A-Z Challenge - 'Z'

As you might imagine, coming up with a topic that begins with Z is not the easiest thing to do. Compounded with the fact that my personal challenge is to somehow incorporate my a-z challenge topics with my journey to wellness and it becomes even harder. In fact, I actually had a couple of options in mind for the letter Z but I decided on the use of Z in the popular phrase 'catch some ZZZZ's' for my topic today.

To catch some ZZZZ's means to get some sleep. According to The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, this phrase traces its origins to the common use of the 'ZZZZ' or 'zzzz' in cartoons to indicate a sleeping character.

An example of 'Z' indicating sleep - note the final panel.

 Sleep is an absolute necessity on my journey to wellness. When I first started treatments in the hospital, my wake/sleep schedule became completely messed up. Fatigue had a major role in that - I would sleep anytime that I needed to - but having to take a dose of medication every six hours meant that I would be awake at times that I would not normally be. The combination of sleeping due to fatigue and waking at odd times (and being unable to fall back to sleep right away) was not a good one.
Though I am no longer dosing with medication at odd hours, I still have bouts of fatigue that just demand that I am frequently dozing at odd hours. I absolutely refuse to take any sleep aids. One doctor recommended (and was rather upset when I refused) that I do so in order to restore a more normal sleep schedule. I just didn't think that I needed any sort of pharmaceutical assistance with it. The last thing that I want to do it to become dependent on a drug for something as natural as sleep. The further recommendation to take a stimulant in the morning so that I could stay awake through the day and 'would be tired at an appropriate time' cemented my decision to avoid drug-assisted sleep.