observations on pjs

[deird1]

I feel like I should be writing a scientific paper on the effectiveness of pyjamas.


Went to bed last night wearing my most summery of summer pjs - because I am so thoroughly sick of wearing thick flannel. It was freezing, and, by any logic, the pjs wouldn't have done much at all. Those babies are thin.

But...

Shortly after going to bed, I noticed that one of the straps on the top was broken, and my pj top was going to fall down (or... sideways) all night. My reaction? "Eh - they're thin, it's not like it'll make a difference." So I dropped the top on the floor, and snuggled back down to sleep.


THAT WAY-TOO-THIN MATERIAL ACTUALLY DOES SOMETHING. IT REALLY DOES.

I spent the whole night wrapped in four layers of bed sheets and blankets, and my top half was freezing while my bottom half was warm and snug - even though most of my bottom half didn't actually have any pjs on at all.

This morning? Same thing. I was wrapped up tightly in my very warm dressing gown... but because I wasn't wearing a top, I was freezing everywhere above my waist.

Teeny pjs still keep you warm. Who'da thunk.



This really should be extended out into a full thesis, with proper test results and a control group...

Comments

[velvetwhip]

Apply for a grant.


Gabrielle

[kisekileia]

Speaking as a Canadian: The issue isn't that the thin fabric added a lot of extra warmth. You got extra warmth just by virtue of having another layer. This is why dressing in layers is always recommended in extreme cold. Warm air gets trapped between the layers and it keeps you warm. A T-shirt plus a sweater is way warmer than a sweater alone.

[lliira]

Speaking as someone who grew up in the northern U.S. (Michigan, right next to Canada), besides what kisekileia said, I've always worn tops to bed, of different thicknesses depending on the weather. I have to be extremely cold to wear pj bottoms, so cold that I'm layering on top and wearing socks to bed as well. Keeping the top half warm keeps you a lot warmer than bothering with the bottom half.

[redsixwing]

This!

And actually, I've found that insulating your bottom half can actually keep you from getting as warm as you could, which is completely counterintuitive. I don't know why it works, but anecdata suggests it does.

Hence why, when backpacking at 9000+ feet in the early spring, I prefer to wear a long shirt and a good hat into the sleeping bag, rather than full-body PJs. Does make the first ten minutes rather chilly, though.