From sidewalks to bedroom linens, fashion makes its way into every aspect of our lives. While your everyday attire is regularly on display, the garments you choose for slumber usually have a smaller audience, if any audience at all. So we wanted to find out who retains their distinctive style, even when no one is looking. 

To find America’s most stylish sleepers, we surveyed 2,028 Americans about their bedroom aesthetics and what they wear to bed. From sleeping naked to a full set of pajamas and everything in between, we asked questions that helped us score how stylish Americans are when they sleep.

To get an idea of how your state and city ranks on the sleep-style spectrum, this post breaks down what Americans like to wear — or not — to bed.

Key Findings

• Americans’ most common sleepwear is a T-shirt or tank plus underwear, followed by underwear bottoms only.
• Over half of Americans (60%) admit to wearing old, worn-out sleepwear.
• Colorado, Maine, and Massachusetts have the most stylish sleepers.
• Over half of Americans (56%) haven’t changed what they wear to bed since they were young. 
• Over a third of Americans sleep with socks on.
• When it comes to sleeping naked, only 11% of Americans like nothing between them and the sheets.

What Americans Wear to Bed Most by State

From coast-to-coast, many Americans get ready for bed dressed in what has been their nightly uniform for decades. Over half (56%) of Americans say they haven’t changed what they wear to bed since they were young. Since preparing for bedtime typically comes with a set of routines, from skincare to journaling, it’s no surprise that what Americans choose to sleep in follows a similar pattern. 

To find out Americans’ most common sleepwear, we asked our respondents which of the following they wear to bed: a top but no bottoms, a top and underwear, a top and bottoms, or if they sleep naked. Within each category selected, people told us specifically what they wore, whether their top and bottoms were a matching pajama-style set or a gym-style t-shirt or tank plus shorts.

Most states keep it simple by just wearing a T-shirt or tank plus underwear. Despite the extreme seasonal cold weather in states like Colorado and Massachusetts, residents in these states choose to sleep naked more often than other Americans.

The States That Wear Socks or Sleep Naked

The world of bedtime habits is as diverse as the dreams that fill our sleep. Some Americans choose to embrace the coziness of socks under the covers, while others embrace the liberating sensation of sleeping au naturel. 

While sleeping with socks on is often seen as peculiar, it’s not completely uncommon, with over a third of Americans reporting that they sleep with socks on. The states most likely to sleep with socks on are Missouri, Nebraska, and Connecticut. 

On the other end of the spectrum, there are those who opt for a more minimalist approach, choosing to sleep naked. We thought this fun fact was worth looking at individually so we could assess the naked truth about which states are most likely to sleep in the nude.

In the previous section, we reported what people wear to bed most often based on the number of responses. For this section’s data, we looked solely at the responses for sleeping naked and divided it by the total number of responses for each state.

The states most likely to sleep naked are Colorado, Maine, and Mississippi. When it comes to generations, baby boomers are most likely to sleep naked, and Gen X is most likely to sleep with socks on.

What Americans Wear to Bed Most and Least

When it comes to bedtime attire, Americans embrace a variety of sleepwear choices. Some prefer matching pajama sets with fun designs, while others go for the simplicity of worn-out T-shirts and shorts. Our survey revealed that 60% of Americans wear old, worn-out sleepwear. 

In America, the most common sleepwear is a T-shirt or tank plus underwear, underwear bottoms only, and gym-style T-shirt or tank plus shorts. The least common sleepwear is a sweatshirt with no underwear or bottoms, a onesie, or leggings only.

What you wear to bed can also depend on your gender or generation. Women most often wear a T-shirt or tank plus underwear to bed, and men most often wear underwear bottoms only. While all other generations typically wear a T-shirt or tank plus underwear to bed, millennials sleep in a different outfit. Most often, millennials wear either underwear bottoms only, or a gym-style T-shirt or tank plus shorts.

The Most and Least Stylish Sleepers Ranked by State

Along with considering what Americans wear to bed, our respondents revealed even more about the quality of their pajamas and the aesthetics of their bedroom. With the amount of hours one spends in their bedroom, it can be nice to have the space reflect your style. Almost half (48%) of Americans say they have a thoughtfully decorated bedroom. 

When they’re not in their bedroom, Americans report stepping up their sleepwear game. Almost half (48%) of our respondents say they wear nicer clothes to bed when they’re sleeping at someone else’s house. When it comes to the bed they sleep in, 40% say they don’t sleep in a made bed. 

Taking all of the responses into consideration, we assigned scores to each question to create a stylish score with a max of 100. Then, we averaged each state’s scores and uncovered the states that sleep in style. The most stylish sleepers are in Colorado, Maine, and Massachusetts. The least stylish sleepers are in Indiana, Kentucky, and Utah.

Cities Ranked by Most Stylish Sleepers

Infusing style into sleepwear is done in bedrooms across America but more likely in some cities than others. From luxurious fabrics to matching designs, stylish Americans like to carry on a high level of style through the most intimate part of their day.

When looking at which cities incorporate style into their sleepwear the most, our survey revealed that the cities with the most stylish sleepers are Fort Worth, San Diego, and Boston. However, not everyone is sleeping in style, the cities with the least stylish sleepers are San Jose, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis.

Conclusion

While for some, pajamas are an afterthought, for others, they’re an outlet to enhance their sense of personal beauty and self-care. Just as a well-chosen outfit can boost confidence during the day, the act of selecting stylish sleepwear can make you feel good, even when no one is watching. 
As fashion allows us to express our unique identity, beauty services offer a way to nurture that identity, embracing the idea that self-care is an essential ingredient in the recipe for confidence and overall well-being. That’s why at StyleSeat, we make it easy to find beauty professionals near you who can perform services that showcase your individual style and help you feel your best self.

Methodology

From August 11, 2023, to August 15, 2023, we surveyed 2,028 Americans about what they wear to bed. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 76 years old, and were 49% female, 49% male, and 2% nonbinary.