Should you wash your pyjamas every day?
September 7, 2017 2:43 PM Subscribe
Asks The Guardian, analysing a divisive debate currently gripping the Mumsnet website. Comments include “I just don't like wearing something that has been that close to my bare bum for more than one night” versus “I'm with the mingers. I don't have the time, energy or desire to launder 5 pairs of pjs every night”. Others are also daily changers, while factors include health, and the environment. A poll in The Pool gives widely varying frequency. The Good Housekeeping Institute says once a week - but Cosmopolitan says change frequently. Maybe wear silver or copper jimjams? Complications: British people who go shopping in pyjamas, wear while taking the kids to school, work from home while wearing them, or just generally, though all weekend can be guilt-inducing. Pyjamas or pajamas?
Comments from Guardian readers include:
* It depends which supermarket I'm going to the following morning. Aldi or Lidl, second or third week of wear is fine, but I do like to go to Waitrose wearing nice clean pyjamas.
* I spray mine liberally with Lynx Africa one a week.
* I thought we were past this idea of everything having to be sterile? It's not good for kids. It prevents their immune systems developing properly. This is why no one in my house is allowed to change their pants more than twice a year.
* I can't wear pyjamas since I put both legs in one pj leg when drunk and had a mermaid nightmare , thought I'd had a stroke when I woke up.
* Chuck 'em at the wall. If they stick, wash 'em. If they slide down the wall, wear 'em for another week. Handed down through the generations in our family, this maxim has never yet failed me. Works for socks and underwear too.
* I will continue to wear my nylon pyjamas and a sturdy pair of brogues for the big shop at Asda. I wash them on a bi-monthly basis even if not required.
* All this seems to assume the people don't just crash out in what they are wearing when they get home from the pub....
* The other day I discovered the cat flea comb inside the kettle, the plastic had warped etc. The only possible explanation is sleepwalking. Pyjamas it is then, stains 'n all.
Previously on MetaWashing:
2004: how much do you use a towel?
2005: Vital, earth-shattering question...
2010: How often do you change your bra?
2011: Should I offer turndown service too?
Comments from Guardian readers include:
* It depends which supermarket I'm going to the following morning. Aldi or Lidl, second or third week of wear is fine, but I do like to go to Waitrose wearing nice clean pyjamas.
* I spray mine liberally with Lynx Africa one a week.
* I thought we were past this idea of everything having to be sterile? It's not good for kids. It prevents their immune systems developing properly. This is why no one in my house is allowed to change their pants more than twice a year.
* I can't wear pyjamas since I put both legs in one pj leg when drunk and had a mermaid nightmare , thought I'd had a stroke when I woke up.
* Chuck 'em at the wall. If they stick, wash 'em. If they slide down the wall, wear 'em for another week. Handed down through the generations in our family, this maxim has never yet failed me. Works for socks and underwear too.
* I will continue to wear my nylon pyjamas and a sturdy pair of brogues for the big shop at Asda. I wash them on a bi-monthly basis even if not required.
* All this seems to assume the people don't just crash out in what they are wearing when they get home from the pub....
* The other day I discovered the cat flea comb inside the kettle, the plastic had warped etc. The only possible explanation is sleepwalking. Pyjamas it is then, stains 'n all.
Previously on MetaWashing:
2004: how much do you use a towel?
2005: Vital, earth-shattering question...
2010: How often do you change your bra?
2011: Should I offer turndown service too?
Today I learned that people don't wear underwear with their pyjamas.
Is... is it wrong to wear underwear with pyjamas?
Is it wrong to use underwear AS pyjamas, which kind of obviates the whole "How often do I need to change these?" question while also ensuring that I will never wear my "pyjamas" down to the shop?
Or do I now have to go down to the shop in my unmentionables?
posted by aureliobuendia at 2:50 PM on September 7, 2017 [38 favorites]
Is... is it wrong to wear underwear with pyjamas?
Is it wrong to use underwear AS pyjamas, which kind of obviates the whole "How often do I need to change these?" question while also ensuring that I will never wear my "pyjamas" down to the shop?
Or do I now have to go down to the shop in my unmentionables?
posted by aureliobuendia at 2:50 PM on September 7, 2017 [38 favorites]
> Is... is it wrong to wear underwear with pyjamas?
You be you, aureliobuendia. Whatever gets you through the night.
Me, I wash my PJs every day, because I sleep the sleep of a thousand sweats.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:55 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
You be you, aureliobuendia. Whatever gets you through the night.
Me, I wash my PJs every day, because I sleep the sleep of a thousand sweats.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:55 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
Or do I now have to go down to the shop in my unmentionables?
As a person who walks around my home in my skivvies, I have been on the verge of stepping outside pantsless more than once. I haven't done it yet but I'm only 30, I have time to care less.
posted by Emmy Rae at 2:58 PM on September 7, 2017 [32 favorites]
As a person who walks around my home in my skivvies, I have been on the verge of stepping outside pantsless more than once. I haven't done it yet but I'm only 30, I have time to care less.
posted by Emmy Rae at 2:58 PM on September 7, 2017 [32 favorites]
I appreciate the Climate Change tag.
posted by Emmy Rae at 2:59 PM on September 7, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by Emmy Rae at 2:59 PM on September 7, 2017 [11 favorites]
Today, I started out by wearing my PJs while taking the kids to school, then I walked the dog, and then I worked till late in them. For the second dog-run, I changed into something warmer for the top.
However, I rarely wear pajamas in bed. Only if I have recurrent nightmares were I'm naked in public places, normally I put them on when I wake up. And I wash them twice a week.
posted by mumimor at 3:02 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
However, I rarely wear pajamas in bed. Only if I have recurrent nightmares were I'm naked in public places, normally I put them on when I wake up. And I wash them twice a week.
posted by mumimor at 3:02 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Life long nudie. Only wear pj when camping. Or if i have guests.
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 3:13 PM on September 7, 2017 [26 favorites]
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 3:13 PM on September 7, 2017 [26 favorites]
TIL that adults wear pajamas outside of films from Olden Times.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 3:14 PM on September 7, 2017 [62 favorites]
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 3:14 PM on September 7, 2017 [62 favorites]
Pajama people
Where is your stance?
Pajama people
How clean are your pants?
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:24 PM on September 7, 2017 [17 favorites]
Where is your stance?
Pajama people
How clean are your pants?
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:24 PM on September 7, 2017 [17 favorites]
My pajamas are shorts with underwear and maybe a tee shirt. I stopped wearing actual pajamas by the 5th grade.
posted by Splunge at 3:24 PM on September 7, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Splunge at 3:24 PM on September 7, 2017 [5 favorites]
People sleep in pyjamas? Its not wonder they need washing so often. Aren't they just for lounging around the house?
posted by biffa at 3:26 PM on September 7, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by biffa at 3:26 PM on September 7, 2017 [8 favorites]
Yeah, I sleep in my undies. My partner usually sleeps in the nude.
Pajamas make _some_ sense when it's stupid cold outside and the heat is turned down at night. I've slept in sweatpants or the like during those times. I'll wash those at the end of the week. Drag me.
posted by SansPoint at 3:27 PM on September 7, 2017 [5 favorites]
Pajamas make _some_ sense when it's stupid cold outside and the heat is turned down at night. I've slept in sweatpants or the like during those times. I'll wash those at the end of the week. Drag me.
posted by SansPoint at 3:27 PM on September 7, 2017 [5 favorites]
Its sad that my life has this much synergy... but... Glove and Boots have recently commented on this.
posted by Nanukthedog at 3:29 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Nanukthedog at 3:29 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
My neighbour sleeps in a Kermit the frog onesie, which she says is super-comfortable and much better than any jim-jams she's ever owned.
posted by Wordshore at 3:32 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Wordshore at 3:32 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
Of course you wear underwear under pajamas. Seams in the ladyparts is a hard no. Underwear AS pajamas works great for my hot-running other half, but not for me since I reliably get cold-induced nightmares and even a comforter isn't enough for me without PJs.
I feel like underwear is the dividing line between change everyday, gross; and wear 'em for a week.
My kids prefer to sleep in tomorrow's clothes, which is just fine with me.
posted by telepanda at 3:35 PM on September 7, 2017 [21 favorites]
I feel like underwear is the dividing line between change everyday, gross; and wear 'em for a week.
My kids prefer to sleep in tomorrow's clothes, which is just fine with me.
posted by telepanda at 3:35 PM on September 7, 2017 [21 favorites]
When my wife was pregnant I slept in every article of clothing I owned, simultaneously, because she insisted on keeping the windows open throughout the winter.
Now I just sleep in underwear, which includes an undershirt since I wear one every day.
posted by uncleozzy at 3:37 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Now I just sleep in underwear, which includes an undershirt since I wear one every day.
posted by uncleozzy at 3:37 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
As I've never found pajamas particularly comfortable, I rotate through several slip-style night gowns unless it is very cold (at which point I generally wear leggings and t-shirt). I wash them every 3-4 days.
posted by thivaia at 3:37 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by thivaia at 3:37 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
My head explodes when I read something on metafilter that I first read on mumsnet.
undies or no undies with pjs is going to be another of those big divides. I had to referee an argument with a bunch of 7 year old girls who were outraged to discover at a sleepover that some were undies on and others no undies. These preferences start early and die hard.
posted by kitten magic at 3:39 PM on September 7, 2017 [11 favorites]
undies or no undies with pjs is going to be another of those big divides. I had to referee an argument with a bunch of 7 year old girls who were outraged to discover at a sleepover that some were undies on and others no undies. These preferences start early and die hard.
posted by kitten magic at 3:39 PM on September 7, 2017 [11 favorites]
I live in Texas, I wear as little as possible without traumatizing my kid if he sees me walking around at night. So, sleep shorts and a tshirt.
Tshirts too faded to be worn outside without shame become sleep shirts. Once they develop holes too large for comfort, they go in the compost, minus any non-cotton bits. It's the circle of life.
