to disrupt sleep pattern

5.4

To change someone's usual sleep times so they cannot sleep well

phrasal verb

: alterar los patrones de sueño

Stressful situations frequently disrupt sleep pattern, leading to fatigue during the day.

Examples

Jet lag often disrupts sleep pattern for travelers crossing multiple time zones.
Caffeine late in the evening can disrupt sleep pattern and make it hard to feel rested.
Don't disrupt sleep pattern with loud noises!
The new puppy disrupts sleep pattern every night.
Excessive noise from the party next door can disrupt sleep patterns and leave you feeling tired the next day.
If you use your phone right before bed, it may disrupt sleep patterns and make it harder to fall asleep.
Drinking coffee late in the day tends to disrupt sleep patterns and affects your overall rest.

Synonyms

to disrupt

vsto disrupt sleep pattern

269 4.4

To interrupt normal activity and cause disorder

is limited to interfering with a person's regular nighttime rest cycles and habits

How Disrupted

to disrupt sleep pattern

5.4

to keep up

24 3.0

Surface Forms

disrupt sleep pattern infinitive

disrupted sleep pattern past

disrupted sleep pattern past participle

disrupting sleep pattern present participle

disrupts sleep pattern third person singular

Morphology

disrupt + sleep + pattern

The meaning 'to interfere with or interrupt the regularity of a person's usual sleep cycles' is directly derivable from combining 'disrupt' (to interrupt) with the compound 'sleep pattern' (the regular way one sleeps). This compositional structure is common and has clear counterparts in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand it.

Etymology

Disrupt sleep pattern gives the image of something breaking the steady rhythm of sleep: disrupt means to break, and sleep and pattern point to your usual plan of rest. So, it means 'to interrupt' your normal sleep and make your sleep times uneven.