Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-02-02
How to Sleep Well.

THE following is an extract from Ed
ward Everett Hale's lecture on sleep:
He quoted Dr. Hammond on the sub
/ ject, in which it was shown that sleep was
caused by less quantity of blood passing
through the brain in that state. Thus was
! set aside the ancient theorists assertion
that an overflow Of blood to the head pro-
duced drowsiness The kind of sleep pro-
duced by an influx Of blood to the brain
was stupor; not the sweet restorer pro-
duced by healthy nature. Sleep was a
study, and ought to be properly regulated.
1t was the central duty, on the proper full
fillment of which all other duties rested
He exploded all old yarns about "six
hours sleep for a maid and seven hours
for man." They were superstition BY
consulting your physician you can find out
the quantity Of repose necessary for you.
No man has right to endure more fatigue
through the day than he could recover in a
sleep during the night. Bed was not a
confessional for that morbid priest, your
| own conscience, nor an academy in which
to teach. your intellect Bed was place
to sleep-nothing more. Early rising was
good in itself-it was glorious. But if a
mans health was drawn upon by fatigue,
sleep was his first duty, and early rising
would be a kind of slow suicide. Let
these things be regulated according to na-
ture. Every duty. requires that man
shall have his full share of sleep before
daring to enter on his daily task. He re-
ferred to that dread disease, sleeplesness.
He would deal with the matter in a strain
as if he were talking to one possessed of the
power of child of God to conquer the
disease. He referred to certain time-worn
panaceas, and quoted the old maxim
that almost every man was either
fool or a physician. Some
people recommend that patients must
sleep on their right side, some on their
left, and so on. He referred to letter
written by DR.. Franklin, to young friend
in Paris, who asked recipe for pleasant
dreams, in which he said that the best
remedy for pleasant dreams in the night
was clear conscience The moral was
good, but the physiology was faultful. He
maintained that if people would exert
themselves after undue hours, and keep
the circulation of blood rapid in the brain,
they could not hope for sleep. In this
connection he deprecated the fact of
teachers giving tasks to children late, that
they might have them off in the morning.
1t was grave error. He also gave a shot
at late suppers and coffee and ices He
said that the brain and stomach SO
close was their relation, were almost one
organ. He would give his recipe: Let
the brain be gradually rested toward the
close of the day. He would not play
chess, or calculate difficult things, or write
late in the evening. He said that stupid
games were good at night, because they
tended toward sleep The lively ones
should be Notwithstanding excitement
etc. He advocated private theatricals,
minus the exciting ones-such as MAC
beth" Richard and the STRANGER"
Try no opiates, unless by order of compe-
tent physicians; let them, any way, be the
last resource. He recommended foot.
baths WARM, head baths (coldD, and a
good brisk walk-anything that carried the
blood from the brain This was simple,
and he asked all who were afflicted with
want of sleep to apply the maxim He
said that by the agency of God, men and
women could conquer disease Of the mind,
which tended mainly to physical disease.
He concluded with the hope that those
whoaheard him might benefit by his words,
and he would be satisfied.