Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-27
HEALTHFUL SLEEP.

don't call that uafaithfulness-dO you!
"No!' l replied, for am married, TOO.
HEALTHFUL SLEEP.
What to Do to Woo Balmy Sleep, Tired
Natures Sweet Restorer.
think we may safely say that every
one requires six hours sleep in the
twenty-four. and very many men 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.
IL you get up when you first wake, pro-
viding 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 necessity for further
sleep, as it is apt to become, not neces-
sity, but dulgence. Wellington could
sleep at any moment; Baron Bunsen
could sleep for half an hour at any time
in the midst of his studies, awaking re-
fre.hed, and resuming his work with
increased vigor.
A blessed gift this; such faculty,
combined with that of early rising, is
rs good as a fortune to a capable man,
or. indeed, to almost any man. Sleep
is heaviest in the first few hours, grad
ually becoming lighter, and probably
disturbed by dreams. as time wears on,
until slight noise disturbs us, or 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 rs the brain can sleep
at all events, exercising lessened func-
ton. 1t is therefore obvious that
dreamless sleep is most useful, as
dreams are evidence of work by some
part of the brain. detached from perfect
rest. A very important factor in Sc
curing healthy sleep is the kind of bed
we lie upon. Feather beds | can not
commend; 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
excellent; and the harder your couch,
to be comfortable, the more likely are
you to be comfortable, the more likely
are you to secure healthy, refreshing
sleep, not unduly prolonged. 1t is a
diiiirhh matter to rise early from a
feather bed; difficult to wake in a reas-
enable 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 mat
tress. The clothing should be light
and warm; and can not but recon-
mend the sheet of paper placed between
two blankets as being very warm, for
paper is poor conductor 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.
urge the importance of excluding
flowers from sleeping apartments be-
cause of their throwing off carbonic
acid gas during the night and absorb
ing the oxygen we require. As small a
light as possible should be kept, if any
light is required, for a similar reason
the consumption of oxygen. If, then,
you have taken care that your bed is
very warm and comfortable, without
either being oppressed with clothing or
too soft, and your room be fully venti-
lated, and you can't sleep, what must
be done? Perhaps you ate too much
supper, and must await its more per-
feet Digestion; or, being squeamish,
you ate less than usual, and the crav-
ings of the stomach must be satisfied
before sleep is obtained. In this case a
glass of new milk, kept handy for use,
with a biscuit, will probably satisfy
your requirements, and you will fall
asleep readily. A friend of mine who
was hot and restless, and could not go
to sleep on one occasion, procured due
repose by going into the street and roll
ing in the snow. Another person de-
scribes the means he adopted for sleep
leSsness as consisting in watching the
reflection from 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 discover
any chillness, pain or discomfort, as
causing the insomnia. For myself, l
persistently think of nothing when l
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
they begin, and concentrate my atten-
ton on blank. This refusal of thought
nearly always succeeds. If you cannot
sleep, and are worried to death with
cares of the business and the family,
ask your chemist to give you ten to
fifteen grains of the bromide of potas-
sium in an ounce Of water, and this re-
peated for few nights will allay the
worry, and cause return to your
healthy condition.
A warm bath at bedtime is conduc-
i've to sleep. and persistent sleepless-
ness must be accounted iOr by some
bodily affection that should be speedily
remedied; or You must try what
much-increased outdoor exercise, with
light but sufficient suppers- eaten sar-
Twill do for you. 1t is a great mis-
take to fly to opiates and sctatives in
insomnia, unless specially prescribed
for you; they are hurtful in themselves,
and the system becomes so Injured to
them that increasing doses are requir-
ed, and they in time aggravate the con-
dition they are intended to relieve,
leaving the patient irritable, sleepless
and demoralized. Bat always look for
the causes of insomnia in some bodily
disorder or mental worry and excite
ment, and seek to remove the cause
when found. 1t seems, then, that we
are to make sure Of sin hours out of
twenty-four as necessity unless we
are very extraordinary persons, which