I do have yoga pants for "not putting on a bra or leaving the house today" wear. I don't got further outside in that than the mailbox attached to my front porch.
Exception: on a cold day, If I have to drive my kid to school but am not going to work myself, I will just throw a coat on over that ensemble and hop in the car, but otherwise the yoga pants stay at home.
And they get washed about once a week, though I wear underpants under them because I am not a goin-commando kinda gal.
posted by emjaybee at 3:41 PM on September 7, 2017 [8 favorites]
Tshirts too faded to be worn outside without shame become sleep shirts. Once they develop holes too large for comfort, they go in the compost, minus any non-cotton bits. It's the circle of life.
I do have yoga pants for "not putting on a bra or leaving the house today" wear. I don't got further outside in that than the mailbox attached to my front porch.
Exception: on a cold day, If I have to drive my kid to school but am not going to work myself, I will just throw a coat on over that ensemble and hop in the car, but otherwise the yoga pants stay at home.
And they get washed about once a week, though I wear underpants under them because I am not a goin-commando kinda gal.
posted by emjaybee at 3:41 PM on September 7, 2017 [8 favorites]
Kitten magic, as the parent of an almost-7 year old who is excruciatingly rule driven, and prone to outrage, I can imagine that that must have been some argument!
posted by telepanda at 3:43 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by telepanda at 3:43 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
Today I learned that people don't wear underwear with their pyjamas.
Is... is it wrong to wear underwear with pyjamas?
My mother taught me not to wear underwear to bed because she believed it was healthier -- it meant less time spent in constrictive elastic and, as she put it, "your system needs to breathe". She often came up with intuitive health tips like that, and they were often dead wrong, such as the time she told my brother, who complained that his gums bled when he brushed his teeth, that he should brush them more often and harder to "toughen them up" (gums are damaged not toughened by vigorous brushing, and bleeding gums are a sign of gum disease and indicate one needs to see a dentist, pronto). However, while I don't know if there's any merit in her "no underwear to bed" theory, I can't see any harm in it either, and have always gone commando under my (summer) nightgowns and (winter) pajamas. I always have three sets of sleepwear for each season (I sew the cotton print nightgowns and plaid flannel pajama pants myself, and buy thrift shop long-sleeved t-shirts in coordinating colours to wear with the pants, so they're cheap and fairly long wearing), and while I *might* wash my sleep wear only once a week I also often go through two or three of them, whatever seems warranted. I never got the sense that this wasn't universal until a former partner of mine got quite titillated by it -- he'd had lots of girlfriends, and apparently I was the first woman he'd been with who didn't wear underwear to bed.
posted by orange swan at 3:48 PM on September 7, 2017 [8 favorites]
Is... is it wrong to wear underwear with pyjamas?
My mother taught me not to wear underwear to bed because she believed it was healthier -- it meant less time spent in constrictive elastic and, as she put it, "your system needs to breathe". She often came up with intuitive health tips like that, and they were often dead wrong, such as the time she told my brother, who complained that his gums bled when he brushed his teeth, that he should brush them more often and harder to "toughen them up" (gums are damaged not toughened by vigorous brushing, and bleeding gums are a sign of gum disease and indicate one needs to see a dentist, pronto). However, while I don't know if there's any merit in her "no underwear to bed" theory, I can't see any harm in it either, and have always gone commando under my (summer) nightgowns and (winter) pajamas. I always have three sets of sleepwear for each season (I sew the cotton print nightgowns and plaid flannel pajama pants myself, and buy thrift shop long-sleeved t-shirts in coordinating colours to wear with the pants, so they're cheap and fairly long wearing), and while I *might* wash my sleep wear only once a week I also often go through two or three of them, whatever seems warranted. I never got the sense that this wasn't universal until a former partner of mine got quite titillated by it -- he'd had lots of girlfriends, and apparently I was the first woman he'd been with who didn't wear underwear to bed.
posted by orange swan at 3:48 PM on September 7, 2017 [8 favorites]
Only time I wear underwear under my pjs is for that one week a month. The whole idea of wearing underwear when not needed is weird to me. The best thing about jammies is being free and unrestricted. I detest having to wear it for that one week.
posted by Jalliah at 3:48 PM on September 7, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Jalliah at 3:48 PM on September 7, 2017 [10 favorites]
Some people wear clothes when they sleep?
Weird.
posted by sotonohito at 3:52 PM on September 7, 2017 [22 favorites]
Weird.
posted by sotonohito at 3:52 PM on September 7, 2017 [22 favorites]
I don't have kids and I sleep in pjs every night but I sure as hell don't have time to wash them everyday.
posted by Kitteh at 3:56 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 3:56 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
So I am reminded of a sequence in a Terry Pratchett book, one of the ones with three witches. Granny Weatherwax, who is the best one, is talking to the other two about modesty and appropriate attire, and Magrat (the hippie one) is like, "but Granny, under our clothes we're all naked". And Granny is all, "I ain't, I got three vests on". I would not be able to sleep in anything less than pyjamas and underwear - what would happen if there were an emergency? What if you had to leap out of bed and run into the night? You wouldn't want to be all flapping about with unsightly parts hanging out, would you? I submit that you would not, and that you would be better off more clothed rather than less.
posted by Frowner at 3:57 PM on September 7, 2017 [29 favorites]
posted by Frowner at 3:57 PM on September 7, 2017 [29 favorites]
All clothes lose their pj status as soon as they leave your house. They regain said status after they are washed again.
Anything can be pijamas (pyjamas? pajamas? piyamas?) as long as you can bear sleeping in it. I wash as soon as they don't smell fresh anymore, which is usually twice a week.
posted by ipsative at 3:57 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Anything can be pijamas (pyjamas? pajamas? piyamas?) as long as you can bear sleeping in it. I wash as soon as they don't smell fresh anymore, which is usually twice a week.
posted by ipsative at 3:57 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
What if you work from home and wear the same pajamas for 3 days at a time nonstop?
posted by ActingTheGoat at 3:58 PM on September 7, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by ActingTheGoat at 3:58 PM on September 7, 2017 [18 favorites]
And a hard no with underpants and pajama bottoms.
posted by Kitteh at 3:58 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 3:58 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
For maximum pijamaness, though, clothes need to be unironed.
posted by ipsative at 3:59 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ipsative at 3:59 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
Can't sleep in clothes. If I'm sharing a tent then I'll keep my undies on until I'm in my bag, but once I'm zipped up they're coming off. Pyjamas are for when I'm done with the day's work but don't actually want to go to bed yet.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:00 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:00 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
ActingTheGoat, that is 100% compatible with pijama rules.
posted by ipsative at 4:01 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by ipsative at 4:01 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
One is residing in bed as one reads and types, so...
{Checks}
Currently one is adorned in an old and out of shape Clannad t-shirt, probably acquired at one of their shows heck multiple decades ago now :( One is primarily wearing this due to the ongoing consumption of a nice cup of tea, and once you've had a hot-tea-on-bare-nipple spillage incident you will want to avoid any future repeat.
Should the night stay warm post-tea, the t-shirt will be removed before one enters the Land of Nod.
posted by Wordshore at 4:03 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
{Checks}
Currently one is adorned in an old and out of shape Clannad t-shirt, probably acquired at one of their shows heck multiple decades ago now :( One is primarily wearing this due to the ongoing consumption of a nice cup of tea, and once you've had a hot-tea-on-bare-nipple spillage incident you will want to avoid any future repeat.
Should the night stay warm post-tea, the t-shirt will be removed before one enters the Land of Nod.
posted by Wordshore at 4:03 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
My neighbour sleeps in a Kermit the frog onesie,
If it were anyone else, I would be surprised you know that about your neighbor.
posted by the agents of KAOS at 4:06 PM on September 7, 2017 [25 favorites]
If it were anyone else, I would be surprised you know that about your neighbor.
posted by the agents of KAOS at 4:06 PM on September 7, 2017 [25 favorites]
I used to be a nudie patootie but started sleeping in pajamas (and saying things like "nudie patootie") when I had kids in case, as Kevin Bacon put it, I have to jump out of bed in the middle of the night and save the world. I have to switch into something other than what I was wearing during the day because of my nemesis, pollen.
> Of course you wear underwear under pajamas. Seams in the ladyparts is a hard no
Your underwear is looser, and your pajamas tighter, than mine.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:07 PM on September 7, 2017 [10 favorites]
> Of course you wear underwear under pajamas. Seams in the ladyparts is a hard no
Your underwear is looser, and your pajamas tighter, than mine.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:07 PM on September 7, 2017 [10 favorites]
I was an occasional nudie until a nighttime house fire in 2007. After running around my room for what felt like 20 minutes, searching for clothes, I made it outside and the (small) fire was extinguished. I have worn pajamas ever since.
I miss thise days of nocturnal sartorial freedom, but I just can't get comfortable sleeping sans apparel anymore.
posted by Elly Vortex at 4:09 PM on September 7, 2017 [11 favorites]
I miss thise days of nocturnal sartorial freedom, but I just can't get comfortable sleeping sans apparel anymore.
posted by Elly Vortex at 4:09 PM on September 7, 2017 [11 favorites]
Aren't they just for lounging around the house?
i have sleeping pajamas that are wholly distinct from my house pajamas, because what am i, an animal?
posted by poffin boffin at 4:10 PM on September 7, 2017 [51 favorites]
i have sleeping pajamas that are wholly distinct from my house pajamas, because what am i, an animal?
posted by poffin boffin at 4:10 PM on September 7, 2017 [51 favorites]
Mentioning that my sister wears a bra to sleep for her own comfort was the single worst received comment I have ever made on Reddit, turns out /femalefashionadvice is convinced that bras are torturous and nobody ever wears one except out of puritan shame. (The thread was started by a woman *outraged* that her mother-in-law asked her to wear a bra under her shirt while the poster was staying at her house).
posted by the agents of KAOS at 4:10 PM on September 7, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by the agents of KAOS at 4:10 PM on September 7, 2017 [10 favorites]
I should clarify...
