Sleep is something we all need. It helps our bodies and minds rest and get ready for a new day. In English, there are many idioms about sleep. These special phrases don’t mean exactly what the words say, but they help us describe sleep in a fun and interesting way.
In this article, we’ll learn idioms for sleep. These sayings can describe being tired, falling asleep, or even not being able to sleep. Let’s explore how people talk about rest using creative expressions.
Idioms for Sleep
1. Hit the hay
Meaning: Go to bed.
Samples: I’m tired time to hit the hay. / She hit the hay early last night.
To Put it Another Way: Go to sleep. / Head to bed.
2. Hit the sack
Meaning: Go to sleep.
Samples: After the movie, I hit the sack. / He hit the sack after dinner.
To Put it Another Way: Go to bed. / Get some rest.
3. Catch some Z’s
Meaning: Take a nap or get some sleep.
Samples: I need to catch some Z’s before the game. / She’s catching some Z’s on the couch.
To Put it Another Way: Rest. / Sleep a little.
4. Sleep like a log
Meaning: Sleep very deeply.
Samples: He slept like a log last night. / I sleep like a log when I’m tired.
To Put it Another Way: Slept soundly. / Didn’t wake up.
5. Out like a light
Meaning: Fell asleep quickly.
Samples: She was out like a light after the hike. / I went out like a light last night.
To Put it Another Way: Fell asleep fast. / Slept right away.
6. Forty winks
Meaning: A short nap.
Samples: I took forty winks after lunch. / He just needed forty winks to feel better.
To Put it Another Way: A quick nap. / A short sleep.
7. Hit the pillow
Meaning: Lie down to sleep.
Samples: I hit the pillow and was asleep in minutes. / He hit the pillow and didn’t wake up until morning.
To Put it Another Way: Went to bed. / Laid down to sleep.
8. Dead to the world
Meaning: Sleeping so deeply that you don’t hear anything.
Samples: She was dead to the world last night. / He was dead to the world during the storm.
To Put it Another Way: In deep sleep. / Didn’t wake up.
9. Sawing logs
Meaning: Snoring loudly.
Samples: Dad was sawing logs all night. / I heard him sawing logs from the next room!
To Put it Another Way: Snoring. / Sleeping noisily.
10. Nod off
Meaning: Fall asleep without meaning to.
Samples: I nodded off during the movie. / She nodded off while reading.
To Put it Another Way: Fell asleep. / Dozed off.
11. Light sleeper
Meaning: Wakes up easily.
Samples: She’s a light sleeper and hears every sound. / I’m a light sleeper, so I wear earplugs.
To Put it Another Way: Wakes up quickly. / Doesn’t sleep deeply.
12. Heavy sleeper
Meaning: Doesn’t wake up easily.
Samples: He’s a heavy sleeper and slept through the alarm. / I’m such a heavy sleeper I didn’t hear the storm.
To Put it Another Way: Hard to wake up. / Sleeps deeply.
13. Catch up on sleep
Meaning: Sleep more to make up for lost rest.
Samples: I need to catch up on sleep this weekend. / She’s catching up on sleep after a busy week.
To Put it Another Way: Sleep extra. / Make up for missed sleep.
14. Beauty sleep
Meaning: Sleep that helps you feel or look better.
Samples: I need my beauty sleep before picture day. / She went to bed early for her beauty sleep.
To Put it Another Way: Rest to feel good. / Sleep to refresh.
15. Not sleep a wink
Meaning: Didn’t sleep at all.
Samples: I didn’t sleep a wink last night. / He didn’t sleep a wink before the trip.
To Put it Another Way: No sleep at all. / Stayed awake.
16. Sleep on it
Meaning: Wait and think about a decision overnight.
Samples: I’ll sleep on it before I decide. / She slept on it and chose the blue one.
To Put it Another Way: Decide later. / Think more tomorrow.
17. Sleep like a baby
Meaning: Sleep peacefully.
Samples: I slept like a baby after the hike. / She sleeps like a baby every night.
