Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1860-03-16
A cHAPTER on sLEEP.

The first great recipe for sound, connected,
and refreshing sleep, is physical exercise
Toll is the price Of sleep.
To sleep WE'LL a man must be regular in
his hours Of retiring and rising, and avoid
sleeping in the daytime. Nature will take
hcalthully a certain amount Of sleep, as she
will take BEAUTIFULLY certain amount Of food,
and no moro all over tends directly to dis
ease and ends in premature death. In the
desire to avoid eating too much, men have
weighed their food, but some have eaten too
little and died before their time in consequence
Of an error of judgment. There need be no
mistake in this regard as to sleep in ordinary
health for if a man retires regularly after lu-
dicious and usual eating aud exercise, hc WILL
if let alone, be walked up by nature .he very
moment he has had enough Of reposc for the
needs Of the system Instinct teaches the in
FAINT and tho mere animal to cease taking ali-
ment when they have had enough Infants
and animals never have dyspepsia, If Let alone,
for nature is the wise apportioner. Thus is
it with sleep. Nature, herself sleepless,
wakes us up the moment we have had enough,
if we are not tampered with. Thus it is with
men who live temporarily and regularly
they wake up within five minutes Of the same
time morning after morning. If we go TO
sleep again. if we take second nap, nature
is thwartcd, and the result is, we 60 TO sleep
later the following night, sleep more unsound-
ly and later in the day; or if we get up
early. VIC become insupportably sleepy during
the day time, and this goes on until we have
no refreshing. sweet, connected sleep. day or
night. when the general health begins to wane
aud the spirits droop. The laugh is less joy
Gus the countenance less cheerful; the eye
less bright, and the road is downward If at
this phase Of affairs medicines are given TO
promote sleep, it is only artificial rcpose; 10
does not build mp the system, but soon be-
gins TO clog the whole machinery, and in due
time the wheels of life stop forever. For let
il be remembered, that every form Of ano-
dyne, whether Of hop OF poppy, such as NOR
phine, laudanum, or parcgoric, will II con
tnued beyond very few doses, conshpate
the bowels, take away the appetite. torpity
the liver, and derange the whole digestive
machinery.
Labor. then, physical industry, temperance
and regularity arc the great panaccas for pro-
ducing sound, healthful, inyigorating sleep.
Various substitutes have been adopted to
serve as temporary expedients, some of which
may excite a smile, butaall may be of greater
or less avail
/ Fix the thoughts, on getting into bed,
on some ono thing, vast and simple; such as
cloudless sky. or the boundoss ocean, or
the ccaseess goodness of the great Father OF
us all
2 1t has been said that sleep is promoted
by lying with the head towards the north,
and not by any means to the west, because
Of certain electric currents,
8. A writer recommends to commence roll
Al 1 a.. e. .
in the same direction, until sleep comes.
f. Another avcrs that better plan is to
place the head in a comfortable position, shut
the mouth and breathe through the nostrils
only, making an effort to imagine that you
see the breath going out all the time.
s. We have known, on the failure Of all
forms of anodynes, the gentle, continuous
friction Of the soles of the feet with a soft,
warm hand, to be admirably successful.
g. When persons are prevented from sleep
ing by Slight hacking cough sleeps some
times induced by having two pieces of mus
lin. say six inches by four, and three or four
folds thick. to be used alternately thus have
a saucer at hand, half filled with alcohol, dip
one of the cloths into it. then press it out, so
as not to dripple, and lay it across the chest,
the upper edge Of the cloth ranging with the
put on the other, alternating them (by the
nurse) with little motion or noise as pos
sible the patient being on his back in the
bed composed for sleep.
7. A French medical journal advises on re-
tiring to put five or six bits of sugar candy as
large as a hazenut in the mouth, averring
that before they are dissolved 'he desired ef-
feet will have been produced This may
avail in case of simple sleepessness, not as
the result of any special disease. We would
not advise such an expedient, for persons have
been known to lose life by going to sleep with
something in the mouth. If it is attempted
at ALL the candy should he placed between
the cheeks and gums, and the mouth kept res
olutcly closed
The general rule is, that persons require
seven hours of sleep in summer, and eight in
winter. There are however occasional eX-
ceptions Women require less sleep than
mem possibly because they arc less in the
open air, the soporiic effects Of which are seen
in infants speedily going to sleep when taken
out of doors.
Children require more sleep than those in
maturer life. Old people seem TO require very
little sleep, except in extreme age but then
it is rather a doze, or in short maps. Much
Of the credit given to elderly people for carly
rising is not deserved. They get up early be-
cause they can't sleep any longer nature
does not want any more, and they feel better
when up and about than when in bed.
Napoleon the Great seemed to require very
little Sleep and he had a remarkable facility
in going fast asleep at will Pichegru said
that during whole years campaign, he did
not sleep moro than one hour in twenty-four.
We knew a man named Paxton, having been
an engineer or pilot on steamboat on the
Mississippi was not able on leaving his em-
ploymsnt to sleep more than three hours out
Of any twcnty-four for several years, but he
died early
We earnestly advise that all who think
great deal, who have infrm health, who arc
in trouble or who have to work hard, to take
all the sleep they can get, without medicinal
means.
We caution parents, particularly, not TO al
low their children to be walked up of morn
ngs let nature wake them up--she will not
do it prcmoturoly; but have care that they
go to bed at an early hour let it be earlier
aud earlier, until il is found that they wake
up of themselves ia full time to dress for
breakfast. Being walked up early, and al
lowed to engage in difficult or any studies
late and Just before retiring, has given many