I have worn pajamas TO BED ever since. I do not exclusively wear pajamas at all times.
posted by Elly Vortex at 4:10 PM on September 7, 2017 [15 favorites]
I have worn pajamas TO BED ever since. I do not exclusively wear pajamas at all times.
posted by Elly Vortex at 4:10 PM on September 7, 2017 [15 favorites]
Pijamas, tea and a bed is one version of paradise I could become friends with.
posted by ipsative at 4:16 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by ipsative at 4:16 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
What if you had to leap out of bed and run into the night?
yeah, having lived in terrifying summer brushfire country means you sleep with some semblance of clothes on and shoes by the bed even 10 years later.
posted by poffin boffin at 4:17 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
yeah, having lived in terrifying summer brushfire country means you sleep with some semblance of clothes on and shoes by the bed even 10 years later.
posted by poffin boffin at 4:17 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
although in the actual event of a huge and terrifying fire i did in fact stop to wash my hair
posted by poffin boffin at 4:18 PM on September 7, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 4:18 PM on September 7, 2017 [11 favorites]
I haven't owned PJs since I was 12 and usually sleep commando. I lived in a hot climate and haven't changed so far.
But I keep clothes and shoes and flashlights and other hardware next to the bed.
posted by Bee'sWing at 4:18 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
But I keep clothes and shoes and flashlights and other hardware next to the bed.
posted by Bee'sWing at 4:18 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
I was folding my knickers in my best Kondo manner and thanked them for protecting my vulva. Which I realised on reflection was a little weird.
But it is why I sleep with underwear and a top at the very least - shorts/leggings too in winter or during my period. I used to sleep in a bra but the neck pain it caused was worse than the boob pain it alleviated. I have a collection of shitty crop top (bralettes?) for PMS and visiting people.
My husband wears a shirt and jocks, kiddo wears anything ranging from button up flannel 'jaamies' to a singlet and knickers.
SIL is horrified we all sleep with knickers on.
posted by geek anachronism at 4:18 PM on September 7, 2017 [5 favorites]
But it is why I sleep with underwear and a top at the very least - shorts/leggings too in winter or during my period. I used to sleep in a bra but the neck pain it caused was worse than the boob pain it alleviated. I have a collection of shitty crop top (bralettes?) for PMS and visiting people.
My husband wears a shirt and jocks, kiddo wears anything ranging from button up flannel 'jaamies' to a singlet and knickers.
SIL is horrified we all sleep with knickers on.
posted by geek anachronism at 4:18 PM on September 7, 2017 [5 favorites]
Underwear under pajamas seems rather belt-and-braces, no? While I appreciate the occasional need for redundant systems, I also don't need to be constricted in my nether regions 24/7.
posted by the sobsister at 4:19 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by the sobsister at 4:19 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
yeah but then wearing the same pajamas every day for a week is like wearing dirty underwear for a week, which i would prefer not to do on account of that being grody
posted by poffin boffin at 4:22 PM on September 7, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 4:22 PM on September 7, 2017 [11 favorites]
I usually wear undies with my PJs because if I'm wearing PJs I'm lounging around the house, and the flies on those things are not to be trusted. I don't want to be constantly wondering if the tip of my penis is peeking out of my pants, or constantly checking to make sure it isn't. If somebody could make a pair of pyjama pants with two evenly-spaced buttons in the fly instead of just one in the middle (or none!) then I'd gladly ditch the underwear for maximum comfort, but apparently this is an impossible thing that nobody has ever done.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:27 PM on September 7, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:27 PM on September 7, 2017 [5 favorites]
What if you had to leap out of bed and run into the night? You wouldn't want to be all flapping about with unsightly parts hanging out, would you?
Try me. Sleeping naked is the closest thing to Nirvana.
posted by klanawa at 4:28 PM on September 7, 2017 [7 favorites]
Try me. Sleeping naked is the closest thing to Nirvana.
posted by klanawa at 4:28 PM on September 7, 2017 [7 favorites]
I cannot sleep naked because I get hot flashes and pajama pants help my legs not stick together and get sweaty on one another. Also, inhibited Catholic.
I change out my pjs after several days or they get grody, whichever is first. And no underwear bcz also hot flashes.
posted by suelac at 4:43 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
I change out my pjs after several days or they get grody, whichever is first. And no underwear bcz also hot flashes.
posted by suelac at 4:43 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
I don't have the time, energy or desire to launder 5 pairs of pjs every night”.
"How are you going through five pairs a night... oh yeah, families."
posted by officer_fred at 4:48 PM on September 7, 2017 [7 favorites]
"How are you going through five pairs a night... oh yeah, families."
posted by officer_fred at 4:48 PM on September 7, 2017 [7 favorites]
I don't use pyjamas unless I'm travelling/camping. But I do keep a bathrobe/dressing gown at the ready, in case there's some kind of emergency, like someone ringing the doorbell. It's also good for getting to the shower without parading around naked in front of my roommates, as well as general lazy-morning weekend lounging.
posted by aubilenon at 4:52 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by aubilenon at 4:52 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
My logic goes kinda like this: "Am I (my bare skin) cleaner than the clothes I'm putting on (fabric with which I'm ensconcing my flesh)?" Am I cleaner than the sheets?" "Am I washing the sheets tomorrow?"
posted by achrise at 4:54 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by achrise at 4:54 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
My pajamas consist of a large nightshirt and then my underwear. Is this technically underwear under pajamas? I mean, my shirt does extend past my pajamas when I'm standing, but in bed it usually gets pulled up some, and, um, I'd like at least one (1) layer of fabric between my sheets/blankets and my bits.
I understand sleeping totally naked is a thing, but that would then require increased washing, and I 1) sleep under a weighted blanket that is a bear to wash, and 2) fucking. hate. wrestling my sheets on and off my bed.
posted by brook horse at 4:59 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
I understand sleeping totally naked is a thing, but that would then require increased washing, and I 1) sleep under a weighted blanket that is a bear to wash, and 2) fucking. hate. wrestling my sheets on and off my bed.
posted by brook horse at 4:59 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
What if you had to leap out of bed and run into the night? You wouldn't want to be all flapping about with unsightly parts hanging out, would you?
Years ago my then-SO and I had a neighbor two doors down that we were friends with, a biker dude around 6'3" or so. We knew he slept naked, because one night someone woke him up breaking into his house through the back around two in the morning and he bounded straight out of bed and chased them out of the house and down the alley. He abandoned the pursuit after a bit when he came to his senses and realized that if the police came he was about as likely to get arrested as anyone else was, what with the running down the alley naked and screaming.
I get home and immediately change into pajamas (and a bathrobe in winter) for sitting around the house. The pajamas go over underpants, but not a bra because what kind of barbarian do I look like? The pajamas and the rest come off at night and I sleep in my sheets, but they do stay at the foot of the bed and can be grabbed quickly in an emergency, because I do not believe I would have the same effect chasing burglars as my old neighbor did.
posted by dilettante at 5:24 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Negotiating the "you sleep in what????" discussions is one of the things I miss about starting new relationships.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:26 PM on September 7, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Dip Flash at 5:26 PM on September 7, 2017 [8 favorites]
We do underware+t shirt in these parts, mostly because of similar emergency type situations as noted above, as well as having a cloth layer between us and the sheets to facilitate less laundry (we don't have a washing machine in building).
However, we usually shower at night, and then wear clean undies with pjs and into the next day, changing at shower points, or at minimum every 24 hrs (in summer it's, more like every 8hrs). So I guess technically I wash my innermost layer every day, but also have way more underwear than dedicated sleeping clothes.
I think acess to a washing machine would possibly change things, but it's been 15+ years and works fine.
I sleep in (sports) bras only when camping in backcountry and I'm too tired to deal
posted by larthegreat at 5:30 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
However, we usually shower at night, and then wear clean undies with pjs and into the next day, changing at shower points, or at minimum every 24 hrs (in summer it's, more like every 8hrs). So I guess technically I wash my innermost layer every day, but also have way more underwear than dedicated sleeping clothes.
I think acess to a washing machine would possibly change things, but it's been 15+ years and works fine.
I sleep in (sports) bras only when camping in backcountry and I'm too tired to deal
posted by larthegreat at 5:30 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
T-shirt, pajama bottoms, no underwear, but I do wear socks to bed, even in warm weather. I change out the items as they get sweaty, so sometimes they get worn for just a few days, sometimes for a week, maybe even longer.
posted by briank at 5:33 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by briank at 5:33 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
A Hungarian children's epic poem by Dániel Varró, written as a short novel's worth of hexameter and entitled "Beyond Smudge Mountain", has an important character in it called the Stinky Pyjamiser. He doesn't.
posted by holist at 5:35 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by holist at 5:35 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
I upped my pajama game at the start of this summer because 1) night sweats, and 2) all my summer pajamas from previous years were terribly worn out and ratty.
These Josie pajamas are my utopia. They are pajamas perfection for me. Spaghetti straps for my night sweats, rayon for breathability, and I look great slouching around the house on weekends. I bought two different colors of this design, and I have some other sets long the same principle thought not nearly so nice.
A complete summer pajama wardrobe is vital in Arizona.
For the other questions - no underpants, and I grab a fresh pair of pajamas every 3 days or so. Depends on the sweating, really.
posted by Squeak Attack at 5:37 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
These Josie pajamas are my utopia. They are pajamas perfection for me. Spaghetti straps for my night sweats, rayon for breathability, and I look great slouching around the house on weekends. I bought two different colors of this design, and I have some other sets long the same principle thought not nearly so nice.
A complete summer pajama wardrobe is vital in Arizona.
For the other questions - no underpants, and I grab a fresh pair of pajamas every 3 days or so. Depends on the sweating, really.
posted by Squeak Attack at 5:37 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
Nudie until I recently moved to a hammock. Now I sleep with undies, yoga pants, and a wool sweater. Hammocks don't hold heat and you don't really move much in them. Clothes are easier than blankets.
