The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word COUCHETTE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
C
O
U
C
H
E
T
T
E
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "sleeper" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sleeper = couchette.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does COUCHETTE mean?
COUCHETTE noun- A couch.
- A compartment on a passenger train having berths for sleeping.
- A berth in such a compartment.