Friday, July 28, 2006

friday poll - I NEED HELP (please)













last night, i found myself in a conversation where i was outnumbered, four to one, on the following question:



do you wear your underwear to bed?


this means, explicitly, do you keep on your underpants in bed, either under pyjama bottoms, or a nightie. or do you take them off, and then put on your pyjama pants or nightie, or whatever.

now, i don't, as a rule, wear my undies to bed. by the end of the day, they need to be in the dirty linen basket. but the people i was with all most strenuously and loudly argued the undies have to stay on.

men and women.

catholics all.

i would like to know what readers think about this. if i can get 50 people to tell me their position on this question, next time i see these people i can either validate them, or myself. if possible, i would like to be able to group results, ie if you can indicate basically what you wear to bed, varieties if any. and also, if you wouldn't mind, an indication of whether you are catholic or not.

is that too much to ask? forget the religion bit if it offends thee.

and i promise i'm not a pervert. i'm just curious. and a compulsive researcher.

have a great weekend.

* i thought maybe they've been trained to keep as many layers of fabric between themselves and their hands at all times. whereas, in my family, non-practising church of englanders, anglicans now? my parents walked around in the nude, well from shower to bedroom. there was no coyness. to the point where one of my childhood gags with the kids down the street was to mimic my dad and his swinging penis. the penis was simulated first with fingers, then with a ruler until finally the joke got out of control and i remember doing the dad walk with a rake swinging from side to side. of course, there was a silly noise that went with this visual. kind of a duh-duh-duh in time to the swinging movement. i hasten to add the neighbours never SAW dad's nude walk, as performed by him; but it was my duty to reveal all sorts of secret-family business to my friends. what is princess telling her friends about me? actually, i was reading her homework book and she was putting words in sentences. this was one of her sentences:

smooth. My dad's hair is soft and smooth but my mum's hair isn't.

53 comments:

Anonymous said...

When it's cold - flannel PJs.
When it's 'mild' - flannel PJ pants, t-shirt.
When it's warm - nothing.
I only sleep in undies when I'm crashing at someone's place unexpectedly and don't really feel that being nude on their couch is appropriate!
Atheist of Scottish Presbyterian stock.
GF has a variety of nightwear, mostly of the flannel and interlock(?) variety, but no undies to bed and she's a mick.

Does this help?

Tammiodo said...

when it's cold - tshirt and undies.
when it's hot - tshirt and undies.
And no, i'm not catholic. I too am a not-practising-any-more-church-of-englander.

Anonymous said...

Seriously, how did this come up in conversation? I am dying to know.

And because I like to help:
I don’t own pyjamas and most of my clothes are kept in a separate room (rental property, long story etc) so I usually just wear my underwear from that day and whatever cheap T-shirt I put on when I get home from work (my personal favourite is the one that says “I did it” on the front and “And I’ll do it again” on the back, which was a gift FROM MY PARENTS just after the birth of my second child. WAS THIS A HINT?)

I am a Christian, but the church I go to is Baptist rather than Catholic. I’m pretty sure there is nothing specific in the Bible about what to wear to bed, but I haven’t checked specifically and there is a whole chapter on getting rid of mildew. Yes, there really is.

ThirdCat said...

No undies. It is the most hygienic option.

elaine said...

no undies.

If it's cold I wear pyjamas with no undies.

Occasionally I wear a nightie if it's warm (platonic slumber parties) and I'll wear fresh knickers with that.

Travis Cotton said...

living in a cold environment, i often start with undergarments on, but, by the end of the night they are more often than not strewn across the floor.

Nimitz said...

No undies, hand on crotch.

Janine said...

No undies. No anything, actually. One friend swears by pyjamas at all times in case a fire breaks out.

Anonymous said...

i almost always wear undies, sometimes only undies. unless i just had a bath and then i fall asleep wrapped in a towel because i am too lazy to bother getting dressed. this only happens when i nap during the day though. not a catholic. i feel too vunerable without undies on and after sex will put them back on before going to sleep.

Mma Crankypants said...

No undies, that's the way we were raised in my family. Catholics.

sublime-ation said...

oh no undies absolutely.

Scottish Presbyterian Pagan Atheist.

My dad's a Catholic/Maori, which means he'd sleep in an All Blacks t.


And how the HELL do girls sleep in their bras?

sublime-ation said...

oh and I wear a long sleeved t in winter, and trackie dacks/pj bottoms which get kicked off during the night.

In summer I wear a silk nightie, which normally gets ripped by getting tangled when I sleep, or my giant PJ Harvey 'Hey I'm One Big Queen' t shirt.

Or nothing.

Enny said...

I shower at night so always sleep in CLEAN undies.

And as a side note I wear a nightie in summer or the Paul Frank PJ's I bought for my partner if it's winter (I don't think he's worn the full set once)...

GS said...

