8 Idioms for Talking about Sleep: English Reading Comprehension Exercises

Did you get the recommended 7-9 hours sleep last night? Do you wake up a lot every night or are you one of those lucky people who sleeps through the night? How often do you remember your dreams? Whatever your answers, it is true that sleep (or lack of it) is often a topic of conversation, therefore it isn’t surprising that idioms related to sleep are present in most languages. Read on and see if you have equivalents in your mother tongue. Here we explore 8 common sleep-related idioms, their meanings, and examples of how to use them. With english reading comprehension exercises at the end.

1. To hit the sack / Hit the hay

Meaning: To go to bed.

Origin: This phrase comes from the time when people slept on sacks filled with hay.

Example: "I’m exhausted after that long hike. I’m going to hit the sack early tonight." (Estoy agotado después de esa larga caminata. Voy a acostarme temprano esta noche).

2. To sleep like a log

Meaning: To sleep very deeply and soundly.

Origin: Imagine a log on the ground of the forest. Lots can be going on around it, but it doesn’t move, just like a person who is sleeping deeply.

Example: "After my flight, I was so tired that I slept like a log." (Después del vuelo, estaba tan cansado que dormí como un tronco).

3. To burn the midnight oil

Meaning: To stay up late working or studying.

Origin: Before electricity, people used oil lamps to provide light while working late at night.

Example: "I had to burn the midnight oil to finish my report before the deadline." (Tuve que quemarme las pestañas para terminar mi informe antes de la fecha límite).

4. To catch some Z’s

Meaning: To sleep, often used in a casual or humorous way.

Origin: The letter 'Z' is often used in cartoons to represent the sound of snoring.

Example: "I need to catch some Z’s before my early morning flight." (Necesito dormir un poco antes de mi vuelo matutino).

5. To go out like a light

Meaning: To fall asleep very quickly.

Origin: This idiom compares falling asleep instantly to a light tu

Example: "As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light." (En cuanto su cabeza tocó la almohada, se apagó como una luz).

6. I didn’t sleep a wink!

Meaning: To not sleep at all.

Origin: The word "wink" refers to the quick closing and opening of an eye, so "not sleeping a wink" means not closing your eyes to sleep even for a second.

Example: "I was so nervous about my exam that I didn’t sleep a wink last night." (Estaba tan nerviosa por mi examen que anoche no pegué ojo).

7. Rise and shine!

Meaning: Wake up and get out of bed! This is used to greet people in the morning and encourage them out of bed.

Origin: This phrase dates back to the military and was used to encourage soldiers to wake up and start their day.

Example: "Come on, kids! Rise and shine, it’s time for school!" (¡Vamos, niños! ¡Levántense y brillen, es hora de ir a la escuela!).

8. To sleep on it

Meaning: To think about something overnight before making a decision.

Origin: The idea is that after a good night’s sleep, people think more clearly and can make better decisions.

Example: "I can’t decide whether to take the job offer. I’ll sleep on it and let you know tomorrow." (No puedo decidir si aceptar la oferta de trabajo. Lo consultaré con la almohada y te lo diré mañana).

If you are interested in the subject area of sleep, beyond idioms and vocabulary, I can highly recommend the book by Matthew Walker ‘Why We Sleep’. It is fascinating (and quite scary) when, as he says on the first page, that over 30% of people in developed countries fail to get the recommended 7-9 hours sleep per night. He talks about how sleeping can help us learn, how lack of sleep is correlated with car crashes and how missing out on sleep is detrimental to our health.

You can also learn here how sleep can help the language learning process: Dormir puede ayudarte a aprender inglés: te explico cómo lograrlo.

Exercises

Select the best idiom to complete each sentence.

1. I was so worried about my presentation that I didn’t __________ last night.
   a) sleep like a log
   b) rise and shine
   c) sleep a wink
   d) hit the sack
2. After hiking all day, she was __________ as soon as she lay down.
   a) out like a light
   b) burning the midnight oil
   c) sleeping on it
   d) catching some Z’s
3. If you’re unsure about the offer, why don’t you __________ and decide tomorrow?
   a) rise and shine
   b) sleep on it
   c) hit the sack
   d) burn the midnight oil
4. ____ everyone! It’s a beautiful day! Let’s go for a walk.
   a) Hit the sack
   b) Sleep like a log
   c) Rise and shine
   d) Burn the midnight oil
5. My little brother can __________ through anything, even thunderstorms!
   a) sleep like a log
   b) not sleep a wink
   c) burn the midnight oil
   d) hit the sack
6. I stayed up all night studying for my final exam. I really had to __________.
   a) hit the sack
   b) burn the midnight oil
   c) rise and shine
   d) sleep on it
7. Come on, it’s time to wake up and start the day! __________!
   a) Catch some Z’s
   b) Rise and shine
   c) Out like a light
   d) Sleep on it
8. He’s taking a nap now. He said he needed to __________ before his night shift.
   a) catch some Z’s
   b) rise and shine
   c) burn the midnight oil
   d) sleep a wink
9. She was so tired after her trip that she was __________ as soon as she got home.
   a) sleeping on it
   b) out like a light
   c) catching some Z’s
   d) burning the midnight oil
10. I am really sleepy, I am going to _____, I’ll watch the rest of the episode tomorrow.
    a) rise and shine
    b) burn the midnight oil
    c) hit the sack
    d) sleep like a log

Answer: 1. c; 2. a; 3. b; 4. a; 5. a; 6. b; 7. b; 8. a; 9. b; 10. c.