Sleep is essential for our well-being, and English speakers use many colorful idioms to talk about sleep and related experiences. These idioms make conversations more expressive and fun, helping you describe everything from going to bed to feeling tired or restless. This guide presents 35 idioms about sleeping, each with clear meanings, example sentences, and alternative phrases. To help you practice, a quiz with 20 multiple-choice questions is included at the end.
35 Idioms About Sleeping with Meanings and Examples
- Hit the hay
Meaning: To go to bed.
Example: I’m exhausted and ready to hit the hay early tonight.
Other Ways to Say: Go to sleep, Call it a night. - Catch some Z’s
Meaning: To get some sleep.
Example: I need to catch some Z’s before the big exam.
Other Ways to Say: Take a nap, Get some rest. - Sleep like a log
Meaning: To sleep very deeply.
Example: After the hike, I slept like a log.
Other Ways to Say: Sleep soundly, Be out like a light. - Burning the midnight oil
Meaning: Staying up late to work or study.
Example: She was burning the midnight oil to finish her project.
Other Ways to Say: Stay up late, Pull an all-nighter. - Toss and turn
Meaning: To have trouble falling or staying asleep.
Example: I tossed and turned all night before the trip.
Other Ways to Say: Restless sleep, Struggle to sleep. - Sleep tight
Meaning: To have a good night’s sleep.
Example: Goodnight, sleep tight!
Other Ways to Say: Rest well, Sweet dreams. - Wake up on the wrong side of the bed
Meaning: To wake up in a bad mood.
Example: He was grumpy all day—must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed.
Other Ways to Say: Be in a bad mood, Feel cranky. - Not lose sleep over something
Meaning: To not worry about something.
Example: Don’t lose sleep over the exam; you prepared well.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t stress, Let it go. - Asleep at the wheel
Meaning: Not paying attention or being careless.
Example: He was asleep at the wheel and missed the deadline.
Other Ways to Say: Not paying attention, Be careless. - Catch forty winks
Meaning: To take a short nap.
Example: I caught forty winks during lunch.
Other Ways to Say: Take a quick nap, Rest briefly. - Dreamland
Meaning: The imaginary place where you go when you sleep.
Example: She was off to dreamland as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Other Ways to Say: Sleep deeply, Go to bed. - Hit the sack
Meaning: To go to bed.
Example: I’m going to hit the sack early tonight.
Other Ways to Say: Turn in, Go to sleep. - Sleep on it
Meaning: To think about something before deciding.
Example: I’ll sleep on it and tell you tomorrow.
Other Ways to Say: Take your time, Think it over. - Up with the lark
Meaning: To wake up very early.
Example: She was up with the lark to watch the sunrise.
Other Ways to Say: Wake up early, Rise and shine. - Night owl
Meaning: Someone who stays awake late at night.
Example: He’s a night owl and works best after midnight.
Other Ways to Say: Late-night person, Stay up late. - Hit snooze
Meaning: To delay getting up by pressing the snooze button.
Example: I hit snooze three times this morning.
Other Ways to Say: Delay waking up, Postpone getting up. - Dead to the world
Meaning: To be in a very deep sleep.
Example: After the marathon, she was dead to the world.
Other Ways to Say: Sleep deeply, Be completely out. - Rise and shine
Meaning: To wake up and get ready for the day.
Example: Rise and shine! It’s time for school.
Other Ways to Say: Get up, Wake up. - Sleep through something
Meaning: To not wake up during a loud or busy event.
Example: I slept through the storm last night.
Other Ways to Say: Not wake up, Miss something. - Sleep in
Meaning: To wake up later than usual.
Example: I like to sleep in on weekends.
Other Ways to Say: Get extra sleep, Wake up late. - Not sleep a wink
Meaning: To not sleep at all.
Example: I didn’t sleep a wink because of the noise.
Other Ways to Say: Stay awake all night, Have no sleep. - In the dead of night
Meaning: Very late at night when it’s quiet.
Example: They arrived in the dead of night.
Other Ways to Say: Late at night, Midnight hours. - Beauty sleep
Meaning: Sleep that helps you look and feel good.
Example: Don’t forget your beauty sleep before the party.
Other Ways to Say: Rest well, Sleep enough. - Lights out
Meaning: Time to go to bed.
Example: Lights out at 10 p.m. sharp!
Other Ways to Say: Bedtime, Time for bed. - Wide awake
Meaning: Fully awake and alert.
Example: After coffee, I was wide awake.
Other Ways to Say: Fully alert, Awake and focused. - Sleep it off
Meaning: To recover from something by sleeping.
Example: I tried to sleep off the headache.
