Are you a night owl or an early riser? Have you ever been called a sleepyhead? What time do you normally hit the hay? All these questions contain sleep-related idioms, and this article is going to be about those and many more. Read on and make sure you add color to your language with the idioms from this post and the sleep-related phrasal verbs we covered here.
Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for overall well-being. If you’re constantly burning the midnight oil (1), you might find it hard to hit the hay (2) at a reasonable hour. It’s important to avoid letting worries keep you awake, so don’t let your problems keep you up (3) at night. Instead, focus on creating a relaxing bedtime routine to help you drift off easily.
Sometimes, people find themselves tossing and turning (4), struggling to catch some Z’s (5). If that’s the case, maybe it’s time to try some relaxation techniques or count sheep (6) to help you fall asleep. Having a consistent sleep schedule can also make a big difference, so you don’t end up running on empty.
Remember, staying up all night and then trying to rise and shine (7) the next day is a recipe for disaster. It’s better to aim for a full night’s rest so you can start your day feeling refreshed. Also, getting your beauty sleep (8) isn’t just a saying—it’s really about letting your body and mind recover from the day’s stress.
When you’re well-rested, you’ll find that you’re less likely to feel cranky and more prepared to tackle whatever comes your way. So, make sure you don’t let sleep get away from you (9) , and prioritize your health by catching those Z’s. After all, sleep is the best medicine (10) for a tired mind and body.
- To burn the midnight oil – to read or work late into the night
- To hit the hay – to go to bed
- To keep someone up – to prevent someone from going to bed or to sleep
- To toss and turn – to move around restlessly while sleeping or trying to sleep
- To catch some Z’s – to sleep
- To count sheep – a mental exercise used in some Western cultures as a means of putting oneself to sleep
- To rise and shine – to wake up and get out of bed promptly
- To get your beauty sleep (humorous) – to get sleep that helps you look refreshed and attractive
- To let sleep get away from you – to miss out on or neglect the opportunity to get a good night’s sleep
- Sleep is the best medicine – getting adequate rest is crucial for health and well-being (check out this post for more health-related proverbs)
More idioms
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| Night owl | a person who stays up late at night | Sarah has always been a night owl, often working on her projects until the early hours of the morning. |
| Early riser | a person who wakes up early in the morning | Mark is such an early riser that he’s usually done with his workout by 6 a.m. |
| Sleepyhead | someone who enjoys sleeping or tends to sleep a lot | Jake is such a sleepyhead that he could easily nap for hours on the weekends. |
| To sleep on it | to delay making a decision until the following day after considering it | The team decided to sleep on the proposal before finalizing their decision. |
| To burn the candle at both ends | to overwork oneself by staying up late and waking up early | She’s been burning the candle at both ends trying to finish the project on time. |
| To catch 40 winks | to take a short nap or get some sleep | I only had 10 minutes, but I managed to catch 40 winks before the meeting. |
| To wake up on the wrong side of the bed | to wake up in a bad mood or be irritable from the beginning of the day | She must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed because she’s been grumpy all morning. |
| To be in dreamland | to be deeply asleep or lost in pleasant thoughts | When the alarm went off, he was still in dreamland and didn’t hear it at first. |
| To be out like a light | to fall asleep very quickly and deeply | After the long hike, he was out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow. |
| To catch some shut-eye | to get some sleep, especially a short nap = to catch 40 winks | I need to catch some shut-eye before the flight; it’s going to be a long day. |
Practice
Exercise 1. Click the link here and choose the right word to complete the sentences.
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