18 August 2026 · 11 min read · by Warwick Levy

GIFT GUIDE: What to get for someone who's always tired

If you're gift hunting for your most exhausted pal, we're here to help. You're sure to find the perfect present below, whether you're after goodies for upcoming Father's Day, a birthday, or getting prepped for Christmas.

You know one. You might be one. The friend who answers "how are you" with "tired" so reliably it's stopped being an answer and become a greeting. The one who talks about their bed the way other people talk about a partner. New parents. Shift workers. Anyone with a group chat that's still going at 1am and a job that starts at 8.

Buying for them is easy, because there's only one thing they want and you can't wrap it. Eight hours, uninterrupted, no alarm. Since that's off the table, the next best thing is letting them announce the situation without having to speak, which is what all 42 of these do.

Everything is drawn in house or by the independent artists we work with, printed to order in our Sydney studio. Adult unisex sizing, XS to 5XL, and there are three hoodies in here for the friend whose exhaustion has a winter setting. Every picture goes straight to the product.

42 gift ideas for the permanently tired

Tired Frog Tee A frog with heavy eyelids in a grungy stamp print, and one word underneath. The frog has seen things. The frog would like to lie down.	Roses Are Red Tee "Roses are red, I'm going to bed." The shortest poem ever written about leaving a party at 8:45, on a black trimmed ringer.
Always Tired Tee "Always tired, but never of you." The sneak attack of this whole page: reads as a complaint, lands as a love letter. Dangerous anniversary material.	Burnt Out Tee A scribbled match: "burnt out, but fkn lit." Exhausted and still the most fun person at the table. Both things are true.
Unfortunate Circumstances Tee "Due to unfortunate circumstances, I am awake." Set in formal type, like an official notice, because being awake genuinely is one.	Bit Burnt Out Tee A spent match, lying flat, thinking "I'm fine, just a bit burnt out." The gentler sibling of the other match shirt, for the friend who's still saying they're fine.
Living Is Exhausting Hoodie Three words of handwriting on a black hoodie. A hoodie is already the correct gift for a tired person, and this one says why they need it.	Breathe Cat Tee "Breathe? In this economy?" A cat flat on its back, asking the only reasonable question left. For the friend whose wellness app has given up sending notifications.
Lazy Bee Tee A bee, reclining. The one animal with a reputation for hustle, opting out. If they've ever been told they're not living up to their potential, this is their mascot.	Dreaming Of Destruction Tee A sweet wide-eyed cat dreaming about a house on fire. For the person who looks calm at their desk and is not calm at their desk.
Hakuna Matata Tee "I'm not feeling very Hakuna Matata today." A deeply unimpressed frog, speaking for everyone whose worries did not, in fact, stay away for the rest of their days.	Employed Cat Tee "EMPLOYED", in cheerful rainbow letters, over a cat face-down in a pillow. "But at what cost?" The most accurate LinkedIn update never posted.
Anxious In The Streets Tee "Anxious in the streets, asleep in the sheets." Shooting stars, bright colours, and the two modes most people are running on. There is no third mode.	Tired AF Tee "I think, therefore I am [tired af]." Descartes, corrected by a scruffy possum. Philosophy finally catching up with lived experience.
Powerpoint Power Nap Tee "This PowerPoint could've been a power nap." A cat slumped behind a laptop, saying what everyone in the meeting is thinking. Risky to wear to work, correct to wear to work.	Power Nap Tee A koala asleep on a lightning bolt. Koalas sleep twenty hours a day and still look this unbothered, which makes them the patron animal of this entire guide.
Rather Be Sleeping Hoodie A shiba, out cold, on a hoodie soft enough to nap in. This one gets bought as a gift more than almost anything else on this page, and it's because it's true of everyone.	Napping Tee "I'd rather be napping", handwritten, with little z's trailing off. The tee version of the same sentiment, for climates where a hoodie is aspirational.
