fitful sleep
Broken nighttime rest
Fitful sleep is sleep broken by frequent waking or restless movement—the opposite of deep, uninterrupted rest.
Someone who sleeps fitfully tosses, turns, and drifts in and out of consciousness: After a night of fitful sleep, she woke exhausted.
The phrase suggests sleep that comes in irregular bursts rather than sustained periods.
- restlessUnable to be still
- tossingLight underhand throw
- turningAct of rotating
- tossing and turningInability to sleep peacefully
- insomniaPersistent inability to rest
restless night · disturbed · broken · uneasy · wakeful · wide awake · drowsy · nightmare · racing thoughts · fragmented · shallow · interrupted · dozing · stirring · groggy · exhausted · dark circles · pillow
- sleepnap, doze, slumber, naps, snooze
- sleep problemsinsomnia, night terrors, hypersomnia, nightmares, restless legs
- light sleepdozing, napping, snooze, catnap, drowsing
fitful sleepdeep sleep
Unconsciousness hard to rouse
peaceful sleep · dreamless sleep · dead sleep · sleeping like a log · out cold
fitfully, fitfulness, fits, fitted, fitting, fittings, sleep, sleeps, sleeper