St. Landry democrat., 1885-02-21
HEALTHY SLEEP.
Conditions Which Assure the Best Results
To the SnbiacE.

to the Subject.
I think we may safely say that every
one requires six hours sleep in the
twenty-four, and very many lnen and
women, not to mention fools, require
even more. Certainly, too much sleep
is harmful; but too little is vastly more
so. / would let each man regulate his
hours of sleep by what he feels are his
real requirements; always urging him
to avoid the suspicion of laziness, to
take into consideration the bed he lies
upon, and to watch the effect on his
health of any system of sleep he adopts.
If you get up when you first wake,
providing you have had six hours
of sound, refreshing sleep, you can
scarcely get wrong. But make sure
of your six hours minimum, and
be wonderfully suspicious of the ne
cessity for further sleep, as it is apt
to become, not necessity, but indul-
gence. Wellington could sleep at any
moment; Baron Bunsen could sleep for
half an hour at any time in the midst of
his studies, awaking refreshed, and re-
Stunning his work with increased yigor.
A blessed gift this; such q faculty, COM
bined with that of early rising, is as
good as fortune to a capable man, or,
indeed, to almost any man. Sleep is
heaviest in the first few hours, gradually
becoming lighter, and probably dis
turbed by dreams, as time wears on,
until slight noise disturbs us, OF our
rested system resumes full work of its
own accord. Everybody knows that in
dreaming part of the brain is awake and
at work, while the other part is asleep
as much as the brain can sleep; at all
events. exercising lessened function. 1t
is therefore obvious that dreamless sleep
is most useful, as dreams are evidence
Of work by some part of the brain, de-
tracing from perfect rest.
A very important factor in securing
healthy sleep is the kind of bed we lie
upon. Feather beds / can not COM
mend; indeed, luxuries-and this is an
undoubted one-are not to be sought
by him whose aim is perfect health and
strength. A spring mattress is very ex-
cellent, and the harder your couch, to
be comfortable, the more likely are you
to secure healthy, refreshing sleep, not
unduly prolonged. 1t is aditficult mat
ter to rise early from a feather bed,
difficult to awake in reasonable time,
and more so to leave its warmth and
coziness in winter. But the luxury
must be sacrificed to the more healthful
influence of the mattress. The clothing
should be light and warm; and | can
not but recommend the sheet of paper
placed between two blankets as being
very warm, for paper is a poor con-
ductor of heat You get warmth by
this means without undue weight of
clothing. Then your bedroom must be
well-ventilated, for you require to take
in an extra stock of oxygen during the
night to help out the supply for the
day. You will sleep too much if the air
is impure.
If, then, you have taken care that
your bed is very warm and comforta-
BILE, without either being oppressed with
clothing or too soft, and your room be
fully ventilated, and you can't sleep,
what must be done? Perhaps you ate
too much supper, and must await its
more perfect digestion; or, being
squeamish, you ate less than usual, and
the cravings of the stomach must be
satisfied before sleep is obtained. In
this case glass of new milk, kept
handy for use, with a biscuit, will prob
ably satisfy your requirements, and you
fall asleep readily. A friend of mine
who was hot and restless, and could
not go to sleep on one occasion. pro-
cured due repose by going into the
street and rolling in the snow.
Another person describes the means
he adopted for sleeplessness as
consisting in watching the re-
Election from a light he could not
see, in tumbler of water placed near
him. A few turns up and down your
room may assist you if you fail to dis
cover any chilliness, pain, or discom-
fort as causing insomnia. For myself,
persisteastly think Of nothing eohefs
can not fall asleep. work until quite
weary. then, tumbling hastily into bed,
usually find sleep Immediately. On
those rare occasions when sleep evades
me, / check my thoughts Immediately
'sssraiss snd wcanceptrate my atten-