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29-year-old moves to UK and is baffled when her boyfriend hides his pajamas under a pillow

"British people: please confirm if I need to send for help"

Canva Photos

An American woman was so confused when she discovered her boyfriend 'hiding' his PJs somewhere strange.

When 29-year-old Cameron moved to London in 2024, she was expecting a bit of culture shock coming from New York City. Though she was used to living in a big city, she knew there were certain things they did differently in the UK, and she expected it would take her time to pick up on all of them.

She had to learn British slang, adapt to their style of greetings and humor, develop a taste for their food, and learn how to properly order a Guinness. Somewhere in all of that excitement, she met a man and fell in love.

When Cameron moved in with her boyfriend, Laurence, she noticed something peculiar about his pajamas: Every night, he'd hide them under his pillow before bed. Was he a serial killer, she wondered, or just British? While making the bed one day, Cameron found a pair of shorts, aka jammies aka pyjamas aka jimjams, tucked behind one of her boyfriend's pillows.

pajamas, pyjamas, sleep, sleep habits, sleep routine, british culture, american culture, culture shock, viral videos, tiktokOne solution: The Bananas never took their Pajamas off.Giphy

Cameron took to TikTok to find out if this was a cultural thing or if she should be concerned about Laurence's strange behavior.

"Can someone please tell me what this is about? I just moved in with my British boyfriend and he does this every morning and I just wanna know why, and if it's actually a thing with other people," she says. She then whips the camera around to show a (rather adorable) pair of pajamas neatly folded and discretely hidden away behind one of the pillows on the bed.

"British people: please confirm Y/N if I need to send for help. Why does he do this??" Cameron captioned the video.

@camabroad

British people: please confirm Y/N if I need to send for help. Why does he do this??

The Brits responded to the call, and came out in full force of the pyjama-hiding boyfriend.

Here are just some of the comments:

"As a British person I can tell you this is ingrained in us from literal birth"

"Where else do you put your pyjamas?"

"Hi! I’m from Spain, I think that’s an European thing, here we do it too"

"I think it’s an European thing as I’m French and used to do this as a child"

"Too clean to put in the laundry, not clean enough to put back in the dresser so we put them under the pillow to wear them again that night."

"Royal inspectors visit 1000s of houses across the U.K. every day and if your pyjamas aren’t under your pillow and your crumpets aren’t in your crumpet bucket you have to give a shilling to the king."

Pajamas under the pillow is normal not just in the UK but all over Europe. It seems to come from a cultural expectation that pajamas don't need to be washed after every use. As a parent who's absolutely drowning in two kids' laundry every day, I totally respect this idea! Maybe we'll even steal it for my household. It's practical and even kind of fun.

Though Americans and Brits speak mostly the same language, and we both need to sleep, our bedtime routines can be drastically different.

Mattress sizes are different in the UK and America, for example. As you'd probably expect, the UK doesn't have anything quite as big as the popular King size—though the British Super King is close.

Americans also religiously drink coffee first thing in the morning whereas many Brits like to wait for mid-morning, if they drink coffee at all. For now, tea still reins supreme.

We Americans are big on white noise while we sleep to drown out distractions and sometimes even our own thoughts. About 52% of Americans use music or white noise to sleep compared with just a quarter of folks in the UK.

Brits also commonly use a hot water bottle to keep the bed warm at night during the winter, something that's completely foreign to Americans. This is partly because of another big difference in how UK and US-ers sleep. In the US, we tend to use a top sheet under our cover or duvet which provides extra insulation and keeps things warmer.

Finally, about a quarter of Americans use melatonin regularly to fall asleep. In the UK, you can only get melatonin with a prescription!

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Our sleep rituals are so personal to us and so vitally important in how we live our lives. You can imagine how jarring it might be to go to another country and discover that you, with your white noise and melatonin and your fresh jammies every night, are the weird one!

TikTok viewers got a kick out of Cameron's discovery, and it's always fun to playfully and respectfully discuss our cultural differences. There's always more to learn!

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Parenting

Two sisters devise a genius hack to make bedtime a blast for their kids

Welcome to Club Sleep.

