Staying Up Late
We all have nights where we just can't fall asleep. If you suffer from insomnia (el insomnio), you might end up staying up late (trasnochar).
| My grandfather suffers from a lot of insomnia lately. | Mi abuelo sufre mucho insomnio últimamente. |
| If you start studying now, you are going to stay up late. | Si te pones a estudiar ahora, vas a trasnochar. |
The Consequences of a Bad Night
Staying up too late often leaves you with bags under your eyes (las ojeras).
| She has very big bags under her eyes from staying up late so much. | Ella tiene unas ojeras muy grandes por trasnochar tanto. |
To avoid waking up in the night (desvelarse), some people take a sleeping pill (el somnífero). Note that desvelarse is a reflexive verb, so it requires a pronoun like me, te, or se.
| He took a sleeping pill to avoid waking up in the night. | Tomó un somnífero para no desvelarse. |
Early Mornings and Waking Up
A very early start to your day is known as el madrugón. This is especially tough if you are naturally a sleepyhead (dormilón or dormilona).
| Getting up early is very hard for a sleepyhead. | El madrugón es muy duro para un dormilón. |
After a harsh early alarm, you might feel drowsy (adormilado) for a while.
| After getting up early, the boy stayed drowsy. | Después del madrugón, el chico se quedó adormilado. |
Getting Alert
To shake off the drowsiness and wake up completely, use the reflexive verb espabilarse.
| You are still drowsy; you have to wake up. | Todavía estás adormilada, tienes que espabilarte. |
For many, the best way to finally become fully alert is a quick dose of caffeine (la cafeína).
| Black coffee helps you wake up because of the caffeine. | El café solo ayuda a espabilarse por la cafeína. |
