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!
There is nothing better than changing into my pajamas (that are very similar to your photo) and every evening between 7 and 10pm depending on the time of year, but usually after I’ve eaten dinner since I tend to get lazy once I’m wearing them so the dinner dishes would’nt get cleaned up. I wouldnt even think of sleeping in the nude- totally disgusting ..and cold!
Over here in the tropical island of Sri Lanka, it is usually too hot for PJs. I sleep in the rattiest oldest comfiest shorts and tanks I own. And right before bed too. I shower and put on my night things on and I am completely and utterly done for the day/night. Can’t sleep naked (have tried to) because even the softest sheets feel like sand to my skin. Can’t do nightdresses because they always roll up. ugh. I have a collection of robes and old shirts I put on the first thing in the morning because it is a bit chilly and also because I am weirdly modest even in my own house. How did this topic become so interesting? *confused emoji*
This post has taken on a life of its own, lol. ~ karen!
I wear a tee shirt to bed plus socks in winter, no socks in summer. As our summers are hellishly hot and humid, I’ll often end up ditching the tee, but not the panties. Tee shirt goes on after my bath, which I take right before going to bed.
In my 30s I had a flirtation with 2-piece silk PJs. Loved the look and feel, but too much fabric to sleep in.
Hi Karen
A roommate taught me that it’s perfectly acceptable to change into “lounge wear” as soon as you get home. She was a teacher so she was home at 4pm. The”lounge wear” consisted of flannel pajama pants and button up shirts. It made us feel much more classy, like we were eating canapés and drinking champagne instead of cheap wine and microwave popcorn. We each had many pairs. We would then change into our sleeping ones to go to bed.
These days I change into a sleep shirt and robe when my kids get theirs on. 7:30pm.
It’s bedtime somewhere!
Christine in BC
I put on pjs when I go to bed. Two piece and fuzzy in winter, lightweight short gowns in summer. My husband sleeps aux natureal. I feel uncomfortable to not have pajamas of some sort, I need that layer of something to maintain even body heat I guess. My husband is always far hotter temp wise so I can see why he doesn’t want them.
Soooo, I am not a millennial.
I don’t wear PJ’s unless we are going away with friends.
My dressing gown is always on the end of my bed in case of fire etc. (though I guess I would still be naked under that…………..)
Have always seldom worn PJ’s but when I went through menopause I ditched them alltogether.
I must say though that I do love beautiful PJ’s but what’s the point? I have two sets for going away and find pants and tops much more acceptable than a nightie if you are away with a lot of people!
As I work in a coporate environment and tend to potter around at home when I get home, I do have shorts/track pants and t-shirts that I will change into when I get home but they get ditched before I go to bed.
I wear leggings and a t-shirt, as I hate the way jammie legs ride up (same for nighties, the way they end up round your waist). I don’t wear nightwear in case there is a fire, as the sight of me in leggings is perhaps worse then me naked. I wear nightwear because I live in perpetual winter and, so, it is too cold to go without.
Jammies usually don’t go on until I’m ready for bed, unless I have an evening bath, which isn’t often. I live in the Scottish Highlands and people come to your door more often than when I lived in the city. For that reason, and having been caught once too often looking like a dishevelled mess, I shower and change fairly quickly in the morning.
I have a growing collection of 1950s and 60s slips that I wear to bed, have done for 20+ years. The boyfriend loves them and they don’t get tangled up during the night. I get changed right before bed.
Great idea!
😊For all the folks out there that haven’t slept naked, you are missing total freedom‼️ It’s similar to skinny dipping ~ WOW truly amazing feeling of freedom‼️ Try it ~ you might really like it😊 I turned 70 last year, loving life & sleeping in the buff‼️😂
I laughed as I read this since I had just woke up to use the bathroom and am naked. I always used to wear baby doll pajamas or long T-shirts until menopause. Night sweats just about killed me so that’s when I started the naked phase. Tried to go back to pjs but they twist and bunch up so now it’s naked forever! I always keep a robe handy and have short little T-shirt style dresses to wear around the house at other times. Normally that goes on as soon as I get home from work, between 6-7.
Just underwear. I used to wear underwear and a t-shirt but I hated when the shirt would get bunched up. So I figured if hubby gets to sleep in just his undies, so do I!
I sleep naked every night in my cold bedroom (not my husband though. I guess we buck tends here.) Pajamas bunching and twisting are in the past. Same with nightgowns. Ick. I wash my sheets weekly regardless. If I am freezing cold, socks only (and usually pink) resolves that. Gotta say, my husband loves this.