Hammocks are the best beds I ever slept in, the gentle rocking sends me to a deep and blissful sleep.
posted by leotrotsky at 5:39 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Hammocks are the best beds I ever slept in, the gentle rocking sends me to a deep and blissful sleep.
posted by leotrotsky at 5:39 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Lord, the youngest child lurvs his fuzzy robe and being naked. So he does what we in the family call, "the Hef", in honor of Hugh Hefner. Look, no male child reaches the promised land of bathrobe and nudity at such a young age (seven). He has to earn the right to have his damn hooded fleece robe, flashing of his relatives and in general no fucks to give since as he puts it, "It is warm, fuzzy and I look cool in it!". My reply was, "It is great that you look great in your robe. But you would look even better with underwear and the robe." I blame all this on my husband and when dealing with "Hef sub 2", yell, "This is all your people; not mine! My people wear layers; layers of clothing and practice parthenogenesis!" So put me down as underwear and layers of material wearing adherent. I try to have a flash light and a defensive weapon near the bed for emergencies. Again, nudity should be a weapon.
posted by jadepearl at 5:50 PM on September 7, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by jadepearl at 5:50 PM on September 7, 2017 [14 favorites]
> Of course you wear underwear under pajamas. Seams in the ladyparts is a hard no
Your underwear is looser, and your pajamas tighter, than mine.
Yeah, this. Why are you wearing binding pajamas?
And: wear pajamas (sans underwear) around the house, sleep naked. And I have recently discovered some surprisngly soft sheets at Target (seriously, they feel good enough that sometimes I just pet the pillowcase) so there's a sensory indulgence.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:51 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Your underwear is looser, and your pajamas tighter, than mine.
Yeah, this. Why are you wearing binding pajamas?
And: wear pajamas (sans underwear) around the house, sleep naked. And I have recently discovered some surprisngly soft sheets at Target (seriously, they feel good enough that sometimes I just pet the pillowcase) so there's a sensory indulgence.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:51 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
I cannot abide sleeping nude as I invariably end up with my balls in one bad place and my penis in another. I don't know, maybe I roll around too much in my sleep. Tight undies for a safe package!
Why do I feel safe sharing this with Metafilter?
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 5:55 PM on September 7, 2017 [26 favorites]
Why do I feel safe sharing this with Metafilter?
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 5:55 PM on September 7, 2017 [26 favorites]
Maybe wear silver or copper jimjams?
Copper jimjams are for the weak! Much more effective to sponge off with Bordo mix to prevent any chance of downy mildew or peach leaf curl. And gentler on the environment than the old sleepers' standby of antifouling paint.
posted by sebastienbailard at 6:06 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
Copper jimjams are for the weak! Much more effective to sponge off with Bordo mix to prevent any chance of downy mildew or peach leaf curl. And gentler on the environment than the old sleepers' standby of antifouling paint.
posted by sebastienbailard at 6:06 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
The only things that get laundered after wearing them once are socks, underwear, and tshirts. Everything else is negotiable.
posted by Automocar at 6:08 PM on September 7, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Automocar at 6:08 PM on September 7, 2017 [9 favorites]
Today I learned a great deal about MetaFilter.
(Cotton gym shorts and old T, represent!)
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:13 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
(Cotton gym shorts and old T, represent!)
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:13 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
I have to wear pajamas because as a respected pillar of the community, it would be unseemly for me to wear rude and inappropriate t shirts out in public, so I have to wear them as pajamas, along with sweatpants in the winter and light cotton bloomer style pants in warmer weather.
But they're not just for sleeping. I change into that as soon as it's both dark and I'm reasonably sure nobody is coming over, and I dick around the house in them for a while. I don't have a strict washing schedule. If I'm not sweaty and I haven't spilled anything on them, I'll wear them a couple days in a row, but I never wear the same ones for more than three days or so, and I wash the shirts more often than the pants because I wear underpants because I am not a monster. And I do wash the underpants every time.
PS I just bought a ton of new underpants, so ha ha to people who don't have as many underpants as I do, which is a lot.
posted by ernielundquist at 6:13 PM on September 7, 2017 [15 favorites]
But they're not just for sleeping. I change into that as soon as it's both dark and I'm reasonably sure nobody is coming over, and I dick around the house in them for a while. I don't have a strict washing schedule. If I'm not sweaty and I haven't spilled anything on them, I'll wear them a couple days in a row, but I never wear the same ones for more than three days or so, and I wash the shirts more often than the pants because I wear underpants because I am not a monster. And I do wash the underpants every time.
PS I just bought a ton of new underpants, so ha ha to people who don't have as many underpants as I do, which is a lot.
posted by ernielundquist at 6:13 PM on September 7, 2017 [15 favorites]
MetaFilter: so ha ha to people who don't have as many underpants as I do, which is a lot.
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:15 PM on September 7, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:15 PM on September 7, 2017 [10 favorites]
Tight undies for a safe package!
Today's boxer briefs made from breathable fabrics make this mode of sleeping comfy. Contained but ventilated.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:23 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
Today's boxer briefs made from breathable fabrics make this mode of sleeping comfy. Contained but ventilated.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:23 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
Yes, running shorts and tee shirt are my PJs when the situation requires. From a massage to sleeping over.
You may have a lot, but do you have red paisley.
posted by Bee'sWing at 6:24 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
You may have a lot, but do you have red paisley.
posted by Bee'sWing at 6:24 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
Assortment of old soft worn-out boxers for bottom half, stretchy comfy not-really-a-bra bra for top half. Shirt over only if very cold or away from home/have guests. NEVER SOCKS
posted by little cow make small moo at 6:41 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by little cow make small moo at 6:41 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
My neighbour sleeps in a Kermit the frog onesie,
If it were anyone else, I would be surprised you know that about your neighbor.
posted by the agents of KAOS
While skimming the page, I missed the original comment about the neighbor with Kermit pjs. However, when I read the agents' remark, I immediately guessed/knew to whom he was referring.
Re pajamas: special clothes for sleeping seem kinda weird to me. When my kids were little, they wore my t-shirts. Whatever is slept in goes in the laundry basket in the morning.
posted by she's not there at 6:58 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
If it were anyone else, I would be surprised you know that about your neighbor.
posted by the agents of KAOS
While skimming the page, I missed the original comment about the neighbor with Kermit pjs. However, when I read the agents' remark, I immediately guessed/knew to whom he was referring.
Re pajamas: special clothes for sleeping seem kinda weird to me. When my kids were little, they wore my t-shirts. Whatever is slept in goes in the laundry basket in the morning.
posted by she's not there at 6:58 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have sensory issues so am particular about nightwear. I can't stand anything that gets twisted around my body as I toss and turn (because God knows I couldn't just lie there and fucking sleep.)
I've tried sleeping naked a few times because my husband does and ooo lala but I about froze to damn death every time. Not sure how my little silky slip nightgown and a pair of underwear makes the difference between hypothermia and comfort but somehow it does.
So... silky spaghetti strap nightie, sometimes topped with a little snug cardigan for warmth. Never a bra, because if I am home, I am not wearing a bra, never mind wearing one to bed. Always underwear, because I really just need to have my bits all tucked up nicely to be comfy. I buy decent underwear that fits and doesn't bind, so it's plenty comfortable to sleep in. Fresh nightgown every night, usually. Once in awhile I'll wear one twice if I haven't lain around the house in it for a day.
Occasionally, when I am super, super tired, I will sleep in whatever I wore that day (minus the bra.) I have very occasionally worn that same outfit to work again the next day, enjoying a tiny, petty bit of glee over having no fuck to give that day.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 7:00 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
I've tried sleeping naked a few times because my husband does and ooo lala but I about froze to damn death every time. Not sure how my little silky slip nightgown and a pair of underwear makes the difference between hypothermia and comfort but somehow it does.
So... silky spaghetti strap nightie, sometimes topped with a little snug cardigan for warmth. Never a bra, because if I am home, I am not wearing a bra, never mind wearing one to bed. Always underwear, because I really just need to have my bits all tucked up nicely to be comfy. I buy decent underwear that fits and doesn't bind, so it's plenty comfortable to sleep in. Fresh nightgown every night, usually. Once in awhile I'll wear one twice if I haven't lain around the house in it for a day.
Occasionally, when I am super, super tired, I will sleep in whatever I wore that day (minus the bra.) I have very occasionally worn that same outfit to work again the next day, enjoying a tiny, petty bit of glee over having no fuck to give that day.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 7:00 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
The back door to my house and the windows along the back are placed such that you probably can't see me from the street behind our house through them.
But, I bet you could seem me from across the street, in the elementary school playground.
Occaisonally I think about this when I walk across the house in what I (don't) wear to bed.
posted by RustyBrooks at 7:02 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
But, I bet you could seem me from across the street, in the elementary school playground.
Occaisonally I think about this when I walk across the house in what I (don't) wear to bed.
posted by RustyBrooks at 7:02 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Some people wear clothes when they sleep?
I have even heard of people wearing clothes when they swim.
The world is a strange place.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 7:31 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have even heard of people wearing clothes when they swim.
