cry oneself to sleep
Weep until unconscious
To cry oneself to sleep is to weep until sleep finally comes, usually from emotional exhaustion.
The phrase implies sustained distress—grief, heartbreak, loneliness—that continues until consciousness mercifully ends: She cried herself to sleep for weeks after the breakup.
The construction follows a pattern where the reflexive pronoun shows the subject bringing about their own state through the action.
- tearsViolent pulls apart
- faceHead's anterior surface
- puffy eyesSwollen tissue around sockets
- sorrowDeep emotional distress
- catharsisPurification through emotional expression
emotional exhaustion · pain · bed · red eyes · pillow · curl up · sobbing · ugly cry · bereavement · hiccups · despair · breakup · heartbreak · loneliness · muffled · whimper · anguish · broken heart