The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-04
CURES FOR INSOMNIA.
A Long List of Simple Remedies for
SleepieSsnesS.
Prom Good Housekeeping.

From Good Housekeeping.
II will be interesting TO collect the many
remedies that have been suggested for Sleep
lesSneSS. A hot shower bath at bedtime
cleanses the skin and predisposes to sleep, it
is claimed. The ''onc sure and safe way" is
to take brisk walk of Il mile or two before
going to bed, and then, after the walk, hold
ing the head under a stream of cold water
This, however, should be done when the
habit of sleeplessneSs first begins.
A business man with mechanical turn
of mind should fix up his attic as caTpen-
ter's shop, and spend an hour therein after
supper A walk of two or three miles day
is sufficient, says one writer, while another
maintains that nothing will do but horse
back riding. Again, relief for sleepleSsness
can be found by wetting linen 'kerchief,
folding it and placing it under the back OF
the neck, with dry cloth under the 'ker-
chief to protect the pillow. Still again,
warm the feet by friction, extra wrappers,
etc, and cool the head. either in a draught
or with cold water or ice One sufferer has
palliated the distress of his vigils by leaving
his bed, lighting fire and sittingin Chin
ney corner, reading and eating by turns
until the demon intimated a desire to
depart.
A physician writes that the evening
StiOulu Dt Il VI I6ldAdLIOhdIu
ton, relief from care and anxiety to be
found in cheerful conversation, pleasant
games and light reading, while persons of
sedentary occupations are to take plenty OF
open air exercise. a feeble circulation is
to be overcome and cold feet are to be
warmed. The stomach is to be attended to
if the digestion is not good Ii it is over
loaded easy and refreshing sleep is impos-
sible. Weakly persons and invalids Otter
| find a cup of hot broth or Cruel or some
| other light and easily digestible food taken
| on retiring, to be the best promotive OF
sleep. The bed should neither be too hard
nor too SOFT nor the clothing too abundant
| nor too scanty. All unpleasant sights,
sounds and smells should be excluded.
| Regular and early hours of retiring are es-
sential. No victim of insomnia can, with
safety, burn the midnight oil or engage III
evening dissipation. The man who OBJ
serves these precautions and adds thereto
| clear conscience and sound mind has the
promise of unfailiug sleep.
| A student troubled with insomnia dis
carded his feather pillow for one of hair
with wonderful effect. The hair pillow
| does not get warmed up to an uncomforta-
| BILE degree, because it rapidly conducts away
the heat impaired to it by the head. The
same person found that sleep could be
brought on by simply warming the body,
| especially the feet, or by taking walk, or
! by cold shower or sponge bath, followed
| by rubbing with a coarse towel Getting
| out of bed for few minutes when the air
was cool often brought relief. He had lain
| awake half the night, and then, after being
| up long enough to mix and drink lemonade,
| had fallen asleep at once on going to bed.
| This student found that a light lunch just
before going to bed relieved his brain by
drawing the blood to the stomach.
| Another victim of sleeplessnesS found
1o,r
The sound of water dropping on a pan has
been prescribed by a physician. The expla-
nation seems to be that "a simple monoto-
| nous impression quiets the brain by occupy
ing it, to the exclusion of more varied and
| interesting, and therefore stimulating i'm
| pressions. On the same principle are the
| devices of counting backward or forward,
imagining sheep jumping one by one,
| through gate, 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,
A man who has ''struck upon the right
| plan at last - anu who opens up to the world
something that is calculated to make man
kind rejoice and do away with all drowsi-
ness writes that all you have to do IS to
| imagine yourself going on long journey.
Think over the details of it every night
when sleep lags. The plan made him
| healthy and happy.
A physician has one simple remedy,
| which requires no medicine. COMPOSE the
| mind as much as possible, and contine the
| thoughts to one subject, or number or in
dividual, and close the eyeids rolling the
| eyes continuously in one direction. In a
| short time consciousness will be lost, and
YOU will be in the blissful land of dreams.
After an experience of two years, another
| man found that he was always able to 60 to
sleep very shortly after retiring to rest by
keeping his eyes looking down: he found
that they turned up when he was sleepless
! and was cogitating something that kept
| him awake
An editor finds relief by wetting cloth
with cold water and binding it across his
forehead Another plan is to draw in a
long, slow breath by the mouth and to force
the breath out through the nose, imagining
that the currents can be seen. An attempt
NAV also be made TO read an amusing novel
in bed or to repeat a familiar poem, but all
study or serious reading should be stopped
| half an hour before going to bed. In n
paper read by a physician before the Boston
| Society for Medical Improvement, he said
| that sleeplessness is often caused by star7a-
! ton. and that a lumber of milk drank in
| the middle of the night will often put PEG
pie to sleep when Dypnotics would fail of
| their purpose.