TikTok @alexanguish

Bedtime just got a lot more fun

Adults love bedtime. For us, it’s pure bliss—all day, we dream about our warm, soft beds, our absurdly expensive satin-covered pillows, and turning out the light before 10:30 p.m. We might even indulge in a mug of Celestial Seasonings’ Sleepytime Tea as a treat. Kids, however, are a completely different story. No child looks forward to bedtime, especially not the small ones. To them, bedtime is the enemy—pure lava, a monster, a demon that must be avoided at all costs. Every parent knows this struggle: it’s time to turn the lights out, but suddenly, they develop an insatiable need for one more story, one more glass of water, one more urgent philosophical question that needs to be answered right now, like “Why do we need to sleep, anyway?”

But to the Internet’s delight, two hilarious and ingenious sisters have turned this nightly battle into something magical, proving that even the most dreaded tasks can be a blast with a little creativity.

Welcome to Club Sleep

Alex Anguish, a content creator and a stay-at-home mom with three kids, posted a TikTok video depicting "Club Sleep," the extraordinary method she and her sister devised to make bedtime a lot more enjoyable for the children and for them. Before long, Alex’s video went certifiably viral, racking up 12.6 million views and 2 million likes within ten days of posting. So, what’s “Club Sleep,” you ask?


screenshot, toddler, woman, kids, parenting, tiktokA little creativity goes a long wayTikTok @alexanguish

Oh, it’s just the coolest and most exclusive nightclub around, tailored specifically for toddlers and kids still rocking diapers. Each night, Alex and her sister transform the bedroom area into "Club Sleep," an exclusive venue with a check-in line, bouncers, and multiple security checkpoints (not just anyone can get in, you know). Consider it a modern Studio 54, but instead of cocktails and disco balls, there are warm glasses of milk waiting for the patrons inside and the coziest bed imaginable.

On paper, it’s already a hilarious concept (Saturday Night Live, you know what to do), but the true genius lies in Alex and her sister's unwavering commitment to the bit. As the kids approach, the sisters snap into character. Wearing black jackets, long pants, a backwards cap, and sunglasses, they're a menacing sigh—but only for those trying to sneak into Club Sleep.

“Can I see some ID, please?”

Safety is of the utmost importance at Club Sleep, and the bouncers take their jobs seriously—very seriously. Barricades are set up to maintain order. IDs are checked and patrons are interrogated. It’s a tightly run system, like something you’d see outside of a nightclub in Manhattan or West Hollywood.

"Who's ready for Club Sleep?" hollers Alex. She's shouting at full volume, by the way. Like any good bouncer, she knows she needs to control the crowd and keep the line moving. Music thumps in the background.


bedtime, kids, parenting, toddlers, sleep, club sleep"Who's ready for Club Sleep?"TikTok @alexanguish

"I need everyone to line up right here, single file. Let's see some IDs," she yells out, pointing at the barricade. (There's only one kid there, but that's beside the point.)

The three step up to the barricade one by one. Alex shines a flashlight on their ID (a plastic badge).

"Where are you going?" she asks.

"My bed," the first kid replies, sheepishly. Despite his matching Pikachu pajama set, the bouncer isn't easily convinced. "And what are you going to do there?" Alex asks, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Lay in my bed and possibly go to sleep." Right answer.

It's entrancing—and almost uncanny—how perfectly the two sisters channel the mannerisms of bouncers and TSA agents. Anyone who's ever forgotten their passport or tried using an expired ID knows that familiar churn of anxiety. But here, with this family, it's pure joy. Everything works: the assertive voices, the humor (at one point, Alex tells her son, "It's ladies' night, sir"), and the sisters, who can barely contain their laughter.

“Club Sleep is what dreams are made of”

The Internet fell in love with Club Sleep, with viewers flooding the comments with praise. "Now this is parenting," wrote one person. Another replied, "They don't even know HOW funny this is."

Some commenters even predicted future confusion when these kids eventually visit real nightclubs. "They're gonna randomly get sleepy when they enter a club when they're older," someone said. Another commenter agreed: "As soon as they turn 21 and go to a bar, [they'll be like] 'Why am I having déjà vu right now?'"


kids, powerpuff girls, parenting, fun, bedtimeNow this is parenting.Giphy

Even brands jumped in—a true sign of viral success. Pull-Ups' official account commented, "Club Sleep is what dreams are made of," and Visa chimed in with "This is the only kind of club you'll find me at 😂" (A credit card company at a club? Welcome to social media.)

All laughter (and genius parenting) aside, the science is clear: a well-structured and consistent bedtime routine helps establish healthy sleeping habits in children. Research shows that children with established routines fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and rest more soundly. Experts recommend a gentle hour-long transition to bedtime, with clear signals that it's time to wind down. Alex and her sister have totally aced this one.

