It’s important for your health to sleep well and recharge, and wishing someone a good night’s sleep is an act of common kindness. It’s such a natural habit that we’ve invented plenty of ways to send someone off to bed, including the standard “sleep well,” and the more playful “catch some Zs” and “hit the hay.”
My favorite way to tell someone good night is the classic rhyme from childhood: “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” I grew up hearing this phrase, but like any other nursery rhyme, it has an origin story. Interestingly, it seems the three parts of this good-night wish have separate roots.
The Oxford English Dictionary traces the term “good night” to about 1275, around the beginning of recording the English language. That makes sense, as it’s the most common way to wish someone a decent night’s sleep. The “sleep tight” portion of the saying might have a literal origin. In the 16th century, bed frames used rope to suspend the mattress between the frame supports, and the ropes needed regular tightening. However, one meaning of “tight” is “sound,” dating back to the early 17th century. The phrase “sleep tight” could come from the wish for someone to sleep soundly.
The rhyme ends with “don’t let the bed bugs bite.” An earlier version of this was “don’t let the buggers bite” in an 1881 book. “Don’t let nothing bite” was in an 1888 magazine, but the current version was seen the same year in a London newspaper. It’s also likely the 19th-century biting bug references were fleas, and not modern bedbug infestations.
Whether we wish sweet dreams, some Zs, or a lack of pests, there’s a long history of people offering kindness in the form of a good night’s sleep.
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