The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-01-19
HINTS TO GOOD HEALTH.
How to Get to Sleep at Night

and never fails TO weaken the genera
health and increase the very evil il
is meant to relieve.
Alcohol, opium, camphor. bro.
mide of potassium, extracts of hem,
lock, henbane, hops and Indian
hemp, are all used in their turn to
calm our sensitive nervous systems
and invoke the drowsy god. They
are each and all to he condemned
moro especially the last mentioned
If any man wishes to feel bigger
fool than usual on any particular
day, let him 60 to sleep on the pre-
vious night under the influence OF
Indian hemp. He will awake with
head-judged by his own feelings
AS large a. kettle drum, and just
as empty.
But of all narcotics, hydrate of
, chloral, now so much in use, is the
worst. This dangerous drug, first
introduced into the pharmacopeia
about four or five years ago, is now
in daily use among large section
of the public, not only as narcotic,
but, in smaller doses, as an intoXI
cant. The sensations produced by
its use are somewhat similar to those
from a dose of "hasheesh"-a mix.
ture of Indian hemp and opium.
The dose must be steadily increased
and in every case after few months
the Few disease called chloralism is
induced. This is characterized by
an entire collapse of nervous energy;
the power of volition is lost, the pa
tient becomes emaciated, suffers
from extreme restlessness, burning
pains in the head aud eye balls. and
pains resembling those of rheuma
tism in the limbs and along the
course of the larger veins; he gets
weaker and weaker apd finally dies
from failure Of the hearts action.
The best natural narcotic, and the
only medicine for the cure of sleep
lessness, is ozone. Inhale it; seek
it on the mountains brow; seek it
along the seashore, far from town
and turmoil, far from care and
trouble. How the mountain air re-
juvinates the system how the bree-
yes that blow from off the blue water
calm and soothe the nerves!
at Is a delicious moment" says
an old book, "that of being well
nestled in bed, and feeling that you
will drop geptly to sleep. The limbs
have been just tired enough to rem
der the remaining in one posture
delightful. The labor Of the day is
over. A gentle failure of the per
ceptions comes creeping over one;
the spirit of consciousness Olsen
cages itself more and more with
slow degrees, like q mother detach
ing her hand from a sleeping infant.
The mind seems to have bslmy
lid closing over it like the eye. i is
closing--'tis closed; and the mys
terious spirit has gone to take its
airy rounds.
don't know, however, about the
spirits 'airy rounds" l ratherFus
pect the spirit remains between the
sheets; but during this gentle slum-
Der the brain has renewed its power,
the capillaries their contrsctility,
and the body at length awakes re-
freshed, buoyant and happy, and
ready to resume the labors of the
day with pleasure, just as you used
to awake, reader, when a boy.
Contrast this with the condition
of man suffering from insomnia.
He needs rest, oh so much. His
mind needs it; his weary frame needs
it; but his oYerstretched brain ca
pillaries fail to contract; so he losses
about on his bed 10 vain. Hour
after hour goes by, and still be sleeps
not, while troublesome, tlring
thoughts chase each other through
his burning brain, until-perhaps
toward morning-nature exhausted
at last, his busy thoughts resolve
themselves into harrassing dreams,
and he sinks into insensibility 1--WE
can not call it sleep). to rise from
his couch more tired and unrefresh-
ed than when he lay down.
Sleep is oftentimes banished by
persons going to bed with an empty
stomach; and, if any one has been
lying awake for half the night, sleep
can in most cases be induced by
eating small sandwich and drink
ing a dessertspoonful of brandy in
small quaD tity of water.
Having a hot water bottle in bed
is bad practice, and often incites
instead of calming the nerves; but
bathing the feet in hot water and
sponging the body with tepid or
cold, has generally a very good
effect. So has rag dipped in cold
water and placed on the forehead
and eyes. A bottle OF soda water,
with fifteen grains of carbonate of
soda dissolved in it, is a good mar
cotic. So is a hard mattress, with
a spariDg amount of bedclothes.
If you are sleeplessly inclined
when you lie down, as most people
are at times, you may try with sue
cess some of the following plans of
dropping off: Imagine yourself
starting for a walk, along some once
familiar but now half forgotten road
say for instance the one that used
TO lead to school. Go over in I'm
agination every bit of the way,
and endeavor to call to mind all the
landmarks, such as houses, woods,
etc. You will not have gone very
far before slumber overtskes you.
Or string a row of nouns together,
the first that comes into your head
the names, say, of people, pro
LESSONS, or animals-and first re
peat them several times singly and
in the same order, as dog, donkey,
parson, Judge, etc; then to each
word attach some definition. as the
dog that barBs and bites, the don
key with long ears, the parson in
the pulpit, the judge on the bench
Repeat this over and over again
you will be able to retain the right
definition TO each noun for some
time. Presently, however. you will
waver and make mistakes. The dog
will be on the bench. the judge will |
bark aad bite, and in the full assur
ance that there is nothing ludicrous |
or out of place in the confusion, you
will drop calmly off to sleep.
I'll. T,.aava~.r nr H-a-S