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!
Julie Rae
It's wonderful! No jammies to get all caught up in. Nothing rubbing your skin. Buy quality sheets and just roll around in them.
Cinnamon
Robe after supper for Netflixing, then naked for bed.
Meredith
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!
Marilyn Meagher
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.
Gwen Bosben
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.
Jamieson
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.
Karen
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!
Thera
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!
Jan
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!
Karen
Thanks Jan! ~ karen
Neal
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.
Amy
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.
Véronique pilon
Sometimes i wear pyjamas for sleeping and sometimes i'm naked. It depends if i'm thinking about a fire situation.
Sheila
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...
Sarah
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....
Sheila
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....
Tiff
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. 🙄
Sue Schneid
That made me laugh out loud! 😂
Andrea
That made me laugh out loud too!
Jenny W
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.
Leslie K
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.”
Chris
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.
LynnR
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.
Wendi
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!