Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-04-28
Eating and Sleeping.

A writer who has given much adj
vice on sanitary matters through the
press is Of the opinion that it is a
proper thing for people to goto sleep
soon after the principal meal of the
day. He says: GAIL animals always
goes to sleep, if they are not disturb.
ed, after eating" Further on he
says: 'This fact, I think, shows the
ACCESSIBILITY of going to sleep imme-
diately after dinner. This ignored
fact always occurs to my memory
when I see old gentlemen nodding
over their wine; nature says to them,
Go to bed;' they will not 60 to bed,
but still nature will not allow her law
to be broken, so she sends them to
sleep sitting in their chairs. People,
therefore, who feel sleepy after din
ner ought to dine late and 90 to bed
when the sleepy feeling comes over
them"
We cannot approve such opinions.
| We think that nature has ordained
the day for activity of mind and body,
and the night for sleeping. We are
well aware that sleepiness supervenes
after an overtull meal, for the reason
that the person has eaten too much,
and induced a congested state of the
arterial system in the region of the
brain. This is specially the case
with those who are given too highly
seasoned food and alcoholic drinks.
The fact that the writer above quoted
sees cold gentlemen nodding over
their wine," is not to be taken as
evidencing the propriety of sleeping
Immediately after meal. 1t is the
heavy eaters who are gwen to drink
ing wine, and that they are disposed
to nod over their wine Is nothing
more than natural result from the
effect of crammlng and drinking
The frequent cases of apoplexy re-
ported by the newspapers are due
chiefly to overeating, and the after
dinner sleepiness alluded to is ana
lagous to an apoplectic attack. 1t is
too we'll known that nightmare is
consequence of indigestion or an
overfed stomach.
Many persons with whom we are
acquainted, and who revel, if the term
may be permitted, in the possession
of robust health, ascribe their vigor
of body and clearness of mind to the
fact that they eat but two meals
day, taking breakfast from seven to
eight o'clock in the morning, and
their dinner somewhere from three
to four o'clock in the afternoon.-
They profess to work with more free
dom from cerebral excitement or any
physical trouble, and to sleep soundly
at night, awakening the next morn
ing with an appetite sharp and
thorough. A gentleman of our &C
quaintance, now student of Harvard
College, attributes his recovery from
a protracted dyspeptic condition to
an experiment of the two-meal sys
tenn. In a letter recently received he
states, that after suffering for years,
he had only come now to realize the
comfort of feeling well. But while
afflicted with his dyspeptic trouble,
he had tried all sorts of so-called
remedies, without relief. He was in
duced finally to try two meals day
as an experiment, and was surprised
to find, after little time, that his
stomach improved in tone, and his
whole constitution seemed to take on
a new condition. We know persons
pretty well advanced in life, yet as
siduous workers, who take their din
ner during the day-an interval for
the purpose beng regularly appro-
priated from the hours Of business;
they do not think of mapping or nod
ding after that dinner, but return to
the work of the Office or shop, and
remain engaged until the usual time
for going to their homes.
Whether two meals are eaten, or
three, one should be moderate in
quantity and choice in MATERIAL
Those who are disposed to bilious or
congestive difficulties should avoid
taking carbonaceous food in excess.
They should eat freely of celeal pre-
parations, and an abundance of fruit;
the latter exercises a cooling and
sedative influence upon the blood,
and conducts to the relief of nervous
irritability. People generally should
avoid condlments-pepper, mustard,
and strong tea and coffee, and espec-
tally alcoholic beverages. 1t Is your
gentlemen of corpulent habit who
possess the apoplectic diathesis. But
nevertheless, as the world goes, such
is the man who Graves spices, catsups,
strong tea, coffee and toddy. Such
are the men who fall dead in the
street, or die suddenly III their chairs.
1t is better for such men to exercise
in the open air after meal than to
recllne on the lounge or in the arm
chair. We do not believe with the
writer whom we have quoted, that
people who feel sleepy after dinner,
sought to lie down, or 60 straight to
bed when the sleepy feeling comes
overthem." We do believe that they
who are in the habit of experienc
ing a feeling of drowsiness SO I'M
pleasant after heavy meal should
reorganize their habits and introduce
methods of temperance and order,
which, of course, would have partlc-
ular regard to physiological relations.
Science Of Health.