Sleep 5e [DnD Spell Guide: Uses, Rules, Tips]

Each creature of your choice in a 5-foot-radius Sphere centered on a point within range must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have the Incapacitated condition until the end of its next turn, at which point it must repeat the save. If the target fails the second save, the target has the Unconscious condition for the duration. The spell ends on a target if it takes damage or someone within 5 feet of it takes an action to shake it out of the spell’s effect.

Creatures that don’t sleep, such as elves, or that have Immunity to the Exhaustion condition automatically succeed on saves against this spell.

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a pinch of find sand, rose petals, or a cricket)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
School: Level 1 Enchantment

Who can cast Sleep? Bards, Sorcerers, and Wizards have Sleep on their class spell lists. Archfey Warlocks, Redemption Paladins, and Twilight Clerics get Sleep for free and always have it prepared.

Player’s Handbook 2024, pg. 317

Sleep 5e

Sleep is a solid low-level enchantment spell that can put a few baddies down for a nap. This can either set up big damage from an ally or help reduce the damage coming in.

However, it was pretty heavily changed in the 2014 version of the game — it’s not really a nerf or a buff, but it’s a totally different spell now. Note that the video below explains the rules for 2014 version of the spell, but the rest of this article will cover the 2024 version.

What Does Sleep Do in 5e?

Let’s break down how Sleep works step by step:

Choose a location within 60 feet
Enemies within 5 feet of that location must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become incapacitated for one round
At the end of the affected enemies’ next turn, it makes another Wisdom save — if it fails, it is unconscious for the remainder of the spell, unless it takes damage or a creature wtihin 5 feet of it uses an action to shake the creature out of the spell’s effect

Incapacitated creatures:

Can’t take actions, bonus actions, or reactions
Can’t concentrate on spells
Can’t speak

Unconscious creatures:

Are incapacitated (suffer from all of the above)
Fall prone
Drop what they’re holding
Can’t concentrate on spells (and lose concentration on current spells)
Can’t move or speak
Automatically fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws
Are unaware of their surroundings

Additionally, creatures who attack a sleeping (unconscious) target:

Have advantage on attack rolls
Automatically score a critical hit if within 5 feet of the target

Sleep lasts for up to one minute, which is 10 rounds of combat.

Creatures that don’t sleep or are immune to the exhaustion condition are immune to the Sleep spell.

Sleep affects a 5-foot sphere, which means you can hit a maximum of four small or larger creatures with it if they’re standing in a square formation and you center it in the middle of them.

What Are the Rules for Sleep in 5e?

The rules for Sleep 5e are as follows:

Sleep is special compared to other “compulsion” spells. Some players look at spells like Command and Suggestion and try to make it into a pseudo-Sleep spell. The reason this doesn’t work is because commanding/suggesting someone to sleep doesn’t somehow make their brain instantly switch to sleep mode.

Rather, enemies commanded/suggested to sleep will try their best to fall asleep however they normally do (lying down, closing eyes, etc.) The spell Sleep, however, is different. It instantly forces the affected creature to fall asleep, like turning a switch in their brain.

The suggestion spell allows you to compel someone to pursue a course of activity. You could, for example, tell them to go to sleep. That doesn't knock them out; it causes them to try to go to sleep naturally. It isn't magical slumber. #DnD https://t.co/qjQTPMNDG4

— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) December 7, 2017

Sleeping creatures are considered unconscious (DMG 248). This goes for both magical and regular sleep. Here it is confirmed by Jeremy Crawford on Sage Advice.

A sleeping character is unconscious. This is mentioned in "Using and Tracking Conditions" (DMG, 248). #DnD https://t.co/OVyxg4Eejy

— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) April 17, 2017

Sleep only affects creatures of your choice. So you can avoid friendly fire.
Does a creature in water under the effects of Sleep drown? Probably not — Sleep only lasts for one minute, so if the creature instinctively holds its breath, it should be fine. If, on the other hand, it keeps breathing, it will begin to drown (which I think most humans/DMs can agree is “taking damage”) and will therefore wake up.

This is up to DM discretion though.
Other creatures must spend an action to wake up a sleeping creature. So if your DM tries to get one goblin to wake up his buddy and then follow up with an attack from that same goblin, shut that down.

How Do I Use Sleep in 5e?

Sleep has a number of applications in the early levels of a DND 5e campaign:

Take out groups of enemies. Early opponents often come in hordes (think of kobolds, goblins, and the like). They don’t hit very hard, but collectively they can get in a lot of hits and wear your party down.