Not Being Tired Tee "Imagine not being tired." A person lying completely flat while contemplating it. Science fiction, printed on a cheerful yellow tee.	I Need A Nap Tee "I need a nap" in full heavy metal lettering with flames, around a sloth that's already asleep. The least metal sentence available, in the most metal font we own.
I'm Buggered Tee A koala asleep on a branch, saying it the way an Australian actually says it. The most honest fatigue report in the national vocabulary.	Yee Naw Tee A cowboy cat sitting on the floor, legs straight out, completely done. Yee naw. The cowboy hat is still on because taking it off would require energy.
They Don't Stop Coming Tee "Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming," repeating and shrinking into the distance, exactly like the years do. Smash Mouth as existential dread.	Le Tired Tee "But I am le tired." From the 2003 flash cartoon that taught a generation the correct response to every demand: well then take a nap. THEN fire ze missiles.
Real Tired Tee A vintage comic panel of someone refusing the morning. Sixty years old as an art style, current as of every single day.	Tired Bat Tee An ornate emblem of a bat getting its well-earned daytime rest. For the goth-adjacent tired person, or anyone whose body clock runs on bat time.
Old And Tired Tee "I'm old/tired, please do not play me." An old fella with a cane, making a fair request. For the friend who started saying "oof" when sitting down at 29.	Too Sexy To Die Tee "Too tired to live, too sexy to die." Trapped in the middle, gorgeous and exhausted, exactly like the two glamorous creatures on the shirt.
Nothing Really Mattress Tee Queen, but it's a bed. Existential dread and a nap in one shirt, for the tired person with a philosophical streak.	Magic 8 Ball Tee "Am I tired?" asked of a magic 8-ball that already knows the answer. It's the only question the ball has ever answered with total confidence.
What Is Sleep Tee An alien among the stars asking "what is sleep?" For the night-shift worker, the insomniac, or anyone whose relationship with sleep has become theoretical.	More Sleep Hoodie "I dream of more sleep." Someone asleep, dreaming about being asleep. The recursion every tired person recognises, on a hoodie warm enough to trigger it.
No Rest Tee A dog tucking its human in and denying them rest, in exactly the language you'd expect from a dog at 5am. Heads up: this is the one properly sweary shirt on the page, c-word included. Every pet owner will still recognise the scene.	Sleep Paralysis Demon Tee The sleep paralysis demon, except it's Nyan Cat hovering over the bed trailing a rainbow. If you know, you know, and you probably also haven't slept.
Sleepy Seal Tee A big pink seal carrying a row of tiny seals, all of them sleepy. From our collaboration with An Ordinary Seal. This is the parent shirt, whether or not the parent realises it yet.	Nope Tee A sloth lying under the word NOPE, clarifying: not today. Not a refusal forever. Just today. And probably tomorrow.
Not Fast Not Furious Tee A sloth draped over a branch like a wet towel. Not fast, not furious, not available for family this weekend. Vin Diesel would not understand and that's fine.	Adult Fun Tee "How to save money and have fun as an adult." The illustration is a sloth asleep in an armchair. That's it. That's the guide, and it's cheaper than a financial advisor.
Take Time Tee An elephant asleep on a cloud, surrounded by flowers. "Take time for yourself." The gentle one, for when the gift needs to be permission rather than a joke.	Sleeping Koala Tee A koala asleep on a toadstool. No words at all. Some shirts on this page announce the exhaustion. This one just naps through it.
As Slow As Possible Tee A.S.A.P., reclaimed by a sloth: as slow as possible. Buy it for whoever gets the most emails with the original meaning in the subject line.	Snoopy Sloth Tee A sloth asleep on the roof of a little red doghouse, promising to do it tomorrow. Stay chill. A house favourite for years and it's not retiring any time soon.