Always naked since my teens. A shower before bed so the sheets are clean.
It’s probably the only place you can be naked and not worry about what anyone else thinks.
Pajama pants and a tank top for me at about 8 pm for Netflix or tv. They come off to go to bed but stay on a chair by the bed in case of mid-sleep emergency. Haven’t slept in pjs in 45 years. My mom didn’t either and said that your skin should have some time to “breathe.”
I love PJ’s, and have many sets in weather appropriate materials, which I put on immediately after my nightly bubble bath (around 9) to watch tv and unwind. I put them on again when I wake up in the morning. I have a robe hanging close by for middle of the night excursions, but I sleep naked and have since I was in college, 30 odd years ago.
My crazy sister acually sleeps in her bra and underwear. She thinks the bra is keeping her perky and she says the underwear is so things don’t crawl up there in the night. 🙄
That made me laugh out loud! 😂
That made me laugh out loud too!
Glenda—YEEESSSSSS!! Vintage slips and nightgowns are the best! The vintage nylon is incredibly comfy and you look sexy and glamorous. Feels like being naked (which I used to do and still do in hotels when I forget to pack a gown) but with more style. My current favorite is a full length 1940s empire style gown. My huband loves them (on me, not for himself -not that there’s anything wrong with that if that’s your thing). I tend to fall asleep much earlier than intended so I dress for bed anytime after dinner. I call it being proactive….
33- slept naked when I was in my 20s and now would be awake half the night if I tried. As many have said once you have kids you need to be prepared to jump outta bed, and there’s nothing better for that in Canadian winters than flannels . As for the rest of you I hope you’re careful which parts of the blanket you’ve got those cracks resting in….
Vintage slips and nightgowns are the best! The vintage nylon is incredibly soft. It feels like sleeping naked (which I used to do) but with a lot more style! My current favorite is a full length 1940s empire gown (the matching robe is amazing, but gets little wear). My husband loves them (on me, not for him — not that there’s anything wrong with it if that’s your thing!) They are easy to find on Etsy. I tend to fall asleep earlier than planned sometimes so I dress for bed anytime after dinner – I call it being proactive…
Sometimes i wear pyjamas for sleeping and sometimes i’m naked. It depends if i’m thinking about a fire situation.
I generally sleep in lounge wear, I guess? Lounge pants and a bralette are my go to, or a T-shirt and underwear. If I’m cold or my husband is out of town, I bundle up (as in, I slept in a sweater last night) The only time I enjoy being naked while sleeping is if it’s very hot and I’m sleeping alone – then, sliding into cool sheeting is delicious! But my husband and I curl up together in our sleep a lot, and he sleeps warm; without a layer of fabric between us it just feels sticky.
I love pajamas. I like nice classic cotton pjs for summer and flannel in winter. I put on my pjs about 7 during the week. On weekends I am a little more flexible and may be in pjs by 3 PM if I’m not going put. On snow days, all bets are off and I might wear them all day. HOWEVER, I take them off when I go to bed and sleep naked.
Oh my gosh, this makes me laugh. I grew up wearing 2 piece pjs, flannel in winter. PJ’s go on before bed unless you are really sick. Gradually evolved to wearing a t-shirt because I didn’t like my shoulders to be bare. Then occasionally slept naked cause it’s more comfortable. But menopause changes everything. My thermostat always running warmer with occasional bursts of super hot. So start with a light t-shirt, which has to come off when the flash begins. Then wandering around a cool house naked is a great option! Love your blog, Karen!
Thanks Jan! ~ karen
I am with the ewww gross camp, I get that people shower before bed BUT I am going to say what no one else will as politely as I can, body fluids!!! Including sweating, I personally need containment, wicking etc. I too have teens in the house, so pj bottoms appropriate for the temperature and a t-shirt with a cardigan/sweater thrown on top. Always just before bed, but depending on the what the next day is may remain in them up until 1-2 pm!
Naked!
When I get home from work I change into my grubbies: sweatshorts and a tank or T, plus a hoodie and socks in winter. These all peel off at bedtime and I sleep naked. So I do get the satisfaction of dressing for the transition to gearing down.
But here’s where I’ll really blow your mind: the rare times I do get cold in bed I’ll get up and put on a t-shirt… but no bottoms.
Hahahahaha!!! My boyfriend from when I was 16 just said he slept the same way on my Facebook post. Tee shirt and no bottoms, lolol. It is ALL I can picture now. Why a tee and no bottoms? Doesn’t that feel … jiggly? ~ karen!