I hate wearing clothes to bed, so usually naked (especially with company - i can't stand anything getting between skin), But sometimes on my own, knickers, but nothing else. Maybe its a virgo thing. Oh come on, especially when one menstruates heavily, lets get real here.

I like the idea of pjs to lounge in, but to sleep in? Yuk they ride up and feel all icky.

Pagan, slightly buddhist, burn in hell kind of woman.

Parents non church going but baptised us - Pj wearers - i think it goes with the territory having had 3 children.

anne altman said...

you're not supposed to wear underpants to bed. they're binding and stifling and shit's gotsta breathe and whatnot. i understand pajamas and no underpants when it's chilly or a t=shirt and underpants if you're on your ladytime or staying at somebody's place and you don't want them to see your cooch, but please, no doubt jesus didn't wear underpants to bed.

Rowena said...

Winter: Pyjamas, no undies. Or, winter nightie, clean undies.

Summer: T-shirt and clean undies; summer nightie, clean undies.

Very very hot summer nights - nothing.

Not Catholic.

Andrea said...

Spring: nude, no underwear
Summer: nude, no underwear
Autumn: nude, no underwear
Winter: nude, no underwear

Monotonous, isn't it. Been that way for more than 40 years. Been a Catholic for more than 40 years too. Probably the result of having parents who were both catholics and who didn't wear anything to bed either!

Anonymous said...

PJs in winter, boxers/nekkid in summer. No undies, ever.

My wife does wear undies in winter and in summer if wearing a nightie.

She went to a Catholic school, but was never a practising Catholic.

I was raised in a happy-clapping charismatic type of church, but am currently walking the path towards atheism.

ms fits said...

IT IS INCREDIBLY UNHYGIENIC TO WEAR UNDERWEAR TO BED. Pj's or slips or your boyfriend's boxer shorts - no underwear. NO. UNDERWEAR.


Or, as Anne Altman so delicately puts it: 'shit's gotsta breathe'.

BEVIS said...

Wifey and I are sleeping in my brother's bed at the moment (well, not literally "at the moment" ... and he's on the couch, thankyouverymuch!), so we're wearing anything we can.

Leeds Consultation Project said...

No undies, ever, usually, from a lapsed Presbyterian private school former Good Girl. The only time undies go on is when ... uh ... the painters are in, if you get my drift. And the undies only go on in case there's any mess that might get on the sheets.

Greg said...

I do, but I'm highly in favor of women not wearing them. That seems a bit hypocritical, so if she wants mine off too, then I'm fine with that.

richardwatts said...

I sleep starkers.

PiesFan90 said...

I guess I should declare my hand here. I've always worn umdies to bed, usually under PJ's. Lately, though this has changed to more free balling.

Ms Fits said something about this practice being unhygenic, please explain. By extension, does that mean wearing undies at all is unhygenic, why does sleeping in them matter when you are wearing them all day, where does the hygene line start and stop.

Anonymous said...

Catholic non undie wearer. Also GSOH, S/D, S/S, no kids.

Melba said...

thanks for all your responses, everyone.

i'd like to encourage more answers. i really do want to get 50 people. but please don't double up.

research paper to follow in next post, where data will be disseminated for all interested parties, as well as answers to any questions noted here.

YOU ALL ROCK, and the researcher is pleased to note that the no-undies hypothesis is anecdotally being proved, hence it could be offered up as a nocturnal-attire paradigm. please wait for full analysis.

BEVIS said...

Goodness me! Pushy, ain'tcha!

You asked me on my blog to leave a more detailed answer than my first attempt, but then I get here and you're asking people not to double-up!

I can't win ...

Anyway, usually I sleep with those half-jocks, half-boxer things on (the kind Pat Rafter advertises, the cheeky devil), because they're snug and comfy and I shower first thing in the morning anyway. This way, any 'germies' that have accumulated during the day are restricted to my underwear, and not spread across the bedsheets as well. If you think of it like that, I'm being more hygienic than some of the other people who've left a comment.

However, on the occasions that I'm wearing silk boxers (because I do own a few pairs so inevitably the day occasionally comes where that's what I'm about to go to bed wearing), I will sleep starkers. This is because the feel of the silk boxers sliding against the bedsheet while I'm sitting up in bed reading makes my blood go cold. Weird, huh.

It would appear that my choice of bed attire is universally unpopular, though, so please don't tease.

As for my religion, I'm a Proddo (Protestant - opposite to a Catholic while still remaining within the religious realm).

Hopefully that's everything you wanted me to elaborate on. I trust I have provided enough information for you this time. :)

My apologies if I have now stuffed up your stats.

Kind regards, etc,

BEVIS

PS - My/your Neighbours recap is being written at the moment as a comment on my blog, so it'll be there soon.

Melba said...

dear bevis. i don't want people doubling up IF THEY HAVE ALREADY COMMENTED SUFFICIENTLY.

you didn't mention anything specific on the undie front. you just said you and wifey were wearing whatever you could get your hands on, and that you were sleeping in your brother's bed, which is not a normal circumstance.

i thought you would figure that out, my love. obviously you are distracted with the neighbours review. which i am anxiously awaiting.

