Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-05-16
Coaxing Slunlber.

There is no reason to doubt the
fact, that The most wakeful person
will find it easy enough to go to
sleep if he heeds the words of the
scientific people, and sets about the
matter in such way that "there
shall be an accumulation in the or
ganism Of the products Of oxidation,
and mainly Of carbonic acid, that
accumulation being favored and
controlled by reflex action of the
nervous system, which thus protects
the organism from excessive oxida-
ton, and also allows the organ
ism to manifest its nor
nal functional activity through
out succeeding rhythmic period" "
But as there are persons who
might worry their minds by endeav-
oring to arrange matters according
to this programme, we may as well
try to consider this desirable
"rhythmic period'' from a simpler
point of view.
The matter has been so thorough
y discussed in the journals Of the
land, ever since sleeplessness be-
came national disease, that we do
not pretend to offer any new ideas
in regard to it. We will merely
assert, that if we want to go to
sleep, and find ourselves unable to
do so in the ordinary way, it is an
excellent plan to fix our mind upon
'omething uninteresting, and to
keep it there. Here is the gist of
nearly everything that has been said
about the mental processes of in
ducing sleep.
Nearly every one knows of some
thing or somebody decidedly unin-
teresting, and there are those who
could afford to furnish subjects of
this nature to their friends. But it
must be admitted that it is hard to
keep ones mind at work upon dull
and unengrossing theme. There is
Il constant tendency to get interest
ed in something and so keep awake.
Generally it is the fact that we are
awake and ought to be asleep that
occupies our minds, and few sub
jccts could possess more painful
interest at the time. In consequence
of this tendency, this affinity of the
mind for matters of interest, it is
often necessary to give a color of
plcasurablc sensation to the object
of mental contemplation. In this
way we can think of the thing long
enough to get perfectly tired out,
and so, unconsciously, drop off into
slumber,
For instance, suppose we imagine
that we are rowing a boat, regular
ly and steadily, along a quiet and
heavily shaded stream. Crhis is a
most excellent Imagination to go to
sleep upon. We know a man who
fell into slumber every night for
months thinking upon this fancy,
and in all that time he never rowed
his boat quarter of a. mile from
the starting-place.) Well, this idea
of 4 boat and pair of oars may be
so extremely uninteresting to some
men, that it would be impossible for
them to keep their minds upon it
long enough to produce the proper
effect. In such a case it might be
well to put lady in the stern Of the
boat. But it is necessary to be care
full here. This female must not be
very interesting. We would rec
ommend a lady not too young; some
quiet, thoughtful person, with what
is generally known as ga superior
mind" There should be but little
conversation, and that of a nature
to induce somnolent reflection. For
instance, the lady might remark, af
ter a period of silence, that she
should think that people living in
Constantinople would always feel
under the influence Of a
spell. Now one might be quite GER
tain that such remark, made by
woman with superior
mind, would have something in it,
and the quiet persistence necessary
to discover the reference of the re-
mark to the fact that few cities had
furnished such fertile opportunities
for spelling as C-o-n-s-t-a-n-t-i-
n-o-p-l-e, together with the gentle
and monotonous exercise with the
oars, will be almost certain to put
one to sleep-if anything can.
Persons who are in the habit of
lying awake in the morning, before
it is time to get up, will often find
that if they can but impress it upon
their minds that they ought to get
up Immediately, and that it is wrong
for them to lie still a moment long
er, the bed will begin to grow more
and more attractive. and that the
gentle drowsiness which besets peo-
pie who ought to get out OF bed, but
who want to stay there, will very
probably steal upon them. Every
one who has ever wished he could
be as delightfully."- sleepy on Sunday
or holiday mornings as he is on
days when he must rise early to his
work, will appreciate this plan.-
Scribner's for 1prH.