Still stuck? Pick by what kind of tired they are

Tired is not one condition. Diagnose first:

Says "I'm tired" as a greeting: Tired Frog, Always Tired, Tired AF, I'm Buggered, Le Tired, Real Tired, Old And Tired.
The nap is the personality: Power Nap, I Need A Nap, Napping, Sleeping Koala, Nothing Really Mattress, Snoopy Sloth.
Work did this to them: Employed Cat, Breathe Cat, Burnt Out, Bit Burnt Out, Powerpoint Power Nap, As Slow As Possible.
Cold, tired, needs wrapping: the hoodies: Living Is Exhausting, Rather Be Sleeping, More Sleep.
Needs kindness more than a joke: Take Time, Always Tired, Sleepy Seal, Anxious In The Streets.
Tired and slightly unhinged about it: Sleep Paralysis Demon, What Is Sleep, Dreaming Of Destruction, They Don't Stop Coming, Too Sexy To Die, Yee Naw, Magic 8 Ball, Tired Bat, No Rest.
Has formally resigned from urgency: Nope, Not Fast Not Furious, Adult Fun, Lazy Bee, Unfortunate Circumstances, Not Being Tired, Hakuna Matata, Roses Are Red.

The sloth-heavy end of this list continues in the sloth collection, and the hoodies range has more options if warmth is the actual gift.

You can also check out our other gift guides for cinephiles, nerds, Aussie millennials, foodies, kind people, birdwatchers, eco warriors, grumpy bastards, and pun lovers.

Why this is the right gift for a tired person

You can't give them sleep. You can't take the toddler, the shift roster, or the brain that switches on at 11pm. What you can give them is the announcement. A tired person spends real energy every day explaining that they're tired, and a shirt that does it for them is a genuine labour-saving device.

The other reason it works: tired people live in soft clothes. Whatever you buy them ends up in the comfort rotation within a week, which means they'll actually wear it, which is more than can be said for most presents. If they're the properly exhausted kind, skip the tee and go straight to a hoodie. It's a wearable doona and they know it.

Can't pick which flavour of tired they are? The gift card lets them choose, slowly, from bed.

What you're actually buying

Everything here is designed in house or by the independent artists we work with, then printed to order in our Sydney studio. Printed in Australia, not made in Australia, and we'd rather say that plainly than be vague about it. The blanks are ethically sourced AS Colour, the inks are OEKO-TEX certified, and our printing has been carbon neutral since 2021.

Printing to order means nothing sits in a warehouse waiting to be dumped at the end of a season. Your shirt gets made because you ordered it. A portion of every sale goes to Australian charity, which the recipient can feel good about without having to get up.

Questions people ask before buying this stuff

What do you buy someone who's always exhausted?

Comfort plus acknowledgement. A soft shirt or hoodie that says the thing they say every day does both jobs at once. Skip anything that implies they should fix it. The gift is that you noticed, not that you have suggestions.

What's a good gift for new parents?

Sleepy Seal was practically drawn for them, and any of the hoodies work because new parents live in hoodies for a year. Maybe hold off on Sleep Paralysis Demon until the baby sleeps through, purely for their mental health.

Is there anything rude in this guide?

One. The No Rest tee has the c-word on it, delivered by a dog at 5am, and the caption flags it. Everything else here is safe for any workplace, any nan, any school pickup. If you want ruder, we have an entire rude collection.

How do I get their size right without asking?

Fits are relaxed and unisex, XS to 5XL. Go with whatever size they wear in a normal t-shirt, and size up one if they like things oversized, which tired people usually do. Measurements are on every product page.

Are these adult sizes?

Adult unisex only. Despite the name, Lonely Kids Club is an adult label. The smaller sizes fit most teenagers fine.

How long will it take to arrive?

Everything is printed to order, so leave time for us to make it before it ships. Current production and delivery times are on the shipping page. Order earlier than feels necessary if it's for a birthday.

Designed and printed in Sydney since 2011. Original designs, printed to order, and we'll say it so they don't have to: they're tired.