tossing and turning
Bed-bound fitful movement
Tossing and turning describes restless movement in bed, typically from inability to sleep.
The phrase captures the repetitive shifting of position—rolling from side to side, flipping over—that accompanies insomnia or anxious nights: I spent hours tossing and turning before finally drifting off.
It often implies worry or discomfort keeping someone awake.
- sleeplessUnable to drift off
- restlessnessState of unease
- thrashingDecisive, lopsided defeat
- insomniaPersistent inability to rest
- rollList of names
can't sleep · restless night · lying awake · troubled · squirming · anxious · twist · agitated · racing thoughts · flip · toss · fidget · wakefulness · uneasy · blanket · tangled sheets · overthinking · rumination
- sleepsleep, sleeping, nap, doze, slumber
- sleep problemsinsomnia, sleep apnea, night terrors, hypersomnia, nightmares
- nighttimemidnight, nightfall, night sky, nighttime, starry sky
tossing and turningsleeping like a log
deep sleep · out like a light · dead to the world · restorative sleep · fast asleep
tossing and turningmotionless
Lacking all movement
stillness · stock-still · immobile · repose · at rest
turning, turned, tossed, overturn, turnover, tossing, tosses, turnaround, intertwined