Sleep can put down up to four enemies if they’re tightly packed together, making the group much more manageable for your party. Plus, when you do decide to smack the sleeping goblin awake, you’ll have advantage and a guaranteed critical strike (if you’re in melee range).
Stealth missions. Oftentimes, violence isn’t the best answer in DnD. Say there are a couple of guards blocking the door to your true target. Sure, you could engage in a melee and run the risk of the alarm being sounded.

Or you could help those poor fellows catch up on their beauty sleep. Just note that Sleep only lasts for one minute, so you’ll have to do your business quickly or make sure your enemy remains incapacitated even after waking up.
Escape. If things get to be too much and you’d rather put some space between you and your foes than keep on fighting, Sleep can be just the spell you’re looking for. Bonus points if you put an enemy’s mount to sleep, putting a real damper on his chances of chasing you.
Set up big finishers. One important element of the incapacitated element of the Sleep spell is that it affords attackers advantage on attack rolls. And if the attacker is within 5 feet, they’re also guaranteed to land a critical strike.

Put a target (or two) to sleep and watch your party’s Fighter, Rogue, or Barbarian deliver massive damage.

Who Can I Target With Sleep 5e?

Technically, you target an area with Sleep, not a creature. But the fact that you get to decide “each creature of your choice in a 5-foot radius Sphere” means you can avoid hitting your allies with it, even if they’re standing next to your intended target(s).

Sleep does affect most creatures, except for creatures that don’t sleep or are immune to Exhaustion.

Is Sleep 5e a Good Spell?

Sleep is a decent spell. While it used to be an absolute powerhouse in lower levels in the 2014 version of the game, it’s much less strong in the 2024 version at low levels against low-HP targets. However, it’s now much more reliable against higher hit point targets, meaning its utility sticks around into the mid tier of play.

That said, it now also requires concentration to maintain (it didn’t in the 2014 version), so it will likely become obsolete as you get access to more powerful spells that require concentration.

Sleep 5e DM Tips

One thing that Sleep’s rules don’t explicitly cover is how the targets react when they wake up. In a combat scenario, it’s fairly obvious that they realize what happened and immediately re-enter the fray.

But if players use Sleep to put guards down, you need to remember that they only have 1 minute to get past them and into a place where they can avoid notice. Now, are the guards suspicious of their sudden slumber, or do they chalk it up to long hours and decide to keep their lapse of duty a secret?

Think about how various creatures, roles, and personalities would respond to the sudden effects of magically-induced sleep.

Also, a common thing that players will attempt is the ol’ Sleep and drown trick. Decide how you want to play this — does the creature just sit in the water holding their breath, or choke and immediately wake up? Or do they drown stupidly, as their body ignores every instinct and continues attempting to respirate a liquid? It’s your world.

Sleep FAQ

How does the 2024 Sleep spell determine which creatures are affected? In the 2024 edition, Sleep requires each chosen creature within a 5-foot-radius sphere to make a Wisdom saving throw. Previously, the spell’s effect was based on the total hit points of creatures in the area.
Does the updated Sleep spell require concentration? Yes, the 2024 version of the Sleep spell now requires concentration, meaning you must maintain focus to keep the spell active.
What conditions does the Sleep spell impose on affected creatures? Initially, affected creatures become incapacitated until the end of their next turn. If they fail a second saving throw at that time, they fall unconscious for the spell’s remaining duration (or until they take damage or are woken up by one of their allies).
Are there creatures immune to the Sleep spell’s effects? Yes, creatures that don’t sleep, such as elves, or those immune to exhaustion, automatically succeed on saving throws against this spell.
How has the area of effect changed in the 2024 Sleep spell? The spell now affects creatures within a 5-foot-radius sphere, a reduction from the previous 20-foot-radius area, making it more focused.

2014 Sleep 5e

This spell sends creatures into a magical slumber. Roll 5d8; the total is how many hit points of creatures this spell can affect. Creatures within 20 feet of a point you choose within range are affected in ascending order of their current hit points (ignoring unconscious creatures).

Starting with the creature that has the lowest current hit points, each creature affected by this spell falls unconscious until the spell ends, the sleeper takes damage, or someone uses an action to shake or slap the sleeper awake. Subtract each creature’s hit points from the total before moving on to the creature with the next lowest hit points. A creature’s hit points must be equal to or less than the remaining total for that creature to be affected.

Undead and creatures immune to being charmed aren’t affected by this spell.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, roll an additional 2d8 for each slot level above 1st.

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 90 feet
Components: V, S, M (a pinch of find sand, rose petals, or a cricket)
Duration: 1 minute
School: 1st-level enchantment