American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-12-05
The Importance Of Sleep.

The Importance Of Sleep.
IT is o religious duty TO sleep, and to
sleep enough; and he who docs not may
be sure that he is breaking the Sixth
Commandment, which requireth all law
full endeavors to preserve our own life
as well as the lives of others.
There is scarcely a better health-meter
for men who think much than this. Hard
mental work is beginning to kill when it
interferes with sleep, and he who plies
his brain with ever so much energy eight
or ten hours day, prays and plays five
or six, and sleeps seven or eight, will
never die of Overwork. But he must
make business of it. Brain work, food,
exercise in the open air, culture of the
soul, social relaxation and sleep-these
are the constituents of good living, and
they will be attended by health, wealth,
usefulness and happiness. If anything
unto.
The old theory was that sleep is in
duced by the pressure of blood on the
brain. Because the stupor of apopleXy
follows congestion of the brain it was
held that sleep was somewhat like an in
cipient disease; very stupid theory,
for sleep, SO far from being like disease,
is 1.-THE sweetest restorer" of the waste
that brain-work makes. Congestion is
imminent when the brain is pressed hard
with blood, and it is doing more than its
duty. But when the brain has been laid
bare by removing a portion of the skull
of living animal it is obvious to the
eye that as sleep comes the BRAIN Occu-
pies less space than before, and as the
animal awakes the brain expands and
fills the cavity again. Sometimes, on
rising suddenly in bed from a sound
sleep, one is dizzy or Eght-headed, and
that is because the blood has not had
time to regain its normal circulation in
the upper story And it is not well to
spring up quickly on waking; take things
moderately then, as at all times.
Thus we see the necessity of sleep,
that the waste of the whole nervous Sys-
ten, occasioned by the wear and tear of
mental and physical labor through the
day, may be repaired. You cannot make
machinery of the hardest steel and of
the most polished surface that will not
wear out or break down. And all the
machinery on earth combined would not
show workmanship so delicate and I'm
ished and fitted for such exquisite SER
vice as the body and the mind of man.
Even the muscular system of a horse or
an OK gives out when rest is denied. We
are told the Lord taketh not pleasure in
the legs of a man, but when a man does
pride himself on his powers of walking,
and attempts needless and foolish eXper-
iments, the result uniformly proves that
the laws OF nature are the laws of God.
Their violation by professional walker
is wrong, and they who abet him or bet
on him are partakers of his sin.
And if the calves of the legs need
rest, and the hamal or porter who can
carry a thousand pounds on his back
must sleep, and sleep enough or die,
much more must the brain worker sleep,
soundly and long, or he will hy off the
handle. 1t has been publicly stated
that ten bank presidents in this city were
killed by the commercial crash OF 1857.
Not one of them would have died of that
disaster had he given ten hours day to
business and eight to sleep. do not
know what Shakespeare meant when he
wrote that "sleep knits up the raveled
skeece of care;" but | well know, by long
experiment, that when care has wasted
and unraveled the web of life, SO that
the man is falling into skies and sevens
like an old stocking or knitted sleeve,
then kind sleep comes to his aid and
knits it all up again and makes him as
good as new. The victims of no sleep
from our banks and stores go wandering
over Euro e like he spirits in the Cos
pels, seeking rest and fading none,
because they hasted to be rich, and
would not, and then could not, sleep.
+ Prince Albert, that model Prince Con-
sort, worth any dozen kings of the com
mon herd, gave written certificate to
the value OF a recipe for going to sleep,
of which man claimed to be the dis
coverer. But it was in use long before
- His Royal Highness" was dreamed of,
and is of no great value. The only direc.
tiOns worth repeating are to 4" stop
thinking" and, in order to do that most
difficult of all things tor a thinking man
to do, headwork and handwork must be
suspended at an early hour, the mind re
lieved by such light employment as will
divert thought from the serious business
of the day, and the nervous system will
thus be Gained and soothed so as to in
duce that peace which foreteils sleep
The devices are many and curious tC
win this boon. But they all amount tC
the same thing-tbe diversion of thought
from any subject that eXcites mental eff
fort. Hunger and cold are unfavorable
to sleep. 1t is not so unwholesome as
many suppose to go to bed after good
supper. The sleep of infancy always
follows it. All dumb animals eat anG
then sleep. Reason forbids gluttony, ant
reason also fOrbids going to bed with 4
stomach craving food. Keep the body
warm and the head uncovered, SO thai
the blood may be tempted away from the
brain, and not into it.
Daniel Webster said he had great
talent Tor sleeping. Mr.. Pierce, when h,
was President of the United States, sale
that distracting business often engaged
him until midnight, but when he laid his
head on the pillow he went instantly t.
sleep, and did not wake until reused by
the servant at eight in the morning
John Quincy Adams never went to SLEEP
at night without first repeating the child'i
prayer" Now lay me down." etc. Ant
no rational being ought to close his eye,
in sleep without it, or something like it
A good digestion, peace of conscience
ami q cheerful mind make better night
| cap than pills OF toddy.-''Ireieus," j,
". I. Ooserger.
Hos. s. J. THpEN. recently elected
Governor of New York, is an old bach
elor. tie is over sixty years ct age enG