drowsy but awake
Heavy-lidded but alert
Drowsy but awake is a phrase from infant sleep training, describing the recommended state for putting a baby down to sleep—tired enough to drift off, but not already asleep.
The idea is that babies learn to self-soothe when they fall asleep independently: Put her down drowsy but awake.
Parents often find the advice maddening, as the window between drowsy and asleep can be vanishingly narrow.
- sleepyWanting to doze
- groggyWeak and unsteady
- dozyPleasantly drowsy
- half-asleepPartially conscious, drowsy
- blearyDim from fatigue
barely conscious · foggy · hazy · in between · nodding · yawning · heavy-lidded · twilight · drifting · drifting off · falling asleep · lulled · muzzy · stupor · languid · lethargic · semiconscious · woozy
drowsy but awakewide awake
Totally alert and attentive
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed · alert · hyperalert · dead to the world · out cold
drowsy, drowse, drowsed, drowsing, drowsily, drowsiness, awake, wake, waking