80 Goodnight Quotes to Soothe Your Soul

Last Updated on February 24, 2024

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Is saying ‘good night’ a part of your bedtime routine? At the end of a long productive day, don’t you just look forward to decompress, relax, and enjoy a good night’s sleep? And this phrase has accompanied our bedtime routine like a pillow-and-bed pairing.

Once it’s time to go to bed, we head off for some much-needed sleep and wish one another good night or sweet dreams. Have you ever wondered why we say good night to one another? Is it just a pleasantry that has lasted the test of time or is there another deeper meaning?

The History of Good Night

People have been saying good night (and good morning) for as far back in history as we can remember. Whether it began by accident or was created specifically as an evening greeting is difficult to pinpoint.

No one can truly trace the exact origin of the expression and most people accept that it was created as a way of saying goodbye for the day and wishing someone a pleasant night of sleep.

However, there are some interesting stories that say that during medieval times when health was more precarious, people would often die in their sleep. Because of this, the good night expression rose as a way of being able to say goodbye properly to loved ones in case of untimely death in the night. 

There are also stories of the phrase “good night” as far back as Greek mythology. But these are just stories. There are many that exist in many different cultures. There is no one universally accepted beginning though.

At the end of the day, most believe that people have been wishing each other a pleasant evening or sleep well or good night from the moment they realized how important sleep was to a person. 

Since then, good night and similar expressions have been shared between loved ones before going to bed. A tradition that has carried on to this day.

Clever Ways to Say Good Night

While good night is still the most popular before bed phrase, there are several others that people use as well. Some of these derivatives have interesting myths and back-stories.

One of the most popular phrases is “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” This expression was originally associated with a popular myth that the words “sleep tight” referred to old beds in which mattresses were held up by ropes.

Tight in “sleep tight” meant ensuring the ropes supporting the mattress is tight to avoid slipping to the floor where people in the 1800s believed bed bugs await to bite the unsuspecting sleeper.

Unfortunately, while it sounds like it makes sense, this origin story is just a popular myth. The “sleep tight” expression didn’t appear until well after rope beds were no longer in fashion so it’s highly unlikely that it refers to them. The term “tight” simply refers to sleeping soundly or properly, which Edwin Dwight Babbitt used in his 1874 ditty for children entitled, “To My Pets.” 

As for “don’t let the bed bugs bite” – this was a legitimate reminder for bed bugs were a common pest that destroyed a good night’s sleep for most people in the 1800s. Barry Popik, an etymologist, shared that there were some good night messages which used mosquitoes instead of bugs. 

He also pointed out this rhyming greeting first appeared in an 1881 novel by Emma Mersereau Newton called “Boscobel.” 

Another popular derivative of good night is simply “sweet dreams.” This is said alone or added to “good night” to wish someone a pleasant sleep filled with happy dreams and not nightmares. 

At the end of the day, all of the different ways of saying good night have relatively the same meaning. People want their family or loved ones to sleep soundly and have pleasant dreams so that they wake up happy, refreshed, and ready for the day.

If you are looking for fun, unique, and even poetic ways to say good night to your loved ones, you need not look far. Writers over the years have crafted beautiful and unique ways to wish your loved ones a pleasant night’s sleep.

Inspirational Goodnight Quotes

Posted by:Igor Ovsyannnykov

Igor is an SEO specialist, designer, photographer, writer and music producer. He believes that knowledge can change the world and be used to inspire and empower young people to build the life of their dreams. When he is not writing in his favorite coffee shop, Igor spends most of his time reading books, taking photos, producing house music, and learning about cinematography. He is a sucker for good coffee, Indian food, and video games.

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