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.
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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!
Patty
I have slept naked since I left my parents home at 18 years old. Year round I am always to warm. I Did wear a very large t-shirt to bed while my son was growing up. Once he was grown and out of the house, I was like, Yippppie! No more t-shirt!. Pajamas are to hot and bunch up all around me, night gowns do too. I can't stand that!. I live in nightgowns all the time, unless i need to go out. I dont think its a millennial thing, because im older than dirt 😊🌸
Bev out west
PJs by 10 pm. With wool touque, wool socks. It is damp cold out west.
Susan
I wore an oversized t-shirt to bed in my youth. When menopause hit I sleep naked for faster cooling for night sweats. Now it is tank top and boxers in the summer and flannel pjs in the winter. They go on before bed but come off whenever. Am very pragmatic and have very little closet or drawer space, missed the naked years but not the night sweats.
Linda
Ok, I'm gonna get myself an official pair of pj's, including a matching robe, and a new nightgown. After reading most of these posts, and then taking a look at my getup in the mirror (an oollldd sleeveless nylon summer type gown that someone handed down to me, bottoms to a matched thermal underwear set, socks with guitars all over them and flip-flops) . . . I could at least look a little less bag lady street-wear. I mean I can avoid the mirror and I absolutely don't go outside looking like this, but my husband has to see me looking like this. And I sometimes wonder to myself . . . wonder if he still finds me attractive (??), wonder why he doesn't "hit" on me like he used to (??) . . . so thanks to reading in here I did a reality look and am gonna do some diy projects on myself!
Edith
I can’t imagine wearing your kind of pajamas to bed. That’s almost like wearing a tuxedo. Buttons!? Cuffs!? Collar?! And what’s that silly pocket for?
Nah, in this southern household hubby sleeps nekkid and momma wears short cotton sleep shirts. Purrrrfect comfort.
Karen
See, now a sleep shirt or nightgown I definitely cannot imagine! I can remember sleeping in a nightgown as a kid and having it somewhere up over my head by the time I woke up, lol. ~ karen!
gillianne
Similar here: husband's a birthday suit guy; I favor cotton nightshirts that feel like oversized Ts (no buttons! no collars! and no sly pants legs waiting to twist like a cobra around my legs!).
Roomy drawstring pants and Ts or sweats for lounging. After dinner, sometimes nightshirt topped with cotton yukata in summer or heavy waffle-weave robe in winter--all ancient, faded, and beloved.
I'm loving the humor in these replies. A whole lotta chuckles for a drippy day.
Karissa
I change into comfy pants (sweats, leggings, yoga pants) and either a t-shirt or sweatshirt when I get home for the day and know I'm not leaving again. But I can't sleep in all of that - I get tangled up and hot. Strip down to undies right before bed and put the comfies back on in the morning to let the dog out. I'm with you on sleeping totally naked though, something about that is off-putting to me.
kara
"Comfy pants" are what we have too. Sweats or loose lounging pants, usually with a tank top or a t-shirt. It's not elegant at all, but so comfortable.
When we get into bed, the pants come off. About half the time I sleep in the tshirt and undies. But if, you know, adult activity occurs, I don't generally put my clothes back on. I just sleep naked.
marli
Anyone who thinks that sleeping nude is gross, disgusting, or dirty, needs to shower more. Dang, naked sleeping isn't any more dirty than sleeping in the same set of pjs all week.
I'm a naked sleeper who once slept in what hubby called "Laura Ingalls" nightgowns (flannel, floor length, long sleeved). Now I can't even imagine sleeping in something like that. Too twisted up!
When my kids were young I'd have a bathrobe or night shirt on my bedpost so as to be able to throw on something quick when they hollered. Now they are grown and gone, so I don't bother. If I walk through my house naked and you see me through the window, who is really to blame there? Haha. Peeker!
Hubby and I both have what we call Clown Pants (sweats or pj pants) for lounging. I have a great set of PJs with Grumpy (the dwarf) on them, which are obviously called my Grumpy Pants. And in the summer I have night shirts and shorts. All of those are worn before bed, but not in bed.
In May I travel to a music festival with my adult kids and their respective others and we all share a hotel room. I DO sleep with my night shirt on then. Because my kids don't need to see Mom boobs. Too weird. Though I've threatened to show my stuff at the concerts. ;) They know I'm kidding, but the respective others don't always. Gotta love those shocked faces!!
I'm 50. Oh wait, it's after midnight and it's my birthday, so I'm 51 now. Naked geezers unite! And now I'm off to bed. Naked, of course!
:)
Darla
I agree with everything...I would just add that the bra comes off when I hit the door; even if I have to put it back on again to go out to dinner. My birthday was yesterday...so we are almost birthday buddies. I just turned 54. My kids always thought I was weird sleeping in the nude, but I think they are beginning to agree now that they are grown.
Karen
It's more that your skin and oils are sloughing off on the sheets than dirt. Also there's no barrier between the dust mites and your skin. Gak. ~ karen!
Carrie
OMG Karen!!!
Don't say dust mites are in my bed. I'll never sleep again!!!! Bad enough i check the room for spiders before I jump in naked......(darn hot flashes!)
I'm traumatized.😕
Jennifer
Happy birthday, Marli! It’s my birthday too, but I’m 7 years beyond you.
Deborah
Sleeping in the buff is wonderful on crisp cotton sheets!
Because the sheets tend to be cold, I use an electric blanket to warm up my bed so it is nice and warm when I slip into it. I love the feel of clean sheets, so I change mine a couple of times a week and line dry them outside in the Summer.
I have a lovely collection of robes for lounging in after dinner, and to put on when I wake up in the morning. Which ever robe I take off at night is left hanging on the bedroom door ready when needed.
