Hit the hay and hit the sack

Hit the hay and hit the sack are two idioms that mean to go to bed. The assumption is that hit the hay and hit the sack come from the fact that mattresses used to consist of cloth sacks stuffed with hay. Some historians go so far as to suggest that hit the hay and hit the sack come from the practice of fluffing up the hay inside the mattress ticking before lying down to sleep. Before 1880 hit the hay meant to sleep in a barn, presumably where the farm’s hay was stored. In the early 1900s, hit the hay came to mean to go to bed in general, wherever that may be.

Examples

The next morning was to be an early start, so we hit the hay early and set our alarms. (Vogue Magazine)

At 12:01 AM, we ascertained that all was well with the power grid, hit the hay, and the next week all the beets were donated to a food pantry. (The Cape Gazette)

But if you’ve hit the hay come midnight and avoided over-indulging prior, you should wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready for some exploring. (The Huffington Post)

If you’re still reeling with nausea you experienced from the time you got home and hit the sack, a small dose of ginger is the best remedy. (The Hindu)

As Singaporeans welcomed the New Year, Soh Rui Yong had hit the sack an hour before so he can be up at 7am as usual for gym work and an hour’s running. (The Straits Times)

So the chances are you will wake up feeling exhausted after a heavy session, even if you hit the sack at your normal time. (The Sun)

After Klaus’ lips touched hers, the two hit the sack, which is when Cami’s world ended … literally. (The International Business Times)