Other Ways to Say: Rest, Recover. - Pull an all-nighter
Meaning: To stay awake all night working or studying.
Example: She pulled an all-nighter to finish her essay.
Other Ways to Say: Stay up all night, Work overnight. - Put someone to sleep
Meaning: To cause someone to fall asleep or to bore someone.
Example: The movie was so boring it put me to sleep.
Other Ways to Say: Bore, Cause sleep. - Sleep like a baby
Meaning: To sleep very deeply and peacefully.
Example: I slept like a baby after the long trip.
Other Ways to Say: Sleep soundly, Rest peacefully. - Sleep tight
Meaning: To sleep well.
Example: Goodnight, sleep tight!
Other Ways to Say: Rest well, Sweet dreams. - Sleep on it
Meaning: To delay making a decision until the next day.
Example: I’ll sleep on it before deciding.
Other Ways to Say: Think it over, Take your time. - Sleep like a baby
Meaning: To sleep very soundly.
Example: After a tiring day, he slept like a baby.
Other Ways to Say: Sleep deeply, Rest well. - Sleepwalk through something
Meaning: To do something without paying attention.
Example: He sleepwalked through the meeting and missed important points.
Other Ways to Say: Be inattentive, Be distracted. - Sleep on the job
Meaning: To be careless or inattentive at work.
Example: Don’t sleep on the job during this busy season.
Other Ways to Say: Be careless, Not pay attention. - Sleep like the dead
Meaning: To sleep very deeply, without waking.
Example: I was so tired I slept like the dead.
Other Ways to Say: Deep sleep, Unconscious sleep.
Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Sleeping Idioms
Choose the best answer for each question.
- What does “hit the hay” mean?
a) To wake up
b) To go to bed
c) To work late
d) To exercise - To “catch some Z’s” means:
a) To sleep
b) To eat
c) To study
d) To run - “Sleep like a log” means:
a) Sleep lightly
b) Sleep deeply
c) Sleep with a log
d) Sleep poorly - “Burning the midnight oil” means:
a) Sleeping early
b) Working late
c) Cooking dinner
d) Exercising - To “toss and turn” means:
a) Sleep peacefully
b) Have trouble sleeping
c) Dance
d) Eat late - “Sleep tight” means:
a) Sleep well
b) Sleep poorly
c) Sleep standing
d) Sleep outside - To “wake up on the wrong side of the bed” means:
a) Wake up happy
b) Wake up angry
c) Wake up late
d) Wake up early - “Not lose sleep over something” means:
a) To worry
b) To not worry
c) To sleep less
d) To sleep more - “Asleep at the wheel” means:
a) Sleeping while driving
b) Not paying attention
c) Driving carefully
d) Working hard - To “catch forty winks” means:
a) Take a nap
b) Go to bed
c) Wake up early
d) Stay awake - “Dreamland” means:
a) A place to sleep
b) A place to eat
c) A place to work
d) A place to play - To “hit the sack” means:
a) To work late
b) To go to bed
c) To eat dinner
d) To exercise - To “sleep on it” means:
a) To think before deciding
b) To sleep early
c) To wake up late
d) To ignore - To be a “night owl” means:
a) To sleep early
b) To stay up late
c) To wake up early
d) To be tired - To be “dead to the world” means:
a) To be awake
b) To sleep deeply
c) To be angry
d) To be tired - To “rise and shine” means:
a) To wake up and get ready
b) To sleep late
c) To eat breakfast
d) To exercise - To “sleep through something” means:
a) To wake up during noise
b) To not wake up during noise
c) To sleep lightly
d) To sleep early - To “sleep in” means:
a) To wake up early
b) To wake up late
c) To sleep poorly
d) To sleep outside - To “not sleep a wink” means:
a) To sleep well
b) To not sleep at all
c) To sleep lightly
d) To sleep deeply - To “give someone the cold shoulder” means:
a) To ignore someone
b) To hug someone
c) To help someone
d) To talk to someone
Answers to the Quiz
- b) To go to bed
- a) To sleep
- b) Sleep deeply
- b) Working late
- b) Have trouble sleeping
- a) Sleep well
- b) Wake up angry
- b) To not worry
- b) Not paying attention
- a) Take a nap
- a) A place to sleep
- b) To go to bed
- a) To think before deciding
- b) To stay up late
- b) To sleep deeply
- a) To wake up and get ready
- b) To not wake up during noise
- b) To wake up late
- b) To not sleep at all
- a) To ignore someone
Conclusion
Mastering idioms about sleeping will enrich your English by helping you express ideas about rest, tiredness, and sleep habits in a lively and natural way. Use the quiz to test your understanding and make these idioms part of your everyday conversations.