I sleep in cotton or flannel pajamas year around. And I put them on right before bed and get dressed right away in the morning. I can’t imagine wearing pajamas all day, I would feel like a complete slacker. Even when I was on bedrest for months with my first pregnancy, I got fully dressed every day.
I used to sleep naked when I was first married but having children changed all that …and now it’s two piece Jammie’s for me , I try to find pretty ones . In the winter if I am not going to,be leaving the house they go on pretty early but in the summer it’s usually not until I go to bed although I have been known to nip out to the garden to deadhead for a minute and an hour later I’m in full gardening mode and have completely forgotten I am wearing my pjs much to,the consternation of my neighbours. I have purchased pjs over the years for my children and they never seem to wear them as a set ! Always one piece or the other with different bottoms or tops. I don’t get it.
I would die if I had to wear heavy pajamas at this point. Even if I have to wear a tshirt to sleep in at a hotel it drives me nuts. Naked sleeper since 1990. I come home from work, change into sweatpants/top in the winter or shorts/tank top in the summer and everything comes off when I go to bed. Sheets are washed weekly. For all those who think they would be cold…..I keep our bedroom at 60 degrees F in the winter, have top quality flannel sheets (Garnet Hill Signature Flannel is dreamy), a heavy down comforter and am never ever cold even during the most frigid nights in Pennsylvania. Snug as a bug! Also, getting into a bed naked with clean sheets after a bath is one of life’s great pleasures!
Robe after supper for Netflixing, then naked for bed.
It’s wonderful! No jammies to get all caught up in. Nothing rubbing your skin. Buy quality sheets and just roll around in them.
I wear PJs or a nightgown, and each has a downside. The nighties ride up and twist, and those PJ bottoms can cut you in half. Still, most nights I sleep well. When I was young, I thought about the psychology of when a person ought to be in PJs and when they ought to be dressed. I decided that when I’m dressed I feel more competent, ready for whatever the world tosses my way. So I have always dressed after my first coffee and shower and waited until just before bedtime to put on PJs. When I retired, it was time to think about this again, but I still decided that lounging around in PJs all day would be depressing. So now I still wait until bedtime — or until my bra starts to dig into my rib cage while Netflixing.
What time I put them on is seasonal. Right now, for example, it’s when I get home from work if I know I’m in for the night. I get out of work at 3, home by 3:10 and walk the dog. Then it’s pajama bottoms and a favorite t-shirt, usually long sleeve (it is 15 degrees F right now), wool sweater and socks, down comforter, polar fleece sheets…and a dog…throw in a 1:30 am hot flash and it’s a shit show…
In the warmer weather, longer days, I may make it to 8pm and then it’s a t-shirt and shorts like men’s cotton boxers – I was raiding my father’s drawer long before they were making them for women!
Tangled up in clothing has always been my issue. Year round it’s a tank top and undies. Occasionally socks til my feet warm up. Above tank and undies with jammie pants and a zip up, after supper til bed, which is usually 9ish.
Since nobody else noticed, I’ll point out Karen’s feet look so presentable! Both front and back 🙂
I’m a geezer married to another geezer and we both sleep naked. What is the point of my 1 million thread count sheets with the billion dollar price tag, if not to sleep naked on them and enjoy the luxurious feel against my skin? That being said I have a plethora of pj sets ranging from formal “loungewear” that I could receive company in, right down to hubb”s oversize cotton tee shirt that I love. As for when to put them on….. if I’m not at work then I’m in a “pj” ensemble of some sort. The hubby, well he has sweat pants and a hoodie for the non naked relax after dinner.
I can’t wait to get in my jammies – always earlier in the winter of course. Setting the girls free and having nothing around the waist is what it’s about for me. Sleep wise – it’s an Irish cotton nightshirt or a sleeveless thingy I bought as a bathing suit coverup. Comfort all the way.
I sleep in just my underwear, but wear jammies until bedtime. I can’t stand having clothes on because they get twisted up and I strangle. I also keep my windows open in the winter and gave the ceiling fan on. There’s nothing like snuggling in a warm bed in a cold room. I stay warmer than my husband who wears sweats to bed. Since my PJs are really active wear, I wear them unless I leave the house or am doing a building project.
NAKED!!!!
I’m a Betty!!! I’ve got an entire pajama wardrobe. When shopping with my daughters, they grab my arm and drag me past the lingerie department, telling me, “No, you do NOT need more pajamas, Mom.” Oh, but I DOOOOOO! I live in mine as much as I can. My neighbors will even tell you that.
