Evening star., 1886-09-04
SleepleSsness.
SleepleSSnesS.
THE DISEASE FOR WHICH THERE Is NO KNOWN
REMEDY.

Slcep1CSSneSSs
THE DISEASE FOR WHICH THERE Is NO KNOWN
REMEDY.
From the Providence Journal
One OF the blessed results OF the summer
vacation, Ii rightly spent, is the general build
Ing up OF the ply sicai system gained by plenty
OF sleep. Vi course We know that thousands of
people simply transfer the habits OF the city
10 the country or seaside, and keep up through b
the summer months the same round OF dissi-
patton pursued SO eagerly all winter in the city.
But lnefe are thousands more VINO look for
ward TO the quiet of the country as u means OF
bringing to Them wnat they nave sought in
VAIN Ior months, lew weeks when every
night will assure them that they may sleep as
long and as dreamlessly as they wish. Ii Is no
uncommon thing to read III ths daily journals,
during the busiest season VI the year, of serious
accidents which have happened, OF deaths
which often have occurred, through tue At
temptS OF some sufferer from sleeplessness 10
obtain what he longed for through artificial
means. Accidents Oh this sort have happened
III The experience Oh many people: the sufferer
las either uosed himself too heavily with
chlorai, bromide OF potassium some other
naIcotislng agent, In drowsy state, with shak-
ing hand ana unoDservant eye, or has wilifully
Increased the usual quantity because smaller
allowances did not produce the desired effect
But even when the use OF narcotics does not
at once prove fatal, which 1t does OF course in
an lnln1iesimaily small proportion OF cases,
chlOral and the other sedatiVeS and sopurifics
do AL immense amount of mischief. Every
one III these day even almost The idlest suffers
from what Is caiied ''over-pressure.' TINS is
Que 10 nothing so much as the vast size, noise
and JostiinS crowds vi great cities. Even il a
man has nothing to do, he somehow can over
work himself III the doing OF it. He is pushed
In the streets by busy people who MAKE the
pace, to which he accommodates himself: he
Is deaIened by bowling teamsters and whist
ling or yelling boys, aud worried by the num-
beriesS noises OF the streets, and frightened at
crossings, till even an idle man at the close of
the day has expended more nervous force -
ii that is the name Ior it-thau he can afford
Ii these things happen TO the idle man. much
more are they the Inevitable portion of the busy
one the lawyer, Tue doctor, the merchant, the
literary person. The natural end OI SO much
exhaustion is depression, restiessness ana loss
OF sleep, aggravated to madness at night by the
unnecessary striking of the noisy Clocks and
the uneartnly yell of tug whistles, for which
When man reaches this point and flies for
aid to narcotics, the best thing that can occur To
him is to have his narcotics cut OF. and a
long holiday prescribed tor him by q firm
physician.
Numberless remedies have been suggested
for sleeptessness, but We do not know Inat we
have much laltn In them. We are told that
the bedroom OF the sleepless patient should be
perfectly dark, ana that his bed cOveriag should
Do nght as Well as warm. Pain, anxiety an
nOyance should be got rid OF, il possible: but
probably none OF these, no, nor conscience nor
love causes people to lie awake very much. n
man is Kept awake by his conscience, or his
love affairs, or anxiety, or toOthache, or a
cough, why, he knows the worst OF it there is
no mystery about the disturbance. But il he
lies awake without being in love, or in debt or
worried with thoughts OF any description, then
make Of IT, The advice is given that the patient
snail close his eyes in persistent way then let
the mlno eye rest upon some quiet place. and
obtained. But we fear this simple device will
not cure q bad case of insomnia.