When traveling or a house guest, I wear an over-sized t-shirt though I don't like how it gets twisted when I flip sides. Much, much prefer in the buff, but only at home!!
Letty L Regan
Currently I Netflix in sweats and only put on jammies (tank top and jammie bottoms) when I'm going to bed. I used to sleep naked when I was married, I prefer jammies. I think millennials are too broke for jammies, or top sheets.
Katie
Millennial heathens also tend to not use a flat sheet. FITTED SHEET, NAKED BODY, DUVET. I personally hate changing my duvet cover, so use a fitted sheet AND wear pjs...which I put on when I get home from work and wear to a ridiculous hour on the weekends.
Kristin Conley
Is that the problem?
I was wondering why at my vacation rentals that I had a problem getting them to sleep under the top sheet! What is up with that?
I always wash the duvet cover too as it is 100% cotton, but the sheets are 500+ count and the Duvet is 300 at best!
Ella
I’d be ripping off that flat sheet too! The whole point of a duvet is that you are not supposed to use a flat sheet with it in order to permit free movement in your sleep. That’s why they are removable. You wash the cover when you wash the sheets. Using a flat sheet with a duvet defeats the purpose. I don’t understand this need to be swaddled LOL
Alena
I am not a millennial and I don't use top sheet. Never have, never will. I don't understand the need for it. There are entire countries where top sheet is an unknown phenomenon (I grew up in one of those).
Karen
I shall shed some light. The top sheet acts as ... a sheet, lol! If you're too hot in the night under a duvet, you kick it off, but still have a sheet to keep yourself covered from the cold a bit. Kind of like wearing a sweater with a teeshirt underneath in the spring or fall. When you get warm, you take your sweater off and just wear the tee shirt underneath. ~ karen!
Elizabeth
Totally agree with this. Top sheet serves a very important purpose.
Rose
I'm with you all the way. Must have a top sheet, don't even own a duvet! I wear a tank top and boxer shorts, and only cover up with the top sheet, pretty much year round. Sleeping naked would make me feel I have to change my sheets daily. Yuck!
Claudia A Luiz
WHY ARE SO MANY IF US UP AT 12:30?
We should be in bed in our flannel.
Karen
Hahaha!! ~ karen!
Robin
Never wore pjs since I was old enuff to say Oh h*** no ! As far as unclean bedsheets.....nooooo....I takes my shower Before going to bed therefore no dirty sheets on My Bed. In the winter I have soft cozy flannel bedsheets....ahhhhh.....you has no idea of the feeling your CLEAN nagged skin gets from these soft, immediately cosy sheets !! Heavenly !
BeeNaz
I think I'm the outlier here but I wake up in the morning and put on my jammies because well, I work from home now so I can! Eventually when I have my shower I put on fresh, clean jammies and continue on with my day (work, cook, cuddle the cat, Netflixing etc.) whatever I'm doing at home, it's in my jammy-jams. At night when I crawl into bed? Jammies come off and it's down to undies and voila, now you know! 😂
Weekends are quite the same if I'm not leaving the house and to be honest, even when I was working I'd get home about 6-ish and change into jammies as well.
Sue
I echo Tucson Patty in choice of sleep attire and I'm close on the thermostat settings...it's a couple of degrees higher here. Still cool enough here that when I saw your photo of BARE FEET on your couch, my first though was "she must keep her house really warm." Wool socks for me.
Linda
I had the exact same thought when I saw the bare feet in January!
Patricia
No pajama sets. No fancy gauzy nightgowns and robes. I’m 66, so no millennial. If it’s hot, it’s a sports bra and boxers. If it’s cold, I may go to a cotton night shirt with cute kitties or a rude statement.
Nightwear goes on 2 minutes before I crawl into bed.
Tara
Naked sleeper long ago when it was just me and the hubs. Kids and a bum thyroid changed that. Always cold so fleece bottoms and a long sleeve thermal top year round. Many nights I add a tuque. Sexy, I know.
John
I'm a hot sleeper (and millennial), so have pretty much slept naked for as long as I've been aware of the choice. It's healthier for you as it prevents an interruption of your thermoregulation process.
If relaxing (Netflixing), I have a 'chill' outfit that I wear, usually a t-shirt with lounge shorts, that drop once in the bedroom. And hey, if theres a fire and i have to run out naked, all the more motivation to keep going to the gym :P
Cathy Reeves
I have both formal PJs and my go-to oversized shirt/PJ bottoms. I’ve found that material matters and 100%cotton is the best. But I’m cheap and the sets are generally pricey. So I’ll buy a L or XL t-shirt from Kohl’s ( I hate tight PJs too and my shoulders must be covered even in summer) and pair that with cotton sheeting type of pants. For summer I go shorter in sleeves/leg length. In fact I’m thinking of making my own bottoms from sheets from a double bed I no longer own. Lightweight flannel for winter feels delicious.
As for what time, that’s a fluid whenever-I-feel-like-it kind of thing.
Gael
Naked. Don’t get my naked on until bedtime. Clean sheets every week. Have pj bottoms and t-hurts for travel/visiting family.
Hazel
Same here. Don't even own a pair of pj's. Use long tshirt if visiting...try not to visit!! Am 71, have slept this way for well over 50 years, very unlikely will change now. Have lots of housecoats/bathrobes/dressing gowns/whatever.
Jenn B
I probably wear pajamas one night in ten; the determining factors are outside air temperature, ( summer rarely sees pajamas unless camping), level of happiness with spouse ( obv) and if there is any cold, flu or other “health” reason to do so. I am far past Millennial age, but perhaps there’s hope for civilization yet! And if I wear pajamas they go on right before I slide into bed around 9:30. No naked in the house though - ewwww