The world is a strange place.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 7:31 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
Of course you wear underwear under pajamas. Seams in the ladyparts is a hard no
Well apparently this isn't a universal experience but as a youth I did sleep in pajama pants (woven cotton, non-stretchy), and they always rode up my legs and on more than one occasion the whole thing ended up twisting around my body weirdly in a way that could (and sometimes did) result in seams in the ladyparts.
posted by Emmy Rae at 7:33 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
Well apparently this isn't a universal experience but as a youth I did sleep in pajama pants (woven cotton, non-stretchy), and they always rode up my legs and on more than one occasion the whole thing ended up twisting around my body weirdly in a way that could (and sometimes did) result in seams in the ladyparts.
posted by Emmy Rae at 7:33 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
naked is the best way to sleep
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 7:57 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 7:57 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
I have discovered that flannel sheets and a flannel nightgown can act sort of like velcro, but I don't care because being cold is a drag.
posted by theora55 at 8:02 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 8:02 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
This all reminds me of the Oliver's Travels joke, I know a very funny thing about sex: a woman, wearing nothing but stockings, is very sexy; while a man in stockings is ridiculous.
posted by Bee'sWing at 8:20 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Bee'sWing at 8:20 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
For most of my life I was a naked sleeper all year. But age has crept up and my joints don't like to be chilly anymore, so I've invested in men's XL silk/satin pjs (with pockets, by damn! try finding pockets in women's pjs). Being retired, I quite frequently lounge in the pjs all day. About three days to a set. Underwear yes because if I'm taking off my underwear I'm taking everything off. Bras don't count as underwear because I hardly wear one anymore. The silk is so I can turn over easily (flannel/wool etc sticks to everything and requires heaving and adjusting and huffing).
posted by MovableBookLady at 8:29 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by MovableBookLady at 8:29 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
The only time I ever embraced sleeping in pajamas rather than just lounging in them for brunch was for a structural engineering reason but not the one you think. After our kid was born we all slept in in a double bed, which was... cramped. I figured out that if I slept on my back I could scoot to the edge of the bed, stick my outside wrist into my pajama waistband, and hang the rest of my arm off the side--like a little hammock, with the elbow at the bottom of the draping curve--and thereby gain a couple crucial inches (hours) of sleeping space for the three of us. Underwear wasn't strong enough-- if I didn't affix my arm in the pajamas, my arm would flop to the floor and be completely numb when I woke up.
I know a lot of New Yorkers who have this recurring dream where we find more space in our apartments -- like, you pick at a bit of peeling paint on a wall and it opens up to a whole other room beyond that you didn't know was there -- and wearing pajamas gave me that imaginary extra space for a while.
posted by miles per flower at 9:02 PM on September 7, 2017 [18 favorites]
I know a lot of New Yorkers who have this recurring dream where we find more space in our apartments -- like, you pick at a bit of peeling paint on a wall and it opens up to a whole other room beyond that you didn't know was there -- and wearing pajamas gave me that imaginary extra space for a while.
posted by miles per flower at 9:02 PM on September 7, 2017 [18 favorites]
Pyjamas or pajamas?
Po-jama people
posted by flabdablet at 9:43 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
Po-jama people
posted by flabdablet at 9:43 PM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm a nude sleeper but I have a robe* for lounging around the house wear and I always wear underwear cause otherwise you'd have to wash it every week (I do try to wash it every week tho)
*i have two robes a formal and an informal one the formal one is something I wouldn't mind being seen in in case I'm just writing all day and might have a visitor, the informal one is for dressing after the shower
posted by The Whelk at 10:00 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
*i have two robes a formal and an informal one the formal one is something I wouldn't mind being seen in in case I'm just writing all day and might have a visitor, the informal one is for dressing after the shower
posted by The Whelk at 10:00 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
i have two robes a formal and an informal one the formal one is something I wouldn't mind being seen in in case I'm just writing all day and might have a visitor,
A helpful visualization of the Whelk greeting a visitor
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:08 PM on September 7, 2017 [25 favorites]
A helpful visualization of the Whelk greeting a visitor
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:08 PM on September 7, 2017 [25 favorites]
I pretty well run the gamut depending on the ambient temperature and whether I'm with my spouse.
Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The: "If somebody could make a pair of pyjama pants with two evenly-spaced buttons in the fly instead of just one in the middle (or none!) then I'd gladly ditch the underwear for maximum comfort, but apparently this is an impossible thing that nobody has ever done."
10 minutes with a needle would solve this problem.
posted by Mitheral at 10:43 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The: "If somebody could make a pair of pyjama pants with two evenly-spaced buttons in the fly instead of just one in the middle (or none!) then I'd gladly ditch the underwear for maximum comfort, but apparently this is an impossible thing that nobody has ever done."
10 minutes with a needle would solve this problem.
posted by Mitheral at 10:43 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
That's the one to wear when your home and the Earth both get wrecked for bypasses
posted by aubilenon at 10:44 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by aubilenon at 10:44 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
10 minutes with a needle would solve this problem.
I don't know, sewing my penis to the inside of my leg seems like it might end up causing me more harm than good.
As for pajamas, I wear shorts and a T-shirt. The shorts very rarely get washed (I wear underwear underneath), and the tee gets washed (near)daily since it is usually my undershirt from work that day.
I also never wash my jeans, my running shorts smell so bad that my wife insists I keep them out on the veranda, and I only change my pillowcase when my face begins to stick to it.
posted by Literaryhero at 11:26 PM on September 7, 2017 [5 favorites]
I don't know, sewing my penis to the inside of my leg seems like it might end up causing me more harm than good.
As for pajamas, I wear shorts and a T-shirt. The shorts very rarely get washed (I wear underwear underneath), and the tee gets washed (near)daily since it is usually my undershirt from work that day.
I also never wash my jeans, my running shorts smell so bad that my wife insists I keep them out on the veranda, and I only change my pillowcase when my face begins to stick to it.
posted by Literaryhero at 11:26 PM on September 7, 2017 [5 favorites]
This summer its been all naked sleeping all the time. And no damn top sheet either. With just a bottom sheet, it's really easy to check that there are no scorpions in the bed. Texas, y'all!
In the winter, I'll wear the flannel granny nightgown AND socks! and put the top sheet on.
I wash my naked whenever it needs it and my nightgown once a week.
I have never shopped naked or in my nightgown, unless you count online shopping, which I have done in every state of dress and undress.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 11:26 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
In the winter, I'll wear the flannel granny nightgown AND socks! and put the top sheet on.
I wash my naked whenever it needs it and my nightgown once a week.
I have never shopped naked or in my nightgown, unless you count online shopping, which I have done in every state of dress and undress.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 11:26 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Given that I generally just curl up and sleep in them -- during which time I lower my core temperature to 5 degrees Celsius and essentially cease breathing for the dark season -- washing my sleeping clothes every day would be crazy. Every vernal equinox would be closer to the truth.
But some people really only start living when they slip into their pajamas, and I certainly don't begrudge them washing and drying loads and loads of pajamas every week if that's what makes them feel good.
posted by pracowity at 12:06 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
But some people really only start living when they slip into their pajamas, and I certainly don't begrudge them washing and drying loads and loads of pajamas every week if that's what makes them feel good.
posted by pracowity at 12:06 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm not particular about what I wear on the bottom but I can't sleep with cold shoulders and somehow my shoulders do not think blankets are adequate. They require a t-shirt.
Other than that observation I feel emjaybee is exactly correct. And whenever a thread like this comes up I'm just staggered by how much laundry you all seem to do.
posted by potrzebie at 12:16 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Other than that observation I feel emjaybee is exactly correct. And whenever a thread like this comes up I'm just staggered by how much laundry you all seem to do.
posted by potrzebie at 12:16 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
The back door to my house and the windows along the back are placed such that you probably can't see me from the street behind our house through them.
But, I bet you could seem me from across the street, in the elementary school.
Oh hai. I walk my dog after dark in the park that backs the backs of my across-the-street neighbor's houses. The HOA prohibits fences. I can tell you that at least two of my male neighbors sleep in the nude. For additional points, one of them undresses downstairs and majestically ascends to his upstairs bedroom that way.
The dog is unconcerned but I have had problems looking both of them in the eye since.
posted by charmedimsure at 12:26 AM on September 8, 2017 [10 favorites]
But, I bet you could seem me from across the street, in the elementary school.
Oh hai. I walk my dog after dark in the park that backs the backs of my across-the-street neighbor's houses. The HOA prohibits fences. I can tell you that at least two of my male neighbors sleep in the nude. For additional points, one of them undresses downstairs and majestically ascends to his upstairs bedroom that way.
The dog is unconcerned but I have had problems looking both of them in the eye since.
posted by charmedimsure at 12:26 AM on September 8, 2017 [10 favorites]
If you're cold at night, a heated mattress pad is wayyy better than sleep clothes.
Except maybe... wait.. does nobody here wear sleeping caps?
posted by aubilenon at 12:43 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Except maybe... wait.. does nobody here wear sleeping caps?
posted by aubilenon at 12:43 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
I am currently doing laundry and cannot even imagine doing it as often as everyone here seems to.
I can't sleep in clothes. I take them off when i sleep, and have almost strangled myself doing so. I do have house pants/Netflix pants, and lots of robes in case I have to not be naked for some reason. I have a lot of humungous xxxxl long men's western shirts for the same reason; they are super comfy and stylish enough to look like a legit dress if i put on some leggings and a belt.
Seams in the ladyparts is a hard no
Have you ever seen women's underpants like this and just made seriously upset noises because OW THERE IS TOP SERIOUS ANATOMY RIGHT THERE.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:46 AM on September 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
I can't sleep in clothes. I take them off when i sleep, and have almost strangled myself doing so. I do have house pants/Netflix pants, and lots of robes in case I have to not be naked for some reason. I have a lot of humungous xxxxl long men's western shirts for the same reason; they are super comfy and stylish enough to look like a legit dress if i put on some leggings and a belt.
Seams in the ladyparts is a hard no
Have you ever seen women's underpants like this and just made seriously upset noises because OW THERE IS TOP SERIOUS ANATOMY RIGHT THERE.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:46 AM on September 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
Metafilter: Contained but ventilated
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 2:41 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 2:41 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
In England, a lot of people sleep with no heating. Combine this with poor insulation -- I look like one of those "Winter is Coming" memes when I go to bed. I also have a sleeping bag for lounging around the house much of the year.
Oh and Mr. Moonlight believes that heated mattress pad will add £70,598,904,893,208,439,028 to our electricity bill per day, so that's a no-go too.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 3:13 AM on September 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh and Mr. Moonlight believes that heated mattress pad will add £70,598,904,893,208,439,028 to our electricity bill per day, so that's a no-go too.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 3:13 AM on September 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
£70,598,904,893,208,439,028
That must have been before BG announced another 12.5% rise in electricity prices.
posted by biffa at 3:21 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
That must have been before BG announced another 12.5% rise in electricity prices.
posted by biffa at 3:21 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Sleeping cap?! Do they actually exist?
