Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1881-10-08
THE NECESSITY OF SLEEP.
Tendency to Extend Repose Indicative oI
Long Life and Mental Power.

himself unless the hardships of his
waking hours are so intolerable that
oblivion becomes blessing; but it can
do no harm to make the health giving
morning hour as attractive as possible.
Provide some outdoor amusement. a
prize, foot races. a butterfly hunt, or
gathering wind-fall in the apple Or
chards. If the desire for longer sleep
can outweigh such inducements there
must be something wrong-plethoric
diet, probably, or over study. The re,
quisite amount of sleep depends on the
temperament and occupation as we'll as
the age; with children under ten, how
ever, too much indulgence would be an
error on the safer side. Let them
choose their allowance between eight
and ten hours in after years seven
hours should be the minimum, nine the
maximum for healthy children sickly
ones ought to. have curt blanche, ssth-
as to quantum and time of repose !;
consumptives especially need all the rest
they can get. Profound sleep in cool,
quiet retreat is Natures own specific
for all westing diseases, panacea with
out price or money. Nothing can be
more injudicious than to stint children
in their sleep with view of gaining a
few hours study. "That plan," says
Pestalozzi, "defeats it's own purpose,
for such children are never wide awake;
You can keep them out of bed, but you
cannot prevent them from doing with
their eyes open. A wide-awake boy will
learn more in one hour than day
dreamer in ten" Habitual deficiency
of sleep will undermine the strongest
constitution /; headache, throbbing and
feverish heat are precursors of graver
evils, unless temporary loss of mental
power compels an armistice with out
ragged nature. King Alfred, Spinoza,
Kepler, Victor Alferi, Madame de
Stael, and Frederick Schiller killed
themselves with restless study; Beetho-
ven ana Charles Dickens, too, probably
repaid the debt of nature by their habit
of fighting fatigue with strong coffee.
Sleeplessness may lead to chronic hypo-
chondria, and even to idiocy without
their long vigils the monks of the The
bais and the fathers of the Alexandrian
church could hardly have written such
stupendous nonsense. 1t is o curious
fact that compulsory wakefulness COM
bined with mental activity often induces
a state of morbid insomnia, an absolute
inability to obtain the sleep which it
was at first SO difficult to resist. In
such cases the only remedy is fresh air
and complete change of occupation.
During sleep the brain is in compare
lively bloodless condition hot head
and throbbing temples are unfavorable
to repose, and it has been suggested
that insomnia might be counteracted by
hot foot bath, chatting the arms and
legs, or any similar operation that would
divert the blood from the head toward
the extremities, and thus tend to dimin-
ish the activity of the cerebral circula-
ton.
Listing to distant music or the rip
pling of river current has also won
derful hypnotic effect, the repetition of
monotonous sounds, or, indeed, of my
seasonal impression, seems more favor
able to repose than their entire absence.
The philosopher Kant assures us that he
could obtain sleep in a paroxysm of
govt by resolutely fixing his attention
on some abstruse ethical or mathe-
NAUTICAL problem, but remarks that t he |
success of that method depend on the
of the mental process
the mind, as it were, takes refuge in
sleep as the alternative of drudging at |
a wearisome task. Robert Burton, too,
gives a number of similar recipes, be-
sides list of wondrous medicinal COM
pounds to be swallowed or inhaled ad
horam somni, but in ordinary cases it
is better to try the effects of outdoor
exercise before resorting to dormouse-
fat, theological textbooks or other
desperate remedies.
Being naturally sound and long
sleeper has been ranked among the sur
est prognostics of a long life, and sleep
after wasting disease as the most GER
tain symptom of recovery. Most brain
workers are afflicted with occasional fits
of insomania, but the faculty of sustain
ing health and vigor upon very small
allowance of sleep is generally con-
comitant of mental inferiority or at least
inactivity. The most intelligent ami
mails, dogs and monkeys, sleep longest
stupid brutes merely stretch their legs
their inert brain needs no rest. A COW
never sleeps in the proper sense of the
word. Mirabeau, Goethe and James
Quinn often slumbered for twelve or