A baby can mess up our body clock | 4 minute read
A fast-paced job alongside home and married life will test anyone’s powers of endurance. Add in a diagnosis of myeloid leukaemia and a baby who never sleeps past the early hours and you have a recipe for chronic sleep deprivation.
This was Jackie’s experience following the birth of her son six years ago.
Jackie is a senior commercial manager in the food industry with major supermarkets as her clients. It’s full-on work and she has to be at the top of her game, with no room for off days. She’d been healthy and active until childbirth changed the picture. Her newborn was a poor sleeper from the outset, something eventually put down to silent reflux. Otherwise known as laryngopharyngeal reflux, this is when stomach acids flow back from the stomach into the throat and larynx. In babies, it can cause night time restlessness and sleeping difficulties. Before the birth, Jackie could easily grab twelve hours’ sleep a night, but now she had a baby who could be lively until half-past ten then wake five or six times before morning.
Sleep deprivation worsened for Jackie after she was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia which is a progressive cancer of the blood cells. She is now on medication, taking TKIs (chemo in tablet form) to manage the condition. This biological chemotherapy she describes as, ‘Quite toxic’ and it has to be taken every day. Among the side effects are chronic fatigue.
Last year, Jackie also developed arrhythmia, abnormality of the heart’s rhythm. She’s on beta blockers for this. She describes how this assault on her body and mind messed up her body clock, leaving her struggling to fall asleep, and rarely entering a deep sleep state.
She started looking for solutions. Firstly, she tried a Fitbit but she found it disruptive. She bought an Apple watch but never managed to keep it charged! ‘I was always looking for something that would help,’ she says. She tried sleep sprays, which contain essential oils such as lavender and frankincense that are known to promote relaxation. And so, with her mind open to new ideas, when Jackie watched The Gadget Show hosted by Craig Charles and saw the Zeez Sleep Pebble under review, she was immediately intrigued. The Pebble was trialled for the programme by Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, a psychologist and sleep therapist. Dr Nerina’s verdict was a thumbs up. The Zeez Pebble had helped regulate her sleep through a disrupted period of her life, she reported. This spurred Jackie to give it a go. Since this all took place around Christmas 2021, what better than for the Zeez to appear under the tree, a gift from her husband.
Jackie started using her Pebble right away and the benefits became apparent after about two weeks. Now, Jackie says, she dreams less which shows she’s getting deeper sleep. With her body-clock restored to a natural pattern, Jackie was interested in whether the Zeez Sleep Pebble could help her son get his nightly quota.*
The Zeez Pebble is perfectly safe for children, and Jackie started sharing hers with her son, who has a bright, active mind and is, the family has accepted, a confirmed night-owl. Putting the Zeez Pebble under his pillow helped him fall asleep much earlier than his normal late hour. Jackie did her own trial, putting it under his pillow, then removing it to use for herself. She only had to do this a few times, because the little boy’s sleep pattern adjusted quickly.
These days, Jackie and her partner can enjoy some quiet time before they go to bed.
Reflecting on the changes the Zeez Pebble has brought into her life, Jackie says, ‘Before, all I asked for was to wake up without an air of exhaustion around me.’ Eight weeks on from Christmas, she reported feeling more refreshed and motivated. She’s still using the Zeez and will keep on using it, she says.
A chance watching of The Gadget Show and a timely Christmas gift changed not just her sleep experience, but re-set the clock for the whole family.
*A Zeez Sleep device designed just for children is under development and will be available later this year. Email us if you want us to keep you informed. The relaxation frequencies of the Zeez (the first 20 minutes of the Zeez programme) are often enough for children.
To watch The Gadget Show and see the Zeez Pebble being reviewed, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MOe0pEzcbY