(Back under edit: you can buy one at Wal Mart for under 10 bucks. Mind blown)
posted by Literaryhero at 3:41 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
(Back under edit: you can buy one at Wal Mart for under 10 bucks. Mind blown)
posted by Literaryhero at 3:41 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Except maybe... wait.. does nobody here wear sleeping caps?
A few years back I cut my hair very short after decades of having it long. I could not believe how friggin' cold my head was a lot of the time. I have an infinity scarf made of a t-shirt-like material that I took to wearing to bed for warmth. I never thought of looking for a sleep cap. Ebeneezer Scrooge probably got a lot of poontang in that hat.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 3:50 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
A few years back I cut my hair very short after decades of having it long. I could not believe how friggin' cold my head was a lot of the time. I have an infinity scarf made of a t-shirt-like material that I took to wearing to bed for warmth. I never thought of looking for a sleep cap. Ebeneezer Scrooge probably got a lot of poontang in that hat.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 3:50 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Except maybe... wait.. does nobody here wear sleeping caps?
I've never liked wearing a hat at night, but I've slept in several places so cold that the only option was either cocooning your head under the covers and trying to maintain just enough opening to breathe without letting the cold in, or putting one or two spare pillows on top of your head for insulation.
If I wear socks to bed, I wake up with itchy feet and it just feels wrong.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:11 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
I've never liked wearing a hat at night, but I've slept in several places so cold that the only option was either cocooning your head under the covers and trying to maintain just enough opening to breathe without letting the cold in, or putting one or two spare pillows on top of your head for insulation.
If I wear socks to bed, I wake up with itchy feet and it just feels wrong.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:11 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
You all need double duvets filled with goose down, like other civilized people. On the other hand, then goose down would probably become too expensive for someone like me.
I suddenly realize I forgot to tell my best sleeping in the nude anecdote. You need to know that I am very old, from an other age where nudity wasn't as shameful as today and a friend of mine actually forgot she wasn't wearing clothes one hot summer and went shopping without clothes on. I'm not saying it was normal, but it really wasn't as big a deal as it would have been now.
So when I went to university, a lot of my friends were still in high school, and living with their parents. And in the beginning they would come over to my dormitory quite often, to hang out without parental supervision. At some point I realized that it had to end if I were to pass any courses, and I limited the practice to weekends. In spite of this, one night I heard someone was crawling in through my French window. I was incensed - what the hell was this guy thinking after I'd set up clear rules. I jumped out of bed and started screaming in fowl language at this guy I thought was my best friend. But it was a burglar! He was scared out of his wits, and fled into my neighbor's room. I wasn't scared, but angry, and now I realized we should do something. So I woke up the big body builder guy down the hall, and we caught the burglar and called the police. Then I realized I was naked. No one commented it at any time. Those were the days
posted by mumimor at 5:11 AM on September 8, 2017 [10 favorites]
I suddenly realize I forgot to tell my best sleeping in the nude anecdote. You need to know that I am very old, from an other age where nudity wasn't as shameful as today and a friend of mine actually forgot she wasn't wearing clothes one hot summer and went shopping without clothes on. I'm not saying it was normal, but it really wasn't as big a deal as it would have been now.
So when I went to university, a lot of my friends were still in high school, and living with their parents. And in the beginning they would come over to my dormitory quite often, to hang out without parental supervision. At some point I realized that it had to end if I were to pass any courses, and I limited the practice to weekends. In spite of this, one night I heard someone was crawling in through my French window. I was incensed - what the hell was this guy thinking after I'd set up clear rules. I jumped out of bed and started screaming in fowl language at this guy I thought was my best friend. But it was a burglar! He was scared out of his wits, and fled into my neighbor's room. I wasn't scared, but angry, and now I realized we should do something. So I woke up the big body builder guy down the hall, and we caught the burglar and called the police. Then I realized I was naked. No one commented it at any time. Those were the days
posted by mumimor at 5:11 AM on September 8, 2017 [10 favorites]
I sleep in a long-sleeved t-shirt and underwear. I wear the same shirt for a couple of months without washing it, and usually also wear it during the day around the house. (I do wear something clean if I go out.) I haven't changed the sheet on my bed in about a year. This is actually fine. I mention it because, if no one does, then all of us who think this is fine will hide in shame and think they are alone. :)
posted by Vispa Teresa at 5:17 AM on September 8, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Vispa Teresa at 5:17 AM on September 8, 2017 [9 favorites]
I like the idea of boxer briefs, and I run in compression shorts, which are essentially the same thing. But outside of running, whenever I've tried to wear boxer briefs, they create the constant and false sensation that my pants are falling down.
But about pajamas - when my parents retired they moved up to the mountains in north central Pennsylvania. The first time I visited and drove down to "The Walmart" my mom warned me that there'd be people walking around shopping in their pajamas. I didn't believe this but it was true. And not only was it true, every time we went there on my occasional visits, I'd start to recognize the same people, which means if I wasn't there too often, they must must be there all the time.
posted by lagomorphius at 5:28 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
But about pajamas - when my parents retired they moved up to the mountains in north central Pennsylvania. The first time I visited and drove down to "The Walmart" my mom warned me that there'd be people walking around shopping in their pajamas. I didn't believe this but it was true. And not only was it true, every time we went there on my occasional visits, I'd start to recognize the same people, which means if I wasn't there too often, they must must be there all the time.
posted by lagomorphius at 5:28 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have slept nude since grade school (keeping either a robe or underwear at the ready). Even when it's the dead of winter out here on the frozen tundra, it has to get down to minus 20F and windy before we feel it inside the house. Then I'll wear a long-sleeved t-shirt and pile on a down comforter. Most of the time I under up ditching the t-shirt because it gets all twisted. My wife, especially since her thermostat broke at age 50, sleeps in just a t-shirt or nude. But there's something else she does that is a whole 'nother controversy.
She sleeps with the windows open.
I have seen the woman crack open the bedroom window when it's below freezing. "I just need a little cool air." Well fuck that. Plus she's a deep sleeper. A school bus could drive through our bedroom and she'd miss it. I am a light sleeper and the slightest noise wakes me. Traffic from the highway, birds just before dawn, a cat vomiting in the hallway, all of these things can wake me up. So now I sleep in another bedroom. If I have the windows open in the summer I've got a very loud fan that drowns out the noise. It also drowns out my wife complaining about the fan.
posted by Ber at 5:31 AM on September 8, 2017 [8 favorites]
She sleeps with the windows open.
I have seen the woman crack open the bedroom window when it's below freezing. "I just need a little cool air." Well fuck that. Plus she's a deep sleeper. A school bus could drive through our bedroom and she'd miss it. I am a light sleeper and the slightest noise wakes me. Traffic from the highway, birds just before dawn, a cat vomiting in the hallway, all of these things can wake me up. So now I sleep in another bedroom. If I have the windows open in the summer I've got a very loud fan that drowns out the noise. It also drowns out my wife complaining about the fan.
posted by Ber at 5:31 AM on September 8, 2017 [8 favorites]
I have seen the woman crack open the bedroom window when it's below freezing. "I just need a little cool air."
Also grew up in MN, and love cold winter air in the bedroom because it makes the bed that much deliciously warmer.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:54 AM on September 8, 2017 [14 favorites]
Also grew up in MN, and love cold winter air in the bedroom because it makes the bed that much deliciously warmer.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:54 AM on September 8, 2017 [14 favorites]
My pajamas are shorts with underwear and maybe a tee shirt.
Me too -- I can't stand the way the women's pajamas I find are cut.
I really really hate sleeping naked. It feels . . . . drafty.
posted by JanetLand at 6:19 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Me too -- I can't stand the way the women's pajamas I find are cut.
I really really hate sleeping naked. It feels . . . . drafty.
posted by JanetLand at 6:19 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Oh, and they get washed whenever I happen to be washing other clothes. I'm pretty comfortable rubbing up against my own dead skin flakes for a few nights.
posted by JanetLand at 6:21 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by JanetLand at 6:21 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Some people wear clothes when they sleep?
It's always a disappointment to find out that a new partner is one of... those. Having to put something on like I was sleeping at my mother's house? Who wants *that*?
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:34 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
It's always a disappointment to find out that a new partner is one of... those. Having to put something on like I was sleeping at my mother's house? Who wants *that*?
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:34 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
This thread is great and I'm going to try sleeping naked now. I've never done it before!
I don't think I can give up my PJ pants, though. I buy size S men's PJ pants from Springfield because they have pockets and even when I'm at home I like to have pockets.
posted by lollymccatburglar at 6:48 AM on September 8, 2017 [4 favorites]
I don't think I can give up my PJ pants, though. I buy size S men's PJ pants from Springfield because they have pockets and even when I'm at home I like to have pockets.
posted by lollymccatburglar at 6:48 AM on September 8, 2017 [4 favorites]
I have seen the woman crack open the bedroom window when it's below freezing. "I just need a little cool air."
My partner's line is "I need some fresh air", so she opens windows in the middle of a boiling hot and swampy humid summer day, or keeps them open during a boiling hot and humid summer night. My attempts to argue that air conditioning the outside is a bad idea and raises our power bill fall on deaf ears.
posted by sotonohito at 6:56 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
My partner's line is "I need some fresh air", so she opens windows in the middle of a boiling hot and swampy humid summer day, or keeps them open during a boiling hot and humid summer night. My attempts to argue that air conditioning the outside is a bad idea and raises our power bill fall on deaf ears.
posted by sotonohito at 6:56 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Tank top and hoy shorts. It's easy too hot to wear much else except for a few weeks out if the wear. For them I have comfy flannel on bottoms. I actually like sleeping nekkid, but I live in earthquake country and if I'm alone I ant a little head start. Also, my boobs aren't enormous, but they're big enough that a tank of family contains some of the floppiness, which can be uncomfortable otherwise. Shorts to into the hand wash pile, but I can be a Sweaty Betty so sometimes tanks gets hampered right away, too.
