Here we are in July already. July is a month when many people go to the beach for vacation. I won’t be one of them this year, but I’ve spent my share of time soaking up the rays on warm, tropical beaches — and falling asleep in the process because lying on a beach makes me “somnolent.”

somnolent — an adjective used to describe something that makes you sleepy or that simply means “sleepy” or “drowsy”

somnoliento/somnolienta — the masculine and feminine Spanish cognates of the same meanings.

The root of “somni-” in a word means “sleep” and comes to us from Latin’s somnus which means “sleep.” In Roman mythology, Somnus was the god of sleep.

Something that induces sleep then is described as “somnolent” or “somniferous.” That word becomes “somnífero” and “somnífera” in Spanish, depending on the gender of what’s being described.

The noun “somnolence” is “somnolencia” in Spanish and means “sleepiness” or “drowsiness.”

Words indicating that you do things while sleeping will often have that “somni-” in them. Do you talk in your sleep? If so, you are a “somniloquist” and the things you say are your “somniloquy.” Both of these become “somniloquio” in Spanish.

Do you walk in your sleep? Most of the time, we simply say that someone is a sleepwalker, but another, and perhaps better, term is a “somnambulist” — it contains the “somni-” part for “sleep” with a form of “ambulatory” which means “able to walk about.” Thus a “somnambulist” is able to walk about even while sleeping. This person is a “sonámbulo” if a male and a “sonámbula” if a female.

The word “somnial” is used to describe things related to sleep or dreams. It has an exact cognate in Spanish.

Perhaps, though, you are more familiar with the word “insomnia” which refers to the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep. I suffer from insomnia a lot — melatonin is my nightly friend even though I resist using it until the wee hours of the night and all else has failed to put me to sleep. “Insomnia” begins with the prefix of “in-” which means “not” in this sense — thus, “not sleeping.”

“Insomnia” is “insomnio” in Spanish, and someone who suffers from it, like I do, is an “insomniac.” After multiple nights of “insomnia,” I also become a “maniac.”

I’m hoping this post didn’t have a “somnolent” effect on you and you’re still awake. However, if it did and you also have “insomnia,” then read it again at bedtime and see if it brings on the needed “somnolence” to put you to sleep.

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Until next time. May you have wonderful “somnial” experiences each night and at naptime if you’re a napper.

Tammy Marshall

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