To Put it Another Way: Slept well. / Peaceful sleep.
18. Rocked to sleep
Meaning: Fell asleep while moving gently.
Samples: The baby was rocked to sleep. / I was rocked to sleep in the car.
To Put it Another Way: Gently fell asleep. / Soothing rest.
19. Sleep tight
Meaning: Sleep well.
Samples: Goodnight sleep tight! / She said, “Sleep tight,” before leaving.
To Put it Another Way: Have a good night. / Rest well.
20. Call it a night
Meaning: Decide to go to bed or stop working for the day.
Samples: Let’s call it a night and get some rest. / I’m tired I’m calling it a night.
To Put it Another Way: Time for bed. / Done for the day.
21. Drop off to sleep
Meaning: Start to fall asleep.
Samples: I dropped off to sleep while reading. / She dropped off to sleep quickly.
To Put it Another Way: Started sleeping. / Drifted off.
22. Drift off
Meaning: Slowly fall asleep.
Samples: He drifted off during the movie. / I drifted off while listening to music.
To Put it Another Way: Dozed off. / Fell asleep slowly.
23. Sleep like the dead
Meaning: Very deep sleep, hard to wake up.
Samples: I sleep like the dead after gym class. / She sleeps like the dead when she’s tired.
To Put it Another Way: Deep sleep. / Doesn’t wake up.
24. Toss and turn
Meaning: Move a lot and can’t sleep.
Samples: I tossed and turned all night. / He couldn’t sleep, just tossing and turning.
To Put it Another Way: Restless. / Couldn’t get comfortable.
25. Sleepover
Meaning: A night spent sleeping at a friend’s house.
Samples: We had a sleepover on Friday. / She invited friends to a sleepover.
To Put it Another Way: Stay overnight with friends. / Night party with sleeping bags.
26. Doze off
Meaning: Fall asleep for a short time.
Samples: I dozed off in the car. / He dozed off in class.
To Put it Another Way: Fell asleep briefly. / Quick nap.
27. Turn in
Meaning: Go to bed.
Samples: I’m going to turn in now. / She turned in after the movie.
To Put it Another Way: Go to sleep. / Head to bed.
28. Burn the midnight oil
Meaning: Stay up late working.
Samples: He burned the midnight oil to finish his project. / She was burning the midnight oil again.
To Put it Another Way: Stayed up late. / Worked late at night.
29. Get your beauty rest
Meaning: Sleep to feel healthy and look good.
Samples: I need to get my beauty rest tonight. / She went to bed early to get her beauty rest.
To Put it Another Way: Sleep to feel refreshed. / Rest well.
30. Sleep in
Meaning: Sleep later than usual.
Samples: I slept in on Saturday. / She likes to sleep in on weekends.
To Put it Another Way: Wake up late. / More sleep time.
Find the Topics: Idioms for Sleep
Reading Passage: “The Sleepy Saturday”
After a long week of school, Ryan was ready to hit the sack. He slept like a log and didn’t wake up once. The next morning, he slept in until ten. “I needed that beauty sleep,” he said, stretching.
Later, Ryan caught some Z’s on the couch while his sister watched TV. Mom smiled and said, “He’s out like a light.” When he finally woke up, he yawned and said, “Time to catch up on sleep is the best.”
That night, after dinner, Ryan called it a night early. He hit the pillow and was soon sawing logs again.
Your Task:
Underline or list all 8 idioms for sleep used in the story.
Answer Key
- Hit the sack
- Slept like a log
- Slept in
- Beauty sleep
- Caught some Z’s
- Out like a light
- Catch up on sleep
- Called it a night
Conclusion
Sleep helps our minds and bodies rest, and idioms help us talk about it in fun and creative ways. Whether you’re catching Z’s, hitting the hay, or out like a light, there’s an idiom to describe it.
By learning sleep idioms, we can explain how tired we are or how well we rested in a more interesting way. Try using one of the next time you feel sleepy or need some beauty rest!
