sleep

[keitra]

What is the difference between 'go to sleep' and 'get to sleep'?

[FredPuli]

Go to sleep is what you do. Get to sleep is what you do to someone else. But don't people say 'I can't get to sleep' as well as 'I can't get the baby to sleep' ? They do but what they mean is 'I can't get myself to sleep' but the 'myself' is understood but not said; we know that the speaker is referring to themselves as the object of the getting to; the causing or persuading to; sleep simply because they don't mention anybody else as the object. They can only mean " I can't get myself to sleep'.

[Quizmonster]

I think the major difference is that we think of 'going' to sleep as an easy, flowing process, whereas 'getting' to sleep is more often used when there is some difficulty preventing that process.

For example, we might say: "Last night, there was so much noise coming from the party downstairs that I couldn't get to sleep." I don't think anyone would ever say: "Last night, there was so much noise coming from the party downstairs that I couldn't go to sleep."

By the same token, if you were singing a lullaby to your baby, you'd never use the words: "Get to sleep, my darling", because you would be trying to facilitate the flowing process of going to sleep for the child.