7 silly sleep words that will make you instantly interesting and hilarious

At Memory Foam Warehouse we love to talk about sleep. On the phone, in the pub, at the hairdressers … we can’t get enough of it. But for many people sleep isn’t a go-to topic.

Which we think is a bit of a shame.

So inspired by Dictionary Day on October 16th we’ve scoured the big wordy book from cover to cover in search of the longest, silliest sleep words to get the nation talking. We’ve even included examples of usage for your convenience. So get ready for some big laughs.

1. Somnambulism

Pronounced: som ¦ nam ¦ boo ¦ liz ¦ um

Definition: Sleep-walking

e.g. Person 1: What did you get up to last night?

Person 2: Not much, I just went for a quick somnambulism

2. Nyctophobia

Pronounced: nik ¦ toe ¦ foe ¦ bee ¦ ah

Definition: Extreme fear of the dark

e.g. Hey guys, what animals don’t have nyctophobia? Owls! *Laughter* Hey guys, what animals don’t have nyctophobia? Bats! *Raucous laughter* Repeat using other nocturnal animals

3. Somniloquy

Pronounced: som ¦ nil ¦ oh ¦ kwee

Definition: Sleep-talking

e.g. My mum says I could somniloquy the hind legs off a donkey!

4. Hypnagogia

Pronounced: hip ¦ nah ¦ go ¦ ghee ¦ ah

Definition: The half-awake/asleep period before you drop off, characterised by lucid dreams

e.g. My mind was going crazy during hypnagogia last night darling – I thought you were a horse

5. Oneirology

Pronounced: oh ¦ nee ¦ eye ¦ rol ¦ oh ¦ gee

Definition: The study of dreams

e.g. Person 1: What do you study at university?

Person 2: Oneirology

Person 1: Wow – that sounds dreamy

Everyone: *Laughing*

6. Bruxism

Pronounced: br ¦ uh ¦ ks ¦ ism

Definition: The clenching or grinding of teeth during sleep

e.g. Husband: Your bruxism really grinds my gears

Wife: No kidding – it really grinds my teeth!

Both: *Intense laughter*

7. Hypnic Jerk

Pronounced: hip ¦ ni ¦ c ¦ j ¦ ur ¦ k

Definition: Involuntary muscle twitch when you’re falling asleep

e.g. My big toe did a crazy hypnic jerk last night

We think this is going to be the best Dictionary Day ever.

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