Someone had a great jokes about pajamas being like little suits but I can't find it now. (It wasn't Paul F. Tompkins. Steven Wright, maybe)
Lastly: PIH-zhamas. PIH-zhamas. PIH-zhamas. PIH-zhamas. That's how my Dad pronounced pajamas and I sometimes don't recognize the word when I see it printed.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:00 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Someone had a great jokes about pajamas being like little suits but I can't find it now. (It wasn't Paul F. Tompkins. Steven Wright, maybe)
Lastly: PIH-zhamas. PIH-zhamas. PIH-zhamas. PIH-zhamas. That's how my Dad pronounced pajamas and I sometimes don't recognize the word when I see it printed.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:00 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
She sleeps with the windows open
I was raised by people that believed fresh air was the solution to all that ails you. Even in the middle of summer, I'll turn the air off/way up and air out the house, pretty regularly. And honestly, I love sleeping with the window open, especially when it's chilly out, For my part though, I grew up in mountains in the South, where it gets cold, but rarely super cold, and spent most of my childhood and young adult life living in old houses and apartments with radiator/boiler heat which gave me minimal control over the temperature and I generally slept on an upper floor, so having that breath of cold beside the bed while the radiator groaned out tropical temperatures was always the best.
(It also helps that I don't mind being a little cold in winter and a little hot in summer).
Honestly, I didn't know everyone didn't do this until I lived with roommates. And then I got to goggle at the fact some of them NEVER opened the windows. In fact, some of them never even opened the curtains/shades/blinds.
posted by thivaia at 7:16 AM on September 8, 2017 [4 favorites]
And then I got to goggle at the fact some of them NEVER opened the windows.
I grew up in a house like that -- we had central heat and air conditioning and my parents absolutely never opened the windows and flipped out if any of us kids did. Only after I moved to Maine at age 30 did I begin to know the joy of open windows living.
[to be fair, my parents grew up sweltering in Florida in the 1930s and 40s and therefore regarded air conditioning as A Holy Thing]
posted by JanetLand at 7:25 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
I grew up in a house like that -- we had central heat and air conditioning and my parents absolutely never opened the windows and flipped out if any of us kids did. Only after I moved to Maine at age 30 did I begin to know the joy of open windows living.
[to be fair, my parents grew up sweltering in Florida in the 1930s and 40s and therefore regarded air conditioning as A Holy Thing]
posted by JanetLand at 7:25 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Sorry that my last comment is barely english. I really hate typing on this stupid ipad.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:28 AM on September 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 7:28 AM on September 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
She sleeps with the windows open
My Seattlite GF does this too. Apparently, it actually can help sleep to be in a slightly cool environment.
I don't normally mind it, except we now live in Chicago, and she has a habit of stealing the duvet.
posted by phack at 7:44 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
My Seattlite GF does this too. Apparently, it actually can help sleep to be in a slightly cool environment.
I don't normally mind it, except we now live in Chicago, and she has a habit of stealing the duvet.
posted by phack at 7:44 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Does anyone else now envision leotrotsky living in a GIlligan's Island type hut?
posted by CoffeeHikeNapWine at 8:20 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by CoffeeHikeNapWine at 8:20 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Someone had a great jokes about pajamas being like little suits but I can't find it now. (It wasn't Paul F. Tompkins. Steven Wright, maybe)
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that's funny. Those men's style pajama sets look like cartoon businessman costumes, like you're headed to an important business meeting in Sleepytown. They even have piping for extra cartoon effect.
posted by ernielundquist at 8:25 AM on September 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that's funny. Those men's style pajama sets look like cartoon businessman costumes, like you're headed to an important business meeting in Sleepytown. They even have piping for extra cartoon effect.
posted by ernielundquist at 8:25 AM on September 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
This adult pajama onesie looks just like a full business suit — one guy wore it for a week and no one noticed
posted by Room 641-A at 8:55 AM on September 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 8:55 AM on September 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
I would not be able to sleep in anything less than pyjamas and underwear - what would happen if there were an emergency?
then you scream and scream and scream at the burglar until he panics and runs away whence he came. you do put on some pants before you call 911, or I did. otherwise they would know you weren't wearing any, over the phone.
good for the old self-esteem to find out that between a naked woman and a drug-addled home invader, the winner of the scary contest is just the one with the louder scream. and I doubt I would have had such good scream reflexes if I had had anything on. so, no pyjamas yesterday, no pyjamas today, no pyjamas tomorrow. used to be habit and now it is pride.
posted by queenofbithynia at 9:04 AM on September 8, 2017 [11 favorites]
then you scream and scream and scream at the burglar until he panics and runs away whence he came. you do put on some pants before you call 911, or I did. otherwise they would know you weren't wearing any, over the phone.
good for the old self-esteem to find out that between a naked woman and a drug-addled home invader, the winner of the scary contest is just the one with the louder scream. and I doubt I would have had such good scream reflexes if I had had anything on. so, no pyjamas yesterday, no pyjamas today, no pyjamas tomorrow. used to be habit and now it is pride.
posted by queenofbithynia at 9:04 AM on September 8, 2017 [11 favorites]
My now-wife broke me out of going to bed in the clothes I'd been wearing that day. Apparently it's "uncomfortable" or something to be cuddling someone who favours wearing thick corduroy trousers or skirts with embroidery or whatever. (I still think this is very unfair.) I have also been baffled when people express shock that I sleep in underwired bras. They're perfectly comfortable to sleep in for me! Basically I like wearing as many clothes as possible. I now wear nice pyjama bottoms I buy from the M&S menswear section because they're much thicker and have massive pockets, along with random tshirts. In contrast, my wife wears pants and nothing else to bed, and would be happier wearing the same most of the day. This is obviously bizarre.
posted by Cheerwell Maker at 9:46 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Cheerwell Maker at 9:46 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
> my wife wears pants and nothing else to bed
UK "pants" or US "pants"? As an American, I imagine her wearing sensible trousers to bed.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:34 AM on September 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
UK "pants" or US "pants"? As an American, I imagine her wearing sensible trousers to bed.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:34 AM on September 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
Pre air-conditioning sleeping porches were a big thing. I first ran across the term in "Babbitt" which takes place in the 20s. A friend of mine bought an old farmhouse near Chicago that had a gigantic sleeping porch off of the second floor. Apparently the entire household would sometimes sleep out on it.
posted by lagomorphius at 10:57 AM on September 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by lagomorphius at 10:57 AM on September 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
someone upthread mentioned their little kids sleeping in the clothes they planned to wear the next day and i must state now for the record that these youths are geniuses
when i was still able to go to the gym first thing in the morning i would sleep in (clean) gym clothes so i could just roll out of bed and go, it was so gr8
posted by poffin boffin at 12:01 PM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
when i was still able to go to the gym first thing in the morning i would sleep in (clean) gym clothes so i could just roll out of bed and go, it was so gr8
posted by poffin boffin at 12:01 PM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Two kinds of people: [Most clothes are uncomfortable and I remove them as soon as I can] vs [Most clothes are comfortable and there is no reason to remove them until bedtime] I have no single sleeping uniform because there are too many variables, including my husband's penchant for open windows + central air.
posted by soelo at 12:39 PM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by soelo at 12:39 PM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
There were a couple of years in university about 20 years ago when I slept naked, but I never really found it all that comfortable. I'm back to old-fashioned men's button-up pajamas. Unfortunately they are getting harder to find. Ones with piping seem to be extinct. If it gets really hot and humid in the summer, I may wear t-shirt instead of the button-up top, or sometimes a long-sleeved t-shirt. But never underwear. Who wants to be overdressed to sleep?
posted by fimbulvetr at 1:04 PM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by fimbulvetr at 1:04 PM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
leotrotsky is right. Hammocks are great but chilly.
It has now come to a point in the year where the temperature in my bedroom drops below 75f at night. Just jammies (various pieces of knitwear top and bottom) are not cutting it. I can be fully dressed, including socks, synthetic fiber sweater, and blanket, and I still wake up cold. I have stacked hammocks, with a duvet, fleece blanket, and flannel sheet in the bottom hammock. Still not warm enough, and unwieldy. I'm now trying to figure out how to use a wool comforter as an underquilt without damaging it.
Last summer, when sleeping in the giant foam pod, I was sweltering in tshirt and bamboo boxer briefs. This year, haven't worn the boxer briefs at all. Too chilly in a hammock.
But yeah, jammies. Washed regularly. I don't work outside the house, so I wear such clothes most of the time. Sometimes worn for only a day or night, sometimes for a few days. Underpants usually changed daily.
But I don't go out in them, ever. I have Standards to maintain, and I don't like getting stared at.
posted by monopas at 1:30 PM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
It has now come to a point in the year where the temperature in my bedroom drops below 75f at night. Just jammies (various pieces of knitwear top and bottom) are not cutting it. I can be fully dressed, including socks, synthetic fiber sweater, and blanket, and I still wake up cold. I have stacked hammocks, with a duvet, fleece blanket, and flannel sheet in the bottom hammock. Still not warm enough, and unwieldy. I'm now trying to figure out how to use a wool comforter as an underquilt without damaging it.
Last summer, when sleeping in the giant foam pod, I was sweltering in tshirt and bamboo boxer briefs. This year, haven't worn the boxer briefs at all. Too chilly in a hammock.
But yeah, jammies. Washed regularly. I don't work outside the house, so I wear such clothes most of the time. Sometimes worn for only a day or night, sometimes for a few days. Underpants usually changed daily.
But I don't go out in them, ever. I have Standards to maintain, and I don't like getting stared at.
posted by monopas at 1:30 PM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
>UK "pants" or US "pants"? As an American, I imagine her wearing sensible trousers to bed.