BUT NOT BEING PUSHY ABOUT IT!

thank you for coming back and re-commenting.

BEVIS said...

It's up now.

I was only teasing you, above.

x

Chai said...

Depends... generally with but not as rule.

Mars said...

Undies on. Clean ones.
Can i just say that i'm really surprised so many people don't wear undies to bed. I always thought i was quite normal. Evidentally not.

Fluffy said...

Looks like I'm in the minority here, but...

Undies, under pyjamas in the winter and just with a t-shirt or nothing in the summer. Unless I have a bath just before bed in which case I don't think it's worth putting on fresh undies for bed. Waste of laundry etc. Most of what I do in my life clothing-wise is laundry avoidance.

Not catholic.

Anonymous said...

I sleep in undies all year round. Does it make a difference if you wear boxers or briefs? Cos in summer i just wear boxers. But id imagine that if i were a briefs wearer i wouldnt just go to bed in briefs. Also, i think it is dependant on if you are a morning or evening shower person. If you are a morning shower person it means you have gone many hours without washing when you go to bed. In that case, going to be starkers would be a bit gross.

magical_m said...

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

In Spring, Summer & Autumn I wear undies and a singlet top and try and kid myself into thinking I look as hot as those Antz Pantz girls.

Which I clearly don't.

In winter its flannel pj pants with a long sleeved t-shirt and no undies.

Unknown said...

I wear boxers to bed. They are undies.

However, I have no problems with girls not wearing undies to bed. If its cold, pjs with no undies is also acceptable.

Anonymous said...

Plain & Simple:- Sleep Naked

Sam said...

I generally leave mine on unless I've been doing something paricularly strenuous. I e work, exercise etc

yublocka said...

Very interesting thread here.

I sleep in undies, fresh ones though. I'm a night time shower person & you wouldnt put dirty ones on after having a shower, would you?

The real lame thing is that my undies drawer is divided into daytime undies and nighttime ones. the nighttime ones are on the way out. By the time they can't stay up on their own, thats when they get thrown out.

As for going no undies either by themselves or in PJs, that's just a bit unhygeinic. That'd make me want to either wash my sheets or PJs every day, and who can be arsed doing that?

DJ said...

I have never worn anything to bed for so long as I can remember. Even back in primary school days I'd be shoved into bed wearing something or other and it was promptly removed seconds after parent tucked me in. After not too long they gave up.

As for religion, well I really want to write "Jedi" on the Census form, but thats just to give the data entry people another reason to grizzle about stupid answers people put on the forms, but I'm not aligned with any mainstream, or even fringe, religon.

Anonymous said...

No undies (Cept at certain times of the month).

Catholic.

Cinema Minima said...

My partner and I have a strict "no undies in bed" policy. Oddly, a warm jumper is acceptable on a chilly night, but never, ever undies! Being such busy and important people, we feel it leads to more efficient fornication.

Anonymous said...

No undies, everrr!! well, except for that time of month and even then it's done grumblingly.

Why would sleeping without undies on make my sheets "unhygenic"?

Susanne said...

No undies. If it's hot, or if there's a certain boy keeping me warm, I sleep naked; if it's cold, I wear pyjama pants and a t-shirt. I was raised Anglican, but now I consider my religion to be 'blogger'.

Anonymous said...

i never comment on blogs, but you are nearly at 50 people...

no undies. also, was raised a ranting athiest but i can't sleep in the nude, even if it involves putting clothes back on before i/we go to sleep!

Shelley said...

At the most - socks. Otherwise never anything at all [except when people visit and then only because they have to go through my bedroom to get to the bathroom].
I will wear clothes and sleep poorly in other people's houses - if I absolutely have to.

Is religion madatory? I have none.

Anonymous said...

Nothing or a t-shirt. Boxers only if i'm sleeping at someone else's house. Atheist.

Anonymous said...

No undies under pyjamas.
Raised catholic.
I would be interested to know how many other mothers justified this arrangement their daughters with the 'needs time to breathe' argument, because that's the exact one my mum used as well.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Zoe said...

No undies. Night time is not the right time.

Anonymous said...

Never wear undies to bed unless I have to share it with a friend however in winter I do wear a T-shirt.

trust that helps.

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Peter said...

No undies, no nothin'... me and the Mrs, we like it rudie nudie at night :)

Actually, we both work shifts, so half the time it's day time rudily nudilyness, but you know what I mean :)

Occaisonly Mrs has a jarmy top on to keep the draught off her back, but never undies or dacks of any kind.

Pete

ps, hope you got your quota... saw your plea for four more at msfits! cheers

Melba said...

THANKS EVERYONE FOR CONTRIBUTING.

I'VE GOT MY QUOTA, YOU CAN READ RESULTS IN POST ABOVE.

POLL IS NOW CLOSED.