meaning - Regions and reasons for the usage of "sleep" as "go to sleep"

This question is very closely linked to this english.SE question, which discusses the usage of "sleep" as a verb meaning "go to sleep" and inspired by this ell.SE question, in which the accepted answer clearly does not recognize the existence of this interpretation.

The usage of the word "sleep" as a verb signifying "go to sleep" is clearly not commonplace (and is not noted in the online M-W nor the American Heritage dictionaries), but is prevalent in certain regions, I pose the following two questions:

1. If this is a familiar usage of "sleep", in what region do you find this usage of "sleep" common?, and


2. For those familiar with this manner of grammatical construct, or other similarly amorphous words, what do you imagine might have been its origin? (The linked english.SE question notes that this is a construct used in the Northeast U.S. and Australia; being from the Northeast myself, I can also confirm that it is used there).

As noted in the linked english.SE question, the usage of "sleep" as "go to sleep" in a phrase such as

I usually sleep around midnight.

instead of the more technically accurate

I usually go to sleep around midnight.

seems to be rather regional and the possible result of "contamination from another language". I know of at least one construction in a foreign language that resembles this, namely from Spanish:

Dormí a las ocho.

translates to

I went to sleep at eight.

But the answers in that question, as well as the ell.SE question that I linked, are not particularly illustrative of what I'm asking. I'm very curious as to how common a usage this is and how it might have arisen.