Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1869-11-27
Sleeplessness.

active brain-workcr, who needs sleep even
more than the weary laborsr, often woos
sleep in vain. The cause of this is. that
in perfect sleep there is lessenea flow Of
blood through the brain. When the brain
is most in action, it attracts to itself most
blood, and slceplessness is the result, even
after the mental effort has ceased, because
when the brain has been once stimulated to
activity it requires in some persons some
time before the circulation Of blood through
it regains the balance which it maintained
in state of repose. Any intellectual ef.
fort Immediately before retiring to rest is
sure to be followed by sleepless night,
and the circulation in the brain is habitu-
ally kept at an unnatural tension, the diff
Guilty with which it returns to the state
necessary to sleep is nightly increased. In
such case the sufferer must have rest, or
loss of reason will result.
A writer in Good Health for September,
on this subject, says that the effects of pro-
tracted wakefulncss sooner or later show
themselves is the strongest constitution.
The person becomes gloomy, irritable and
peevish. The memory is defective and
the thoughts confused Tn some instances
it leads the way to, and even seems to be
the cause of finsanity. Newtcn's mind was
impairedby it iu his later years; Southcy's
insanity was preceded by it. After recap
itulating the causes of slceplessncss, men,
tai and physical, 1--WE have confined our
selves to on j. one mental causc-probably
the most common) the writer gives various
hints as to the promotion Of sleep in cases
where it is wanting.
Without reference to The use of drugs
which should never be taken, without the
advice of physician, We will mention a
few of the simple remedies suggested for
waksfulness. 1t is generally essential to
the sufferer to give up the use Of tea and
coffee, and it is sometimes necessary to
leave off stimulants. The person should
take care that he does not go to bed either
with cold feet, or with a stomach that has
been long empty. Many advices for in-
ducng somnolence have been practiccd
with more or less success; ono of these is
combng the hair, which has very sooth.
ing effect on some persons. Another is to
have the feet gently shampoocd. Walking
about the bedroom in ones night dress,
SO as to get what DIR. Franklin called an
air bath, is good plan, and the cold-wa;cr
bath just before retiring to rest, by virtue
of its stimulating action is often success
full. In more refractory cases the warm
bath may be tried-it acts by Withdrawing
the blood from the brain. On the same
principle, the upright position, by favoring
the return of the blood from the head, is
indeed, no uncommon thing to meet pco-
pie who sleep with great facility when sit.
ting in carriage, but who sleep with diff
fculty when lying down in bed
The best bed to sleep upon is a hair
mattrass, and the worst of all is feathers.
People as rule 90 to sleep most easily lying
on their right side, Proper ventilation Of
the bedroom is Indispensable for sound
sleep aud for health. Sufficient outdoor
exercise should ia every instance be taken.
and those who are strong enough should
carry it to sense Of fatigue.
Nothing is more important in order to
secure sleep than to diminish the intensity
of thought. Under favorable circums IAN
ces this can generally be effected by the
will. Tn other instances, however, the
more the will is exercised against it the
more attention is given to the truant
thought. Atlcneth the will, borne down
by the torrent of IDEAS gives way altogeth-
er, and protracted sleeplessness results.
1t is hardly necessary to repeat here that
such an active state of brain implies that
the circulation through it is active, and
that it is the opposite of this condition
which prevails in sleep. One of the most
cffectual modes of counteracting this state
Of things-is to force upon the attention
some monotonous train of throught, and to
tire the brain by it's constant repetition.
Reading dull book on heavy subject
sometime answers. Repeating short verses
over and over, or counting backwards,
is often successful. Monotonous sounds
act in this way. Boorhavc ordered for a
slccpless patient that water should be so
arranged as to drop constantly on a metal
pan. The whole chance of success lies in
compelling the mind, by strong effort Of
the will to give up the train of ideas by
which it has been occupied, aud to take
up the less interesting and more simply ideas
or perceptions presented toi it.