Club Sleep shows that bedtime doesn't have to be boring—for kids or adults. It's creative yet simple. There are no expensive props, or bribes, or yelling. Just a little imagination and love. It's so brilliant, you kind of want to kick yourself and ask, "Why didn't I think of that?"

The next time bedtime becomes a struggle, consider creating your own Club Sleep. Grab a flashlight, flip that cap backwards, and practice your biggest, most booming bouncer voice. Just remember: pajamas are mandatory and sweet dreams are guaranteed.

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Wellness

How to stop waking up each night at 3 or 4 in the morning

The good news is that there are ways to get back to sleep and stop the downward anxiety spiral.

via Polina Kovaleva/Pexels

A woman with her eye mask on in bed.

Do you often wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. with an intense feeling of anxiety? Do you get stressed that you’re awake and begin making a mental laundry list of everything you need to do the next day? Do you start thinking about fights you once had with your spouse or ponder how you have let yourself down in the past?

If so, you’re not alone. It’s common for people to wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. regularly and there’s a reason why we choose this time to catastrophize and worry. The good news is that there are some steps we can take to get through that awkward phase of the night so we can wake up refreshed.

Why do I wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. every night?

Many of us reliably wake up in the middle of the night because after we’ve had a good chunk of sleep, our bodies start to slowly prepare us for the day by reducing melatonin, the hormone that puts us to sleep and increasing levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.

That biological phase of sleep is why we start to feel stressed.



insomnia, sleep, sleep hacks, how to sleep better, melatonin, stressA woman struggles with insomniaImage via Canva


After the big hormone release at 3 or 4 in the morning, if you are dealing with stress in your life, you are more likely to wake up. If your life is calmer and you don’t already have a stress baseline, you will probably wake up, fall asleep quickly and forget that it happened.

Why do I wake up feeling stressed in the middle of the night?

If you’re already experiencing stress in your life, that extra cortisol kick is going to cause you to wake up with a feeling of anxiety. The problem is that when we’re lying in bed in the middle of the night, we are in a vulnerable position. “Around this time in the sleep cycle, we’re at our lowest ebb physically and cognitively. From nature’s viewpoint, this is meant to be a time of physical and emotional recovery, so it’s understandable that our internal resources are low,” Greg Murray, a psychology researcher with expertise in mood, sleep, and the circadian system, writes in The Conversation.

“But we also lack other resources in the middle of the night – social connections, cultural assets, all the coping skills of an adult are unavailable at this time,” Murray continues. “With none of our human skills and capital, we are left alone in the dark with our thoughts. So the mind is partly right when it concludes the problems it’s generated are unsolvable – at 3 a.m., most problems literally would be.”


insomnia, sleep, sleep hacks, melatonin, stress, anxiety A woman struggles with insomniaImage via Canva

At this moment, when we’re stressed and feeling vulnerable, stuck in bed with no way out, we can begin to spiral. This is when we ruminate on why we forgot to feed the dog that one day in 1994 or contemplate why things went bad with your first significant other at 21. It’s when we start recalling a disagreement with a friend and plotting out what we’ll say the next time the issue arises.

At this point, if we don’t stop spiraling, we’ll be up until 5 a.m. and will feel like garbage when it’s time to go to work.

The good news is that there are ways to get back to sleep and stop the downward anxiety spiral.

Make a list

Dr. Jade Wu says that if you wake up and feel stressed about things you need to take care of, walk out of your room (so you don’t associate it with stressors) and make a list to read in the morning. This will free you of your worries, because you know you can care for them when you are awake.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Pay attention to your breath

Murray says you should redirect your attention from your thoughts to your breath, which is a form of meditation. “I bring my attention to my senses, specifically the sound of my breath. When I notice thoughts arising, I gently bring my attention back to the sound of breathing,” Murray writes in The Conversation. This works in 2 ways: first, it takes your attention away from your spiraling thoughts and second, the breathing exercise helps you relax.


Have a bite to eat

Sometimes, we wake up in the middle of the night because we’re hungry and our blood sugar is dropping. “The first question I ask [my patients] is, ‘When was the last time you ate?’” Michael Breus, Ph.D. psychologist specializing in sleep disorders, told Sleep.com. “Often, they’ve finished their last meal at 7 p.m.; now it’s 3 in the morning — that’s eight hours later — so guess what? They’re out of fuel.” If you’ve woken up because of a drop in blood sugar, experts recommend eating a small snack that includes protein and fat, like peanut butter.

