Sleep and wake are verbs (although we usually use “wake up” for when you stop
sleeping, and “go to sleep” for the moment when you begin sleeping):
▶️ My kids go to sleep at 10 PM.
▶️ I slept during the 6-hour flight.
▶️ I wake up at 7 AM and I have to be at work by 8.
▶️ Yesterday I woke up late because my alarm didn’t go off.
You can also use wake up for the action of making someone else stop sleeping:
▶️ Don’t talk so loudly! You’ll wake up the baby!
▶️ Your sister is taking a short nap. Can you wake her up in about 20 minutes?
Awake and asleep are adjectives. Use them with the verb to be:
▶️ He’s awake. = He isn’t sleeping.
▶️ He’s asleep. = He is sleeping.
It’s common to use the expressions stay awake / stay up (to continue awake) and
fall asleep (to begin sleeping):
▶️ On New Year’s Eve, my children stay awake until midnight.
▶️ I always fall asleep in history class – it’s so boring!