The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-04-01
REMEDIES FOR INSOMNIA.
ADVICE FOR SUFFERERS PROM
sLEEPLEssNEss.
Hair Pillows 90 be Preferred TO
Feathers. - Various Methods Of
Cooling the Brain.

cooling the Hratn.
When | was a student, saws a writer in
the New York Sun, l suffered much from
sleeplessness, and, after trying many
remedies, l hit upon this one: ! dis
carded my feather pillow for one of hair.
The effect was wonderful. slept soundly
the whole of the first night, and have
never since, except when feverish, been
so wakeful as l usually was before. AL
though feathers are excellent for prevent
ing the dispersion of the heat of the
body, so much fault has been found with
feather beds that they have quite gener-
ally gone out of use, and it is strange
that feather pillows have not been sent
after them. Feathers in pillows are open
to the same objections as feathers in beds,
and even their chief virtue, that of keep
ing up a high temperature, is a defect
in a pillow; certainly when
one half Of the head is kept at
blood heat by being buried
in feathers and the other half is exposed
to the air, both halves cannot be at the
most favorable temperature. A hair pill
low does not get warmed up to an un-
comfortable degree, because it rapidly
conducts away the heat impaired to it by
the head. Since hair pillows are not yet
in common use, it might be supposed
that person accustomed to the use of
one would either have to take it with
him every time he was to be away from
home for few nights, or suffer consid-
cradle inconvenience. But fortunately
hair bosters are more common, and if the
pillow is thrown aside the bolster will
raise the head probably as high as is
good for the sleeper. If hair bolster
is lacking, the end of the mattress may
be raised high enough to make a com
Portable head rest by putting the pillow
under it.
According to most, but not all, medi-
cal writers, wakefuness and mental ac-
tivity depend on the circulation OF
large quantity of blood through the
brain, and the flow of blood must be
lessened before sleep can come on. l
have obtained special benefit from
drawing the blood to the muscles by
means of a brisk walk or quarter to
half an hours vigorous performance
of light gymnastics just before going to
| bed. The majority of cases of f''cp-
lessness occur among persons who use
their muscles but little, and for very
many taking more exercise is the best
remedy. Sleep can sometimes be
brought on by simply warming the body,
| especially the feet; the drowsiness
caused by sitting in warm room is an
instance. The blood may be drawn to the
! skin by cold shower or sponge bath,
followed by rubbing with coarse towel.
! Getting out of bed for a few minutes
when the air is cool will often bring re-
| lief. | have lain awake half the night
and then, after being up long enough to
mix and drink a lemonade, have fallen
asleep at once on going back to bed.
Perhaps the lemonade should have part
of the credit. On hot summer nights a
cold bath will reduce the bodily Temper
ature so as to admit Of sleep. If the
skin is not wiped quite dry, the evapor-
ating moisture will incrsase the cooling
effect. A light lunch just before going
to bed relieves the brain by drawing the
| blood to the stomach and, the incliEa-
tion to dose after meal is explainable
in this way. Diminishing the cerebral
circulation by compression of the carotid
arteries is advised by some physicians.
Lying on the back with a doubled pillow
! placed against the back of the neck so as
to tip the head forward will effect this,
and DR.. j. l.. Corning has invented an
instrument in the form of a collar for the
same purpose.
In view of what has been said about
circulation of the blood, GOODNESS of the
feet is a natural accompaniment Of
sleeplessness and one means OF cure may
be made to serve both ends. Bathing
the feet in hot water is such a means,
but after few hours reaction is liable
to set in, which will send the blood from
the feet to the head and cause the
sleeper TO awake 1t is better to take
advantage of the reaction which follows
a cold foot-bath with vigorous rubbing
of the feet, both in the water and with
the towel. The stimulus thus given to
the circulation in the feet will be more
permanent. have found walking just
before bedtime beneficial, and when l
do not wish to go outdoors l raise my
self sharply on my toes to the full stretch
fifty or more times. A paragraph has
recently been in circulation to the effect
That a continuous low noise favors sleep
she sound of water dropping on Il brass
pan has been prescribed by a physician
with good effect. The explanation
seems to be that simple monotonous
impression quiets the brain by
occupying it to the exclusion of more
varied and interesting, and therefore
stimulating, impressions. On the same
principle are the devices of counting
forward or backward, imagining sheen
jumping one by one through gap, etc.
but they are open to the objection OF
causing one portion of the brain to be
exerted in order to control the rest of it.
If the hygienic measures which have
been described fail 10 induce sleep,
probably some form of disease stands in
the way, and a physician should be EN-.
poyed to discover and remove it, So
pori6c drugs should be regarded as a
last resort, for, unless skilfully used,
they produce stupor rather than re-
ffeshing sleep. Do not take a narcotic
or nostrum at random because somebody
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