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After going to sleep, is one required to change his clothes or is it proper to?

How does this differ between sleeping in a bed and sleeping elsewhere (a chair or couch), between taking a short or long nap, and between sleeping at night and sleeping during the day?

Is one only required to change certain items of his clothing such as undergarments?

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    Do you have some reason to think changing clothes would be required? I can't think of any offhand
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Jul 20, 2021 at 17:17
  • I didn't have any specific reason, but I have always felt that there is a certain uncleanliness to the inside of a bed and clothing after sleeping. Perhaps this is because one tends to sweat while sleeping, and if the sweat reaches the bedsheets it can then dirty the outside of the clothes.
    – treenuts15
    Commented Jul 20, 2021 at 17:28
  • It seems that many people have this minhag not to sleep in the clothes they slept in, although nobody seems to have a solid mekor. It sounds like those things that are part of "al titosh toras Imecha". Although there are some who claim that davening in pajamas is the issue as it shows a lack of proper respect. Perhaps it grew from that not to daven in any clothes that were used for sleeping.
    – Chatzkel
    Commented Jul 20, 2021 at 17:43
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    @Chatzkel Until recently, pajamas were a luxury that few could afford and most slept naked or nearly naked.
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Jul 20, 2021 at 17:44
  • @double AA so perhaps the idea of changing clothes also only started recently, after pajamas became widespread
    – Chatzkel
    Commented Jul 20, 2021 at 17:54

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There is no halachic problem with sleeping with the clothes you will wear with the next day, and it is permitted to touch ones clothes while his hands are impure (עוד יוסף חי הלכות פרשת תולדות אות י).

One should however be careful not to sleep with metal on him (like the belt of the pants), nor should he sleep with shoes (עיין פסקי תשובות או"ח סימן רלט).

A concern of sleeping in clothes may be their being soiled by a nocturnal emission; which one preferably shouldn't pray and make blessings in, due to uncleanliness and also "מזכרת עוון" - a remembrance of sin, antithetical to prayer.

A garment that has such a stain, must be taken off and washed, and then can be put on again without any concern.

If this happens on Shabbos, when laundering clothing is prohibited; it is permissible to continue wearing them, if he has no other clean garments to change into.

However, as soon as it is possible to change them, they must be replaced, since in the first place such blessings and prayers should not be said. (חיי אדם ח"א כלל ג סכ"ז, משנה ברורה סי' עו ס"ק טו)

It may also be worthwhile to note that sleeping with clothes under the head as a pillow is a bad omen for forgetfulness (הוריות יג ע”ב).

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    "not to sleep with metal" if I recall is iron/steel specifically
    – Nissim Nanach
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 12:51
  • @NissimNanach ah ok, I saw in the original Hebrew ברזל, which does literally mean iron, but is often used in Hebrew just for general metal. So I assumed the latter, but I may be wrong
    – Reb Moishe
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 13:26
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    You might want to add something about clothes that got soiled from a nocturnal emission...
    – IsraelReader
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 14:13
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    @IsraelReader thanks for your suggestion, very helpful
    – Reb Moishe
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 9:03
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There is no discussion of this in the sections of the Shulchan Aruch detailing the laws of going to sleep or waking up, or in the Mishna Berura. So it is safe to say there are no halachos about this topic.

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  • There's also no discussion of Lashon Hara anywhere in Shulchan Aruch
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 12:10
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    Because it does not fit into a category. But where there is a section detailing the laws of an activity, you can assume it is comprehensive.
    – N.T.
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 18:57
  • Orach Chaim siman 2 speaks about getting dressed in the morning, why wouldn't it be included there.
    – Chatzkel
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 10:49
  • @Chatzkel plenty of possible reasons. Maybe the Gemara discusses it in the context of pesach so it wound up being recorded there? Maybe the minhag developed in the context of sukkot so it's discussed there? Or, and this can be a shocker, it's not in the Shulchan Aruch because it's a more recent practice recorded only in commentaries to the Shulchan Aruch. Who knows? Not this answer
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 12:10
  • @Chatzkel By "it" I meant Lashon Hara.
    – N.T.
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 12:53

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