How often do you get asked about the previous night? Do you find it hard to respond? The question is straightforward but you can make it even more interesting by answering well.
Depending on who is asking the question and where the question is being asked, you may want to control the length of your response.
You can simply answer the question honestly as everyone does. If you want the conversation to continue, you may want to answer differently.
Below are some ideas on how to answer the question.
16 ways to respond to “did you sleep well?”
1. Yes. Thank you
When you are asked if you slept well, you can simply say Yes. Thank you. This is an idea of a straightforward response. You do not have to lie about your night or give a lengthy response.
In a case where the question is coming from your boss or someone who you think does not actually care, you can give a straightforward response like this.
Even if you did not have a great night, you may want to lie about it and say Yes, thank you so the conversation does not have to continue. This is because talking about a bad night can arouse more questions so it is the best option to end the conversation quickly.
There are better ways to respond than answering directly. Keep reading.
2. I’ve been having trouble sleeping
When you are asked if you slept well, you can talk about the troubles you have with sleeping. This is an idea of a straightforward response that does not end the conversation quickly. If you had trouble falling asleep, you can be honest about it.
If the question is coming from your boss or someone you believe doesn’t care, you may want to consider lying. You may want to avoid talking about your trouble sleeping so you don’t have to continue the conversation.
If you talk about the trouble you have with sleeping, there is a high chance that the person will ask about how you feel and how long you’ve been having issues with sleeping.
If you want the conversation to continue but you had a good night, you can choose to lie. You just have to be ready to continue with the lie so you don’t get confused while trying to keep talking to a person.
There are better ways to keep a person in a conversation with you after asking this question. Keep reading to find out.
3. Yes. It was marvelous
When you are asked if you slept well, you can say Yes, it was marvelous. It is one thing to answer the question honestly. It is another thing to make the person see that you’re being honest. This can be effective in continuing the conversation for a short while or, at least, leaving a good impression on the person you’re talking to.
If the question is coming from your boss, this answer may not keep it going but it will leave a good impression on him/her. If you are talking with a friend, there is a high chance that this answer will lead to questions about how marvelous it was.
If you want to keep the conversation going, this response may not work as much as giving a negative response. However, you can make it work by also asking about the person’s night.
There are other ways to keep the conversation going. Keep reading to find out.
4. I had a short night
When you are asked if you slept well, you can tell the person you had a short night. This could be an honest response or you could be lying about it.
Giving this response implies that you wish the night had been longer. This will most likely keep the conversation going unless you are talking to someone who doesn’t care about it.
When you answer the question by saying you had a short night, some people may not understand what that expression means so they ask what you mean by it.
When you are asked what you meant by it, you can explain how you enjoyed sleeping but woke up still feeling sleepy. You can express your dissatisfaction about your previous night, as long as you are sure that the person cares.
This is one good way to continue the conversation but it won’t work in every case. Keep reading for more ideas.
5. Yes. How about you?
When you are asked if you slept well, you can tell the person Yes, how about you? This is the most common response given to this question.
While a positive answer allows the conversation to end shortly, asking about the person’s night can make the conversation last longer but it depends on how the person responds to it and what you say after that.
You can give a positive response to make the conversation end but you may make the conversation continue for a longer time if you dare to throw the question back.
It won’t drag the conversation as much as a negative response will but that also depends on whether the person replies positively or negatively.
Asking about someone’s night is sweet. Throwing the question back shows that you care too.
Keep reading for more nice responses to the question.
6. I wish I did
When you are asked if you slept well, you can say I wish I did. This could be honest or it could be just a way of making the conversation continue. Giving this response implies that you wish you slept well. In other words, you did not sleep well.
Like other negative responses on the list, this response helps you to continue with the conversation. However, if you use this response well, it may work better than all other responses on the list.
Saying I wish I did may mean that you had trouble sleeping or you intentionally stayed up late and you now regret it. It allows you to tell a long story.