This article originally appeared last year.

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Modern Families

Dad of 2 young kids admits he and his wife sleep separately and the trend is growing

This approach isn't without its drawbacks, though.

rab_moudallal/Instagram

It's not as weird as it sounds.

When you become a parent, your nighttime routine gets thrown for a loop. The first couple of years are a rollercoaster of changes—when the kids go to bed, how often they wake up, how long they sleep. Things start to normal out after a while, but if you have a second kid, or a third, you can start the clock over again each time. Some couples live in nighttime chaos for years and years at a time.

Not only does this naturally cause a ton of sleep disruption and sleep loss in parents of young kids, it can also be a huge source of conflict within a couple. Who gets up with the kids at night? Who gets extra rest in the morning? With two sleep deprived, cranky parents, tempers can flare easily around the subject of rest.

One dad took to social media to come clean about how he handles the restless nights: He and his wife, parents to two young kids, don’t sleep in the same room anymore.

Rabeeh Moudallal, in an Instagram reel, discussed the couple’s “married but separate” sleeping strategy. He says he usually sleeps on a mattress on the floor in their toddler’s room, while his wife, Katie, handles any late night fussiness or feedings with the baby. In their arrangement, both parents don’t have to get woken up every time one of the kids does. It minimizes disruption and sleep loss, and let’s them take turns helping each other out if one of them has a particularly rough stretch. It may not be the most romantic set up in the world, but for this phase of life, it makes a lot of sense!

Watch Moudallal’s full reel here:

I can absolutely relate to what Moudallal is describing here. I have a 4-year-old with significant sleep issues and I’ve spent many long stretches sleeping on the floor in her room every night.

Although my wife and I don't usually sleep separately on purpose, during rough patches with the kids it makes sense to “divide and conquer” sometimes—there’s no reason for both my wife and I to suffer during those disruptive nights, after all! I think it's smart to play to the strengths of each person in the couple. If one partner is good at getting up early or but struggles to go back to sleep after being woken, and you know the other one doesn't mind taking the midnight shift and sleeping in a little later, why not use that to your advantage? Doing everything as a team often just means no one's ever rested and fresh.

gif of woman sleepily waking from a napDisrupted sleep can have a lot of consequences. Giphy

There was a palpable sense of relief in the comments section of the viral video, where dozens of parents were overjoyed to finally admit without shame that they did the same:

"This is legit our same set up ! It's good to see others are in the same boat! Just trying to survive it all"

"When we first done this 7 years ago I was too embarrassed and scared to tell anyone incase people thought it was so wrong, and it would ruin our relationship, but it’s about survival"

"I always say to hubby, we’ve got years to be together, the kids need us at the moment. It won’t be forever"

Studies say about a third of couples don’t sleep in the same room or bed regularly. It’s more common than you think and is nothing to be ashamed of.

This number used to be closer to 25%, but it's growing rapidly.

Couples with different schedules, for example, commonly sleep separately. But so do those who deal with one partner snoring or having restless legs or insomnia. They’re all perfectly valid reasons to sleep separately, which can reduce conflicts and help everyone get more rest. That leads to happier relationships overall, so it's easy to see why the trend is catching on.

Parenting young kids who constantly wake or cry in the middle of the night is as good a reason as any to sleep in different rooms for a while.

But a word of caution for baggy-eyed parents: Sleeping in separate beds for logistical reasons is one thing, but deprioritizing your relationship is another.

It’s easy to think you have all the time in the world for each other once this phase of early parenthood ends, but putting intimacy off for extended periods of time can have lasting consequences. And news flash, there will be another stressful phase of parenting waiting for you after the sleepless nights are over! It’s not going to get easier, just a different kind of hard.

Moudallal even admits this. “I kind of miss being able to roll over and talk to my wife at night instead of just texting her from her room," he says, jokingly calling the separation a "natural contraception."

Couples who are parents need time together, even when chaos with the kids is swirling all around them. It's no secret that raising young kids puts enormous pressures on relationships, and a lot of couples don't survive it. It’s OK to divide and conquer and not find that intimacy by sleeping next to each other, but just make sure you replace it with other ways of connecting instead of always waiting around for smoother sailing.

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