Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-02-18
HOW TO WOO MORPHEUS.

HOW TO WOO MORPHEUS.
A List Of Remedies For Insomnia-How
Persons Try to Drop Into the
Land of Nod.
1t will be interesting to collect the
many remedies that have been sug-
gested for sleeplessness. A hot show.
er bath at bedtime cleanses the skin
and p~redisposes to sleep, it is claimed.
The zone sure and safe way is to take
O brisk walk of a mile or two before
going to bed. and then, after the walk,
holding the head under a stream OF
cold water. This, however, should be
done when the habit of sleeplessness
first begins.
A business mar with d mechanical
turn of mind should fix up his attic as
a carpenters shop, and spend an hour
therein after supper. A walk of two
or three miles a day is sufficient, says
one writer, while another maintains
that nothing will do but horseback rid
ing. Again, relief for sleeplessness
can be found by wetting a linen kerr
chief, folding it and placing it under
the back Of the neck, with a dry cloth
under the kerchief to protect the pill
low. Still again, warm the feet by
friction, extra wrappers. etc, and cool
the head, either in q draught or with
cold water or ice. One sufferer has
palliated the distress of his vigils by
leaving his bed, lighting a fire and
sitting in chimney corner, reading
and eating by turns until the demon
l ipfiyn n fod n Incsra ~ Jo1n
A physician writes that the evening
should be a period of relaxation and
recreation, relief from care and ankle
ty, to be found in cheerful converse
ton, pleasant games and light read
ing, while persons Of sedentary occu.
patton 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 at
tended to if the digestion is not good.
II it is overloaded, easy and refreshing
sleep is impossible. Weakly persons
and invalids often find a u of hot
broth or cruel or some other light and
easily-digestible food, taken on retir-
ing, to be the best promotiye of sleep.
The bed should neither be too hard or
too soft, nor the clothing too abundant
nor too scanty. AL unpleasant sights,
sounds and smells should be excluded.
Regular and early hours of retsr.ng
are essential. No victim of insomnia
can with safety burn the midnight oil
or engage in evening dissipation. The
man who observes these precautions
and adds thereto a clear conscience
and a sound mind, has the promise OF
unfailing sleep.
Another victim of sleeplessness found
thata continued low noise favored
sleep. The sound of water dropping
on a pan has been prescribed by 8
physician. The explanation seems tc
be that a simple m~onotonous impress.
sion 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 backward
anu forward, imagining sheep jump.
ing y by n through a 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 oil
lit.
A man who has sstruck upon the
right plan at last, and who up
to the world something that is calcu-
lated to make mankind rejoice and dc
away with all drowsiness. writes that
all you have to do is to imagine your
self going on d long journey. Think
over the details of it every night when
sleep lags. The plan made him healthy
ana happy.
"a physician has n simple remedy,
yftfch requires no medicine. Compose
the mind as much as possible, and con
fine the thoughts to ene subject. or o
number or individual, and close the
eyelids, rolling the eyes continuously
IN one direction. In a short time con-
seriousness will be lost and you will be
in the blissful land of dreams. After
IN experience of two years, another
man found that he was always able to
go TO sleep very shortly after retiring
to rest by keeping his eyes looking
down; he found that they turned Ut
when he was sleepless and was cogf.
Eating something that kept him awake.
An editor finds relief by wetting a
cloth with cold water and binding II
across his forehead. Another plan is
to draw in a long, SLOW breath by the
mouth and force the breath outthrough
the nose, imagining that the current
can be 9 An attempt ma 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 hall an hour before going to
bed. In a paper read by q physician
before the Boston Society for Medical
Improvements, he said that sleepless-
ness is often caused by starvation, and
that 2 turnbler Of milk drank in the
middle of the night will often put peo-
pie TO sleep when hypnotics would fail
OF their purpose.
A Wonderful Bird.