am sure Karen will correct me if I am wrong :)
Karen
That's right. Pink Tool Belt has a rather large workshop and indeed owns a pink suede tool belt. ~ karen!
md
Interesting; I thought 'Fish Pedicure' was the more remarkable name of the two!
Myrna
I wear Jammie pants and a tank top to sleep. But when I put my jammies on around 730 if I’m in for the night, I wear a hoodie until I go to bed. And then I put the hoodie back on when I get up. I have four teenagers. Three of them boys. They don’t need to see their momma in a tank.