My girls are millennials, by the way, and they don’t sleep naked. They just haven’t gotten their pajama obsession on. Yet.
I put my pj’s on as soon as I get home from work–bra off, jammies on. BUT I take them off when I go to sleep and sleep naked. I absolutely cannot sleep in any kind of clothing. I’m no colder at night (and I live in a cold climate–New England). But I’m a very active sleeper, tossing and twisting and turning, and I HATE the feeling of my pj’s getting twisted around me. Gives me the heeby-jeebies to even think about it. And, here’s the thing–I actually did once wake up to my house on fire–my ROOM on fire–and had to run out into the street naked! Still don’t wear anything to bed.
That’s dedication. LOL
I sleep either completely naked or with undies. I only wear a nightie or pjs if I share a room with someone other than my husband and that is not that often in a year. Surprisingly I am warmer naked and not entangled with fabric up around my neck.
I’ve worn a cotton nightgown to bed since I’ve been out of footie pjs (so about 40 years). I never wear it around the house. It’s bath, nightgown, bed. In the am, I always dress before coming downstairs. It’s an economy of movement for me. I don’t like running up and down getting ready in the am, OR to lounge at night.
Fifty-seven here, 30+ years sleeping naked. Ever since I got my waterbed which is heated. Will never go back. Can’t understand why people wear all those clothes to bed. And while I continued to sleep naked while I was single the past 9 years, now that I’m in a relationship again it’s mandatory skin to skin contact as much as possible. There’s nothing more conducive to being in the mood than feeling warm skin rubbing against my naked body. More people should try it. Probably a scientifically proven stress reducer. And regarding all the showering and frequent sheet changing….what do you folks get all over your bodies that transfers to the sheets??? Way too much Puritanical sterilization in the world. Get outside and get dirty for Goddess sake, it’s good for ya! My Beloved and I can’t wait for summer so we can roll around in the grass together. Oh, and no kids here so I get how that can change things.
Knee length flannel nightgown in the winter is my choice. Jammies get twisted around on me for some reason, too bad, because I like them better. The nightgown can’t go on until the dogs have been outside for their last trip at 9 pm. I put a four foot fence around my yard but six years ago when I got my last one, I had to refence at 6 feet. That didn’t work so I had to take a four foot fence, fold it in half, and hang it over the fence like a canopy. My property looks like a maximum security prison. After several runs down the road in my nightgown after the Houdini dog (a traumatizing sight!) I decided not to scar the neighbourhood children for life and never wear pjs if there’s any chance of Drum being outside.
Sleepwear is a tool of the devil. It’s for when you’re sick. Like, ‘flat gingerale and a sleeve of saltines beside the bed’ sick.
I’m not sure I understand why people are saying that sleeping in the nude is ‘disgusting’. I can understand having a preference, but why the revulsion?
I shower before bed, so my body is clean… so that makes me wonder what have people got going on that they find their own body so repulsive? Your body is awesome. Stop choking it with strangling nightgowns or pjs that inevitably bunch up in your crotch.
And if you are a person that finds bedtime nudity ‘disgusting’ but you’re putting on the same pjs after all the ‘disgusting’ things your body did in them (depending on when you put them on) the evening or night before (what IS the issue here? ass-dander?), I don’t really see how you’re any cleaner sleeping in yesterday’s ass-dander jammies than I am in my ass-dander sheets…
My favorite time of the day is putting on my pajamas. 😀😀😀
I’ve got two words for you: panty soup.
This is the reason I can’t sleep naked even though I prefer to. Sure, a little panty soup after playing hide-the-salami is not only expected, but probably kinda’ sexy in the Mister’s eyes, but the kind that is secreted as a result of the crazy perimenopausal hormonal rollercoaster, well, not so sexy. And especially not for the one responsible for washing the sheets. Even still, I can’t do pajamas. It’s a tank top and panties for this gal. I lounge and netflix in my writer’s uniform which consists of black leggings, a tank top, and a warm and fuzzy cardigan.
Wow so many naked sleepers!! Not me….it’s too cold in upstate NY. T-shirt and PJ bottom after dinner and bath. In summer I switch to short bottom. I’m late 60s and remember calling them Baby Doll pajamas! Geesh!
Hilarious! Jammies CAN be an almost all-dayer if you’re being sloth like, the weather is bad or you just want to slug 🐌 around and do whatever you want. AND you have nothing at all planned and don’t expect to be invited out anywhere.
Old Tee shirts for me. And Yoga pants if its cold. I change as soon as I get home from work usually, usually around 5.