Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1847-06-25
TERMS: 81 so i'm advance.
WHOLE NO. 145.
SLEEP.

A question has been raised how much sleep
is required, and how long it is necessary to be
in bed, for the purpose of rest and refreshment.
Eight hours have been allotted for the labor
er, and six for the scholar and gentleman
Very few gentlemen, however, are satisfied
with this scale, and capacity for sleeping
makes the greater part of the community in
clined to-double the period. The capacity fo1
sleeping, like the capacity for eating and
drinking, is to be increased by Indulgence
Much depends upon habit Some people can
sleep when they will, and wake when they
will and are as much refreshed with a short
nap as long one. Sea-faring people have
this property from education. | have known
persons who never INDUCED in second sleep.
One gentleman who entertained notion that
a second nap was injurious, invariably got up
as soon as he awoke, no matter how early the
hour-in winter or summer. Others again
celebrated Quin had this faculty. "What
sir" Any mullet in the market?,. mo
sir" Then, John, you may call me this
time tomorrow" So saying, he composed
himself to sleep, and got rid of the ennui of a
dull day in the arms of Morpheus One gen
tleman, in the Spectator, used to sleep by
weight. 81 allow myself one night with an
other, a quarter of pound of sleep, within a
few grains more, or less; and if upon my RI
sing find have not consumed my whole
quantity, take out the rest in my chair" "A
lazy old woman used to apologize for lying
in bed by saying that g she lay in bed to con-
trlve." Strange asst this old woman's excuse was
her example was followed by one of the most
extraordinary geniuses of this country, viz
Brindly, of whom it is recorded that when any
great difficulty occurred in the execution Of
his works, having little or no assistance from
books or the labors of other men, his resour-
ces lay within himself. In order, therefore
to be quiet, and uninterrupted whilst he was
in search of the necessary expedients, he gen.
orally retired to his bed, and he has been
known to lie there one, two or three days, til
he had obtained the object in view.
He would then get up and excite his design
without any drawing Or model, There are
different kinds of sleepers as well as differen
kinds of sleep-some cannot sleep from home
others cannot sleep at home-some can sleeI
on board and snore on a carpet, while 9th
ers tumble and toss on a soft bed as if thu
down disconnected them. Some again canno
sleep in a noise, others cannot sleep out of it
A miller awakes the moment his mill stops
and tradesman from Cheapsde cannot sleel
in the country because it is so plaguy quiet
Somnambulists or sleep walkers usually sleel
with their eyes open but without VISION
Shakespeare, who may be considered a very
good medical authority, makes Lady Macbeth
somnambulist with her eyes open" bu
their sense is shut
This is not always the case, however, anC
there is a singular exception, in the instance
of Johannes Oporlnus, a printer, who being
employed one night in correcting the copy Of
Greek book, fell asleep as he read, and ye
ceased not to read, till he had finished not les.
than whole page, of which, when he awoke
he retained no recollection. There ar
curious histories of sleeping prodgic
on record. The Philosophical Transac
tons have several; in one, man slept from
August till January.
There is a case, read before a Society o
Physicians in 1856, of Elizabeth Orvin, WIZ
began her sleeping in 1898, by four day
nap, and for ten years afterwards never slep
less than II hours out of the four and TWEEN
ty. DR.. Brady relates, that some strange me
thods were resorted to, 10 rouse her--such a
rubbing her back with honey, and in q no
day exposing her 10 a hlVe OF bees, TIL he
back was full of bumps-making pin cush
ion of her, and performing acute punctuation
with pins and needles flagellaton, and 10th
er odd experiments which the Doctor in
forms us he thinks better " to pass over in 81
lence,' all of which might as well have beer
spared, for she was very sulky and good 10
nothing when she was awake. This sulki
ness, however, should be noticed, as beiny
connected with the complaint. Previously t
this somnolent disease, many of the person
have become uneasy, sullen, and surly. Il
all, the mind has evidently been affected an
in some, where there has been extreme absti
hence, their waking hours have been charac
terized by decided mental alteration.
[London Quarterly Journal