The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-09-11
FROM the BcstOa TravsIle
The Art or Sleeping.

The Art OF Sleeping.
ScRne persons have the gift Of sleep and
needEnot cultivate the art OF sleeping Tney
can be down and 60 TO sleep anywhere, and
at at " time, and under almost any conceiv-
AbleecircumstAnces. They can sleep when
theYsare sick, and sleep away their sickness;
the IAN sleep when they are in trouble and
fOrgtt all their cares. They sleep on . soft
bed4or on . bard one with comfortable
pilI4ws under their heads, or without them
Tbet could lie down "in the midst Of the
sea. or, upon the top of q mast" and
sleeh sleep.
Md even if they cannot find a place to
sire ch themselves, they can still sleep, bolt
up. sght in chair, in . car, or anywhere
thet heads wagging round to be sure, but
the senses locked up quietly in the arms
Of seeP. They can do all this on ." empty
sto1 bach, and so forget their hur and
the can do it equally well on q full stomach,
and leave nature to take care Of its load.
Su4h people may truly be said to possess
th9gift Of sleep. Some persons may call
thdn sleepy heads" hnt they contrive to
ge4 through the world very comfortably
and though they may not be lean and hun.
gry looking, and may even be enclosed in
th4 own fat, some Of them, they are not
neysssarily heavy and stupid when awake.
w chance to know some Of this breed Of
sleeping men and women, who are match
fo4any body when awake. But sleep TO them
is gift, not an art nor 40 acquisition.
There is, however, another class OF hum
ank-and much the more numerous class
o3-who are poor sleepers, light sleepers,
dainty sleepers; with whom sleep-gOod,
soknd, refreshing, continuous sleep-is the
exception in their experience, and not the
rule. These people need t. study the art Of
Slipping. And first and foremost they must
cakefully guard against the use Of indigesti-
blt food and everything that tends TO the
Arrangement Of the stomach. Three-quar-
tets Of our sleeplessness arises from inQuie-
tube Of the intestinal canal. A plentiful,
b1t digestlble and simple dinner, q lighI
add very plain supper taken hours before
bH time, a sponge bath before going to bed,
which aDybody can have in his own cham
b.; . well aired bed room and OF over
htavy clothing, rather light 10 begin with
with q reserve blanket for after midnight, il
n,eded-are all wise precautions .or the
Ii kht sleeper
flight and pleasant employments and en-
idbmen's fer some hours before retiring are
ako desirable. The diversion Of the mind
II bun any absorbing, AMI particularly any
d1scomfOrtlng aud troublesOme subject OF
thought, is also quite necessary. And then
aygood fair start towards sleep, when the
b ~ is first reached is very important. Ev-
els man, when he gets into bed, should
sAttle himself quietly at first, and should
sty-" Now lay ms down TO Sleep" and
spit the action to the words. Ii be once be-
@ns to turn from side, TO 81 Ie it is all over
With him. 1t will be all night with him.
There is more in this getting Of fair
dart ut once, than most people are aware Of
is ike getting good start in a race-the
ksidc Of the ring. After all, however, one
DAY be beaten, but the chances will be
Greatly in his favor, if, in ad iiton to Previ
Jus precautions and preparations, he lays
imself down At once 10 sleep.
But suppose he wakss out Of his FIRST sIeeI
ffter an hour or two Why then lie mus
klsy 'possum, and pretend 10 sleep, and IN
list that he is only half awake at most, and
BY no means allow himself to be fully reused
be can possibly avoid 1t. People 60 tC
leep BY sections, and they wake up ordin
trily in the same way; and il care is useC
8he whole man may not be reused, and only
part will have to be quoted again. Yet
fter all, the sleep seeker may iniserably iaI
his intended rest for the b,st device oil
ben and mice viii sometimes gang awry
nd then there is nothing better to 90 but Il
et up for q walk round the room, q draught
f water, . quiet rock in an easy chair, q
thorough cooling Of the person in the bed
Ind another attempt to sleep.
Above all things avoid getting into fret
because Of your sleeplessness. Don't think
ft very grievous or unusual thing for one
no be awake three or four hours on q stretch
fIt WON'T kill you. You will soon get used t.
the thing, or by patien+ painstaking viii
partially overcome the restless habit. W.
know men VITO are reasonably hale anC
hearty, though approaching their threescore
YEARS and ten, who yet hardly know from
gtheir own experience, what an uninterrupted
knIghrs sleep means, and whole nights are
Ordinarily broken BY hours of wakefulness.
The will has much to do with ones sleep
BY training, the mind and body may b.
minations Of the will. John Wesley learned
10 60 to sleep when be would, and where BIZ
wCul !, and to sleep rs long as he would. II
he had half an hours leisure, and needed
sleep, he would throw himself down and
take the required rest. Daniel Webster, il
we mistake not, had something of the same
power Of gong to sleep when he would.
And though every body cannot do exactly as
Webster or Wesley did, they may approx.
mate towards them, by the persistent exer-
else of the will In controlling mind and body
and even partial success will pay well for
the trouble taken.