Falling asleep on the job is never a good thing, especially if one's job involves direct combat against a fellow pocket monster. In Pokemon Sword & Shield, as well as in every other main-series game in the Pokemon franchise, Sleep is a status condition that can debilitate any target for a few turns.

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Sleep prevents an afflicted pokemon from being able to move under normal circumstances for one or more turns, depending on some hidden RNG mechanics. While not as common as some other status conditions in modern games like Pokemon Sword & Shield, Sleep arguably has the best versatility, as it can be used as both a way to hinder foes or by players for certain niche strategies.

Updated August 28th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: There have been a lot of moves, abilities, and items introduced with each passing Pokemon generation. The Sleep Status Effect has been changed a bit over the years, but for the most part, remains a pivotal (and sometimes paniful) part of the battle system. Players that don't know how to best deal with Sleep may find themselves losing teams of Pokemon to a foe that can quickly and easily send them into a slumber. To better aid against this, and show players how to better handle Sleep in Pokemon, the following guide has been updated to include items, moves, and abilities that affect or cure the Sleep status.

Sleep Throughout The Generations Of Main Series Pokemon Games

Sleep In Generation 1 Pokemon Games

Sleep in the initial games of the franchise can last between 1 to 7 turns (or between 1 to 3 turns in Pokemon Stadium). The Sleep counter does not reset upon switching out, meaning that if a pokemon is meant to be asleep for 4 turns as determined by the RNG, if it stays in combat for 1 turn before retreating, it will be asleep for 3 turns when it returns to the battle. When a pokemon wakes up from its slumber, it still won't be able to move until the next turn, which can be abused to lock a pokemon into an unending sleep cycle if the attacker is faster.

Sleep In Generation 2 Pokemon Games

The maximum duration of Sleep was reduced to 5 turns as to slightly decrease its power and usage, plus pokemon that awaken from their slumber will be able to move on the same turn, preventing the aggressive sleep-cycling that was abused in the Generation 1 games. It is also worth noting that wild pokemon cannot flee while they are asleep, making Sleep-inducing moves excellent for aiding in the capture of the roaming legendaries Raikou, Entei, and Suicune.

Sleep In Generation 3 Pokemon Games

The minimum duration of Sleep was increased, so the new possible duration is between 2 to 5 turns. In an unfortunate change, wild pokemon are now able to flee when asleep, making catching roaming legendaries more difficult than before. The moves Sleep Talk and Snore will slightly increase how long a pokemon stays asleep if used by a sleeping pokemon, however, this was weirdly implemented and this mechanic operates on a separate counter than the real Sleep counter.

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Sleep In Generation 4 Pokemon Games

The Sleep counter mechanic for Sleep Talk and Snore were integrated into the real Sleep counter, though possesses the same effects from the perspective of the player, meaning no visible change was noticeable to most.

Sleep In Generation 5 Pokemon Games

In yet another duration change, Sleep can now only affect a pokemon for between 1 to 3 turns, though, upon switching out, a sleeping pokemon's Sleep counter gets reset to its starting value, meaning that pokemon that switch out while sleeping will remain dormant for more turns. This new mechanic also works with Rest, so players who want to keep a specific pokemon asleep can use switching out to their advantage.

Sleep In Generation 6 Pokemon Games

The developers didn't like that the Sleep counter resets for sleeping pokemon that switch out of combat, therefore this was removed. However, nothing else was changed about Sleep in this generation's games.

Sleep In Generation 7 Pokemon Games & Beyond

There were no changes made to how the Sleep status condition works after Generation 6, therefore it remains the same in Generation 7 and Generation 8 Pokemon games.

Moves & Abilities That Can Cause Sleep In Main Series Pokemon Games

List Of Moves That Cause Sleep In The Main Series Pokemon Games

Abilities That Can Cause Sleep In Main Series Pokemon Games

There is a single ability in the Pokemon franchise that can put an opponent to Sleep, which is Effect Spore. When an enemy makes contact with a pokemon with the Effect Spore ability, there is an 11% chance that they will fall asleep.

It's also important to note that Sleep can possibly happen to a Pokemon that is disobedient. Players that attempt to battle with a creature that is a high level (and they do not have the appropriate Gym Badge) may end up falling asleep in defiance.

How To Cure Sleep

Thankfully, there are multiple ways for trainers to cure the Sleep status effect, with many items capable of waking up a Pokemon that has fallen into a deep slumber during battle. Here's a look at all the known items in the main Pokemon series that will wake up a snoozing pocket monster.

• Full Heal
• Full Restore
• Awakening
• Lum Berry
• Chesto Berry
• Heal Powder
• Sacred Ash
• Casteliacone
• Old Gateau
• Poke Flute
• Blue Flute

Pokemon Moves That Cure Sleep

In addition to all of the above items, there are actually a handful of Pokemon moves that are capable of curing sleep and forcing a Pokemon awake. Here's a rundown of the available moves that have shown up in the mainline series over the years and how they work.

Pokemon Abilities That Effect Sleep

Moves aren't the only defense that Pokemon have against Sleep. There are quite a few abilities that can affect how the Status works, with some Pokemon incapable of falling asleep thanks to their hidden abilities. Here's a look at all the abilities that pertain to Sleep.

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