Making the conversation longer may require you to do everything you feel and more questions may arise from the story you tell.
If you would prefer a shorter conversation, it’s better to give a straightforward response rather than this. Better still, you can just give a positive answer even if your night didn’t go well.
7. It couldn’t have been better
When you are asked if you slept well, you can say It couldn’t have been better. This is a great way to give a positive response and mean it.
This can be effective in continuing the conversation for a short while or, at least, leaving a good impression on the person you’re talking to.
When you say this, you are implying that you had the perfect night and you were satisfied with how much sleep you had.
There is a slight chance that you will get a smile from the person. To drag the conversation even further, you can ask about the person’s night too.
8. Slept too late
When you are asked if you slept well, you can say you Slept too late. Saying this implies that you had to wake up early and that means you didn’t have as much sleep as you desired.
This will get the same reaction as a negative response so you get to drag the conversation further.
If you are talking to a person who is not exactly willing to listen, you may have to be straightforward with your response instead of saying this. You may even lie so the person does not feel forced to ask why you had a bad night.
Keep reading for more ideas for answering this question.
9. Woke up early
When you are asked if you slept well, you can say you Woke up early. This is similar to the response above. It implies that you had to wake up earlier than you would have loved to. In other words, your night was not satisfactory.
This will be received as a negative response so you get to drag the conversation for a while. If you are talking to a person who doesn’t appear to be willing to listen to your story, you may just lie and answer positively. That would end the conversation almost immediately.
For more ideas on how to respond to the question, keep reading.
10. I had a long night
When you are asked if you slept well, you can say You had a long night. Before you use this expression, you have to understand what it means so you don’t pass the wrong message.
Having a long night means you had to check the time often because you were stressed out or unable to sleep. It will have the same reaction as a negative response.
The expression may also not be understood so you may have to explain. That allows you to keep the conversation going for a long time. The person will most likely ask why you had a long night and you get to tell the full story of how your night went.
If your night went smoothly, this would be the wrong answer.
11. I did. Did you?
When you are asked if you slept well, you can say I did, did you? Giving a straightforward positive answer can make the conversation short. However, throwing the question back gives you a chance to lengthen the conversation.
Also, asking about the other person’s night is just polite. It shows that you equally care about the person that has asked about your welfare.
It may not lengthen the conversation as much as a negative response would but that depends on how the person responds to you.
12. It was award-winning
When you are asked if you slept well, you can say It was award-winning. Using a metaphor like this can be found funny.
It doesn’t only give a positive response but also shows that you mean it. The person’s reaction may make the conversation longer.
You can drag the conversation slightly further by throwing the question back. Then the person can make the conversation longer by responding well. Using a funny metaphor like this one shows that you are interested in the conversation.
13. I can’t remember the last time I did.
When you are asked if you slept well, you can say I can’t remember the last time I did. However, you have to mean it to say it. It will be received as a negative response. If you have been having bad nights for a while, you can express it and get a great reaction.
This will drag the conversation longer as the person asks about your health.
14. My best sleep in a long time
When you are asked if you slept well, you can say it’s your Best sleep in a long time. You can go ahead to explain how you have been having bad nights before the previous sleep you had.
This has the same reaction as a positive response so you may have to throw the question back if you want the conversation to continue for a long time.
15. I didn’t get to sleep
When you are asked if you slept well, you can say you Didn’t get to sleep. This is a funny response and it will be received as a negative one. You have to be honest about it since the person will be forced to ask why and you will have to explain why you didn’t sleep.
This is the best negative response you can use unless you are not willing to drag the conversation. It is not advisable to lie about this so you don’t give an unreasonable excuse for not sleeping.
16. Didn’t wet the bed but I slept like a baby
When you are asked if you slept well, you can say this. This is another funny positive response. While positive responses may not drag the conversation, the joke can make it continue for a short time.
To drag the conversation further, you can throw the question back and the person may respond with a joke too.