Phrases for talking about sleep in English
This morning, I woke up early and felt sleepy. It made me think about crawling back in bed. And then I started to think of all the ways that you can describe sleeping, going to sleep, waking up, staying awake, and so on:
Going to sleep
- go to bed
- fall asleep
What's the difference? You "go to bed" on purpose. "Falling asleep" is something that happens to you.
- go straight to sleep
This means sleeping immediately after something else, like right when you get home.
- I'll come tuck you in in a minute.
You do this for young children: you help them to get comfortable before they go to sleep.
Sleeping
- take a nap
This is sleeping during the daytime.
- (someone) got a good night's sleep
- (someone) is passed out
"Passing out" means going to sleep suddenly and accidentally.
- a heavy sleeper
This describes someone who doesn't wake up easily at night.
- (someone) sleeps like a baby
This is a heavy sleep that seems peaceful.
- (someone) sleeps like a log.
This is a heavy sleep that seems a bit boring.
- (someone) snores
They make noises with their nose while sleeping
- (someone) sleeps on (his or her) back
You can also sleep on your side or on your stomach.
- I usually get about six hours of sleep a night.
Not sleeping
- (someone) stayed up late
- (someone) was tossing and turning all night
This means moving around a lot in your sleep.
- (someone) is a restless sleeper
This means that you move around a lot and wake up in the middle of the night.
- (someone) has insomnia
This is the medical name for not being able to sleep well. -
pull an all-nighter
This means staying up all night to work on something or go out. -
a night owl
This is a person who likes to stay up late.
Waking up
- (someone) gets to sleep in tomorrow
Sleep until late in the day.
- crawl back in bed
Go to bed again after waking up.
- wake up to an alarm
This means waking up when the alarm clock rings.
- get up at the crack of dawn
This means waking up as soon as the sun rises.
- Damn! I overslept!
This means sleeping too late.
- Rise and shine!
Say this to someone as they're waking up. It sounds bright and cheerful.
- an early bird
This is someone who wakes up early.
Feeling sleepy
- (some medicine) makes me drowsy.
Use this phrase to talk about medicine.
- I can barely hold my eyes open.
Say this if you're really sleepy but trying to stay awake.
- I'm exhausted!
Say this if you're really tired.
Personally, I've never had much of a problem getting to sleep. I usually fall asleep within a few minutes of going to bed. I do tend to wake up early, though, even when I don't set an alarm.
What about you? How do you sleep? Can you describe it using some of these phrases?
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