It’s a fun fact that in British English (that seems a rather redundant phrase, but you know what I mean…), the letter Z is pronounced “Zed” rather than “Zee.” I’ve never been able to figure out why they have a whole word for just that one letter. It’s also the only letter in the English alphabet that uses another consonant within the pronunciation of the letter by those who call a Z a Zed. But Zed has been around a lot longer than Zee has, and neither has been around as long as the archaic izzard, which is yet another way to pronounce Z. Go figure.
Have you had your Zeds?
As it happens, I digressed even before I got going, because my post isn’t about the etymology of Zed. It’s actually about catching some Zeds. Or catching some zzzz’s 🥱😴💤 if you will. I think I’ve always assumed that the zzzz’s were an onomatopoeic representation of snoring, so I can see how that works. But I don’t think anyone ever snores a sound like “Zed,” so that still confuses and amuses me. And of course we do know that I am easily amused. And confused. I certainly mean no disrespect to those for whom “Zee” is the much weirder pronunciation of the last letter of the alphabet. Americans seem to be the odd ones out in this case.
Sleep, Part 2
I mentioned in this post that I wasn’t finished writing about sleep and its relationship to stress, not to mention our general health. And what you can do to sleep better. So here I am, back for part 2.
It’s hard to be inspired when you’re exhausted, and it seems you just don’t have the mental capacity or energy to fight stress. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 1 out of 3 Americans don’t get enough sleep. So if my hubby and I are getting enough sleep, you may be the 1 out of 3! I hope not! But if you are, read on…
My sleep patterns vary greatly now that I’m retired. I’ve always been an 8-9 hours of sleep gal to function at my best. And I generally take “falling asleep” literally, the minute my head hits the pillow.
I finally got 8 hours of sleep. Took me 4 days, but whatever. 😂
But now I have occasional nights where I only get 3-4 hours of sleep. I blame my restless mind, restless body, and restless legs for that! And very rarely—I can hardly even believe it when it happens—I “pull an all-nighter.” Nothing worse than seeing the sun rise when you haven’t slept at all. 😕 I didn’t even do that in college! My roommate and I both realized that we did better on tests if we got a good night’s sleep than if we studied all night, so we were asleep most nights by 11 p.m. I know, we were…different. 😬
Dr. David M. Rapapport , Director of Research on Sleep and Its Disorders at NYU School of Medicine, agrees with what we discovered: “If you are trying to learn something, whether it’s physical or mental, you learn it to a certain point with practice. But something happens while you sleep that makes you learn it better.” So study well, but then put it aside and sleep well for maximum learning.
Sleep benefits
The benefits of a good night’s sleep, typically at least 7 hours for most adults, are physical, mental, and emotional. For maximum sleep benefits, it’s important to develop a sleep routine. This includes a dim, quiet environment (or white noise if you prefer), and turning electronics off at least an hour before you want to fall asleep. Winding down before you sleep has a lot going for it.
Just like our children go to sleep easier with a “night-night” routine, we can also benefit from trying to go to bed at the same time each night and getting up around the same time each morning. A bedtime story might be nice sometimes even for grownups. But my husband is a retired history teacher, and his bedtime stories can sound a lot like History 101. On the bright side, they sometimes do put me to sleep! (Sorry, Honey, but you know it’s true). 😉
Just when I thought I knew everything about my beloved Richard, he just this minute told me that his nighttime routine as a child included his mom saying something about the three Hebrew boys whose story is told in the book of Daniel—something along the lines of “Shadrack, Meshack, and to-bed-we-go!” That’s a new one for me! My parents usually sent us to bed with the phrase, “Good night, sleep tight, and don’t let the bedbugs bite!” Now really, is that the last thing you want your kid to think about while drifting off to sleep? I much prefer “Sweet dreams!” Why bring up bedbugs at all??? For the record, we never had bedbugs. Not even once.
What is your go-to bedtime send-off with your child? Or the one your parents used? I hope it doesn’t involve bedbugs. But then, the beloved lullaby about baby falling out of the treetops is not so great, either, if you think about it. Even the children’s prayer we used to say has been modified by most parents so it no longer includes the not-so-comforting phrase, “if I should die before I wake….” What were people thinking back then, anyway?
Ack! Blue light!
