The difference between “Unconscious” and “Asleep”

conditionsdnd-5esleepspellsunconscious

The Sleep spell explicitly causes targets to fall "unconscious" but includes many references to sleep, as well as the line:

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

The Eyebite spell, on the other hand, states, as one of its options:

"Asleep. The target falls unconscious. It wakes up if it takes any
damage or if another creature uses its action to shake the sleeper
awake."

Although the name of this effect is "Asleep" there is no text in the Eyebite spell that indicates that creatures who do not sleep are immune, as in the Sleep spell. (I suspect that specific over general likely means that this Eyebite effect doesn't work on elves, but that's not really part of this question—I'm just providing context for the ambiguity here.)

The Dream spell states:

"If the target is asleep, the messenger appears in the target's
dreams …"

Once again, it includes a line indicating that creatures
such as elves are immune.

The "Unconscious" condition of D&D 5e does not mention being asleep and there is no "Asleep" condition.

This question contains relevant discussion of whether elves can sleep, which I think mostly just muddies this question a bit more.

My question is whether there is a fundamental distinction anywhere in the rules between being asleep and being unconscious. Clearly elves can be unconscious without being "asleep," but can a human be unconscious without also being asleep? Given that the dream spell works on creatures who are "asleep" and not who are "unconscious" how can the DM tell if the creature I'm targeting is asleep or is unconscious-but-not-asleep? (Or: can I cast Dream on a human I just knocked unconscious and why or why not?)

Best Answer

Using Xanathar's Guide, you are unconscious while sleeping.

Xanathar's Guide actually has (optional) rules for sleeping:

While a creature sleeps, it is subjected to the unconscious condition.

It then goes on to give more detailed rules about sleeping that aren't material to this question. It should be noted that the rules printed in Xanathar's Guide are optional rules to be used at the DM's discretion.

Additionally, we should note that while sleeping means you are unconscious, being unconscious does not necessarily mean you are sleeping.

The Player's Handbook does not define sleep.

The Player's Handbook has a section on Resting:

Heroic though they might be, adventurers can't spend every hour of the day in the thick of exploration, social interaction, and combat. They need rest — time to sleep and eat, tend their wounds, refresh their minds and spirits for spellcasting, and brace themselves for further adventure.

Adventurers, as well as other creatures, can take short rests in the midst of a day and a long rest to end it.

It then gives us the rules for short and long rests. But it doesn't define sleep. So if your DM is not using the optional rules from Xanathar's Guide, they will have to make a ruling. I recommend using the rule from Xanathar's Guide.

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