UK pants! It's me that wants to wear sensible trousers to bed.
posted by Cheerwell Maker at 3:27 PM on September 8, 2017 [4 favorites]
UK pants! It's me that wants to wear sensible trousers to bed.
posted by Cheerwell Maker at 3:27 PM on September 8, 2017 [4 favorites]
It has now come to a point in the year where the temperature in my bedroom drops below 75f at night. Just jammies (various pieces of knitwear top and bottom) are not cutting it.
Cue an argument about bedroom temperatures.
My electricity bill is enormous because I need my bedroom to be 65-58f at all times...
posted by brook horse at 3:30 PM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Cue an argument about bedroom temperatures.
My electricity bill is enormous because I need my bedroom to be 65-58f at all times...
posted by brook horse at 3:30 PM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
One time shortly after 9-11 I was staying at the hotel in DC where former Mayor Marion Barry was busted smoking crack, as were a large group of diplomats from [somewhere controversial that I can't recall]. Every night there were bomb threats. The fire alarm would go off and we would all troop down the stairs and stand around in the lobby or outside while the fire department searched the building. Each night the hotel would station people at the stairwells with a stack of robes. As groggy naked people and the nearly nude emerged from the stairwell the staff would place robes around their shoulders. The highlight was the arrival of the nude flight attendants from one of the Scandinavian airlines. On the subsequent nights, the building took longer and longer to evacuate, as more people took the time to get dressed and brought reading material with them. Only the newcomers showed up without clothes.
posted by carmicha at 3:37 PM on September 8, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by carmicha at 3:37 PM on September 8, 2017 [6 favorites]
I'm now trying to figure out how to use a wool comforter as an underquilt without damaging it.
you need to attach it to the outside of the hammock beneath you, not between you and the hammock. so the layers are exterior wool blankie, then hammock(s), then you, then blankies upon you.
posted by poffin boffin at 4:10 PM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
you need to attach it to the outside of the hammock beneath you, not between you and the hammock. so the layers are exterior wool blankie, then hammock(s), then you, then blankies upon you.
posted by poffin boffin at 4:10 PM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
As a disabled person who lives in pajamas because of thermoregulation problems and pressure sensitivity, I have tussled with solving this comfortable, easily washable clothing thing probably more than average.
I have two big piles of Wittman Textiles nightshirts: enough undyed ones to get me through most of a couple weeks, and enough black ones for the week of the month those are needed.
They are nice, soft 100% cotton, super stretchy, and have no seams on the sides. Because they're all the same, they're simple to sort, wash, and fold. And they're union made in the U.S.!
I don't have the energy to bathe every day, so changing clothes has psychological and physical benefits.
When I get up in the morning, I change my nightshirt. If it's cool enough I pull on a pair of loosely-elasticized pants. I think of this uniform as inspired by, but much less decorative than, salwar kameez.
Don't I miss fashion, wearing the same thing every day? Yes, terribly. I stalk vintage clothes on ebay to help with that, and my mom keeps an eye out for interesting pajama pants and robes, so I can get a little touch of difference there.
posted by jocelmeow at 4:34 PM on September 8, 2017 [12 favorites]
I have two big piles of Wittman Textiles nightshirts: enough undyed ones to get me through most of a couple weeks, and enough black ones for the week of the month those are needed.
They are nice, soft 100% cotton, super stretchy, and have no seams on the sides. Because they're all the same, they're simple to sort, wash, and fold. And they're union made in the U.S.!
I don't have the energy to bathe every day, so changing clothes has psychological and physical benefits.
When I get up in the morning, I change my nightshirt. If it's cool enough I pull on a pair of loosely-elasticized pants. I think of this uniform as inspired by, but much less decorative than, salwar kameez.
Don't I miss fashion, wearing the same thing every day? Yes, terribly. I stalk vintage clothes on ebay to help with that, and my mom keeps an eye out for interesting pajama pants and robes, so I can get a little touch of difference there.
posted by jocelmeow at 4:34 PM on September 8, 2017 [12 favorites]
poffin boffin, thank you for the suggestion. It's complicated. RIght now I have one hammock nested inside another hammock. The bottom hammock holds the insulation, the top one holds me. It is hard to get the spacing right to set up a baffle of warm air.
Attatching things underneath the bottom of the hammock didn't work very well at all, even though I have some layers the same size as the bed section of the hammock. The hammock is stretchier than the insulating layer, so there was no air space. And the only hammock I have that this even sort-of worked with has the unfortunate quality of not being easily washable.
The wool comforter is an extra problem, because it is actually wider than any of my hammocks, and I very much don't want to do anything irreversable to it unless I am certain that it will work. Because replacing it would be difficult. However, it is the best of the possibilities I have at my disposal. Down is not an option, and anything that is more of a vapor barrier has major downsides.
And on that note, I'm going to go put on warmer jammies and go to hammock.
posted by monopas at 1:57 AM on September 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
Attatching things underneath the bottom of the hammock didn't work very well at all, even though I have some layers the same size as the bed section of the hammock. The hammock is stretchier than the insulating layer, so there was no air space. And the only hammock I have that this even sort-of worked with has the unfortunate quality of not being easily washable.
The wool comforter is an extra problem, because it is actually wider than any of my hammocks, and I very much don't want to do anything irreversable to it unless I am certain that it will work. Because replacing it would be difficult. However, it is the best of the possibilities I have at my disposal. Down is not an option, and anything that is more of a vapor barrier has major downsides.
And on that note, I'm going to go put on warmer jammies and go to hammock.
posted by monopas at 1:57 AM on September 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
I lived in the tropics for a decade and nary a thread touched my sleeping form the entire time. It was delightful. (Except that time the postman rang the doorbell while I was fast asleep and I groggily hurtled downstairs, as there was a parcel I was eagerly awaiting, and forgot all about the nakedness until I flung the door open.
So there's a data point in favour of clothes, I guess.)
I've now moved to a place with actual seasons and it's a whole new world. Flannel sheets, socks in bed, a Desperation Beanie one horribly cold night.
But nearing winter's end, I've ended up at flannel pj set + underwear + knee socks (for the first half hour only. Very important. Long enough to stop shivering and begin to warm, not so long that I fall asleep in them and have heat-nightmares.)
These pj's have been the clear winner of all the ones I've tried. Thick cozy flannel, cute Chinese takeout design (with cheery messages on the fortune cookies) and large, useful pockets on the top for throwing my phone in when I listen to podcasts as I potter around closing up the house for the night.
Sleeping attire, man. There's so much to think about.
posted by pseudonymph at 2:29 AM on September 9, 2017 [3 favorites]
So there's a data point in favour of clothes, I guess.)
I've now moved to a place with actual seasons and it's a whole new world. Flannel sheets, socks in bed, a Desperation Beanie one horribly cold night.
But nearing winter's end, I've ended up at flannel pj set + underwear + knee socks (for the first half hour only. Very important. Long enough to stop shivering and begin to warm, not so long that I fall asleep in them and have heat-nightmares.)
These pj's have been the clear winner of all the ones I've tried. Thick cozy flannel, cute Chinese takeout design (with cheery messages on the fortune cookies) and large, useful pockets on the top for throwing my phone in when I listen to podcasts as I potter around closing up the house for the night.
Sleeping attire, man. There's so much to think about.
posted by pseudonymph at 2:29 AM on September 9, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh hey, what are people's favorites for flannel and terrycloth bathrobes?
(Mine are both about two grades below informal and cheerfully flirting with the grade of the-terrycloth-bathmat-youngercatbailard-pulled-into-the-catbox-to-do-an-extra-fine-job-of-burrying-unmentionable-substances.)
posted by sebastienbailard at 3:20 AM on September 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
(Mine are both about two grades below informal and cheerfully flirting with the grade of the-terrycloth-bathmat-youngercatbailard-pulled-into-the-catbox-to-do-an-extra-fine-job-of-burrying-unmentionable-substances.)
posted by sebastienbailard at 3:20 AM on September 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
Campers who sleep in hammock tents use some kind of insulating pad underneath, just as if they were sleeping on the ground (you can have the warmest sleeping bag in the world, but you'll freeze if you don't sleep on a pad). The least expensive ones are just closed cell foam pads. Don't see any reason why they wouldn't work inside.
posted by Bee'sWing at 6:14 AM on September 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Bee'sWing at 6:14 AM on September 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
Kids' pyjamas. I have some with little skeletons riding bicycles. Awesome. Only works if you are the same size and shape as a 12-14 year old boy, though. My wife, on the other hand, often has to be woken up and forcibly undressed as she has gone to bed in jeans and a jumper and is overheating dangerously.
Although she has also flashed a postie. And the odd friend. I'm not especially modest, but I've never been *accidentally* nudie at anyone.
posted by BlueNorther at 12:03 PM on September 9, 2017 [3 favorites]
Although she has also flashed a postie. And the odd friend. I'm not especially modest, but I've never been *accidentally* nudie at anyone.
posted by BlueNorther at 12:03 PM on September 9, 2017 [3 favorites]
There is no need for an actual nightcap when you own a hoodie.
I routinely wore one to bed with the hood up when I spent a winter in a wood stove heated house.
posted by Archipelago at 9:51 AM on September 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
I routinely wore one to bed with the hood up when I spent a winter in a wood stove heated house.
posted by Archipelago at 9:51 AM on September 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
Monopas, I slept in a hammock for several years and my solution for cold weather was a sleeping bag. An insulated pad or underquilt is useful in actual camping situations when it might get down into the 40s or 50s Farenheit (plus it's probably breezy) but indoors where it's probably in the 60s and the air is still you don't need to get as crazy. A sleeping bag will insulate you above and below, albeit not quite as much below since you'll be crushing the insulation. It'll work though, and it doesn't have to be a particularly warm or fancy sleeping bag. A three-season bag that's good to about 30F or so should be fine, probably a bit warmer than necessary most of the time.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 10:27 AM on September 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 10:27 AM on September 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
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