Speaking of bedtime routines, I probably shouldn’t admit it, but I am quite likely to ignore one of the most often recommended tips for better sleep, and that is to put your electronic devices to bed about an hour before you want to go to sleep. It really is good advice, though, because the blue light emitted from our devices can interfere with melatonin, one of the body’s hormones that helps us sleep. Using our computers, iPads or phones can also keep our minds active and alert instead of relaxed and sleepy. It’s much more conducive to sleep to read a book, listen to music, or even journal before you close your eyes. Hot tip: iPhones and iPads have a setting to adjust the blue light emissions during the evening hours, at a time set by you. I personally am supposed to protect my eyes from blue light as much as possible because I have mild macular degeneration. So it can be more than just a convenience for sleep.
Sleep hacks
If you are having trouble sleeping, here are some things you might try:
- A glass of warm milk—the “warm” aspect of that never appealed to me, but milk does help me fall asleep. Does it help you, or do you think it’s just an “old wives’ tale”?
- Relaxation and breathing techniques which target your whole body—this is one of my go-tos.
- Guided meditation—usually this includes listening to relaxing music or words geared toward gradual calming of your mind and body.
- A lukewarm shower before bed can help you relax. In fact, when my dad couldn’t sleep he often would get up and take a shower in the middle of the night.
- It’s easier to sleep when you keep it cool—60-67° is suggested for maximum comfort, but that can cost a pretty penny in utility bills in a climate like ours, with lots of 100+° days in the summers. It’s worth it for my husband and I. We have found, interestingly enough, that we tend to have more nightmares or disturbing dreams when it’s hot.
- A back rub always helps my hubby relax. I mean every. night. But it’s worth it, because it really makes a difference in how well he sleeps.
- Of course you could take Bing Crosby’s excellent advice that he croons in White Christmas: “When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep. And I fall asleep counting my blessings!”
- If all else fails, I sometimes get up and eat a small snack and take a couple of Tylenol to relax my body and mind. And I exercise a bit if my legs are restless. A bar of soap under the covers worked for a short time to calm my restless legs, but wasn’t fail proof. Honestly, I have no idea why it ever even worked at all. 🤷🏼♀️
If I am awakened from a sound sleep, I can usually go right back to sleep (mom skills). This allows me to not wish bad things on my cat, who typically wakes me up between 2:30 and 4:30 a.m. wanting to go to the garage (you can read about Cleo here).
But I do have this weird phenomenon that if I am woken up within a few minutes of going to sleep, I might as well give up any hope of getting back to sleep for several hours. It’s very annoying for both me and my hubby, who is often the one who had no idea I had gone to sleep between that last sentence and the next.
Just get up, already!
The experts do suggest that you don’t just lie there trying to force yourself to sleep, if it’s clear that oblivion is not going to happen in a timely manner. Instead, get up and go into another room and read, journal, or study your Bible until you’re relaxed enough to welcome the sandman into your dreams.
This might be a good time for the milk. Resist the urge to drink anything caffeinated, for sure! In fact, it’s a good idea not to drink anything with caffeine from dinner time to bedtime. Of course, it affects people differently, but it does seem we get more sensitive to it as we age.
It’s just routine…
According to CNN Health, these are ten benefits of having a sleep routine and getting enough zzzz’s:
- Sleep helps your body heal and repair itself (so many times I’ve gone to bed aching and woken up feeling much better!)
- The right amount of sleep lowers your risk for disease (heart problems and diabetes are two diseases that are affected by too little or too much sleep)
- Enjoying enough “shut-eye” improves cognitive function (I find my brain and my memory both work better if I get enough sleep)
- Sound sleep reduces stress (getting enough good sleep can improve your mood, resulting in less stress and less emotional reactions)
- Getting your “forty winks” helps you maintain a healthy weight (you can give credit to several hormones for this one)
- Sleep bolsters your immune system (people with sleep disorders often have immune systems that don’t function normally)
- Sufficient amounts of sleep may improve your social life (no one wants to be around someone who’s tired and cranky!)
- Relaxing, deep sleep supports your mental health (not getting enough or too much sleep can exacerbate depression)
- Sleep can even reduce pain sensitivity (the brain helps us feel less pain if we get enough sleep)
- A good night’s sleep increases your likelihood of overall success (it’s much more effective if your brain is working, you can control your emotions, and you are able to cope with stressful situations)
Good sleep!
I love it when my granddaughter wakes up in the morning and says, “I had a good sleep!” When I have a “good sleep,” it makes me much happier, less stressed, and more energetic, just like she wakes up chipper and ready to take on the world. And the opposite is true when I have a “bad sleep.” Probably you experience the same thing. Let me know in the comments, and if you haven’t signed up yet, you can do that below to be notified of blog posts and get extra goodies.
Okay, I’m going to put my iPad away and get ready for sleep now, so I can get the right amount of Zeds. Will someone please tell Cleo not to wake me up in the wee hours this time? 🤨 Thanks!
