The gale., 1888-02-10
VARIOUS AIDS TO SLEEP,
CURES FOR INSOMNIA FOUND BY
DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
Evenings Should be Periods of Re
Iaxation--Hair.Pillo Preferable
to Feather-Simple Remedies.


1t will be interesting ts collect tn.
many remedies that have been suggested
for sleeplessness. A hot shower bath at
bed time cleanses the skin and predis
poses to sleep, it is claimed. The one
sure and safe way is to take brisk walk
of mile or two before going to bed,
and then after the walk holding the head
under stream Of cold water. This,
however, should be done when the habit
of sleeplessness first begins.
A business man with mechanical turn
o. mind should fit up his attic as car
penter 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 horseback riding. Again,
relief from sleeplessness can be found by
wetting a linen handkerchief, toldingit
and placing it under the back of the neck,
with a dry cloth under the kerchief to
protect the pillow. Still again, warm
the feet by friction, extra wrapper, etc.,
and cool the head either in draught or
with cold water or ice. One sufferer has
pallated the distress of his vigils by
leaving his bed, lighting fire, and sit
ting in chimney corner reading and eat
ing by turns until the demon intirnated
lesire to depart.
A physician writes that the evening
should be period of relaxation and
recreation, relief from care and anxiety
to be found in cheerful conversation,
pleasant games and light reading, while
persons of sedcntsry occupation are to
take plenty of open air exercises. fee
BILE circulation is to be overcome, and
cold feet are to be warmed. The stom-
ach is to To attended 30 If the digestion
is not good. If it Ia overloaded ca y
and refreshing sleep is impossible.
Weakly persons and invalids often find
a cup of hot broth or Cruel or some other
light and easily digestible food taken on
retiring to be the most promotive of
sleep. The led should neither be too
hard nor too soft, nor the clothing too
abundant nor too scanty. All unpleas-
ant sights, sounds and smells should be
excluded Regular and early hours of
retiring are essential. No victim of in-
somnia can with safety burn the midnight
oil or engage in evening dissipation. The
man who observes these precautions and
adds thereto clear conscience and a
sound mind has the promise OF unfa ling
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 un ON
Portable degree because it rapidly con-
ducts 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 a walk or by co d shower
or sponge bath, followed by rubbing
with coarse towel. Getting out of bed
for few minutes when the air was cool
often brought relief He had la awake
half the night, and then after being up
tong enough to mix and drink q lemon
adc, had fallen asleep at once on going
to bed. This student found that light
lunch just before going to bed relieved
his brain by drawing the blood to his
stomach.
Another victim of slccplcssness found
that continuous low. noise favored
Sleep The sound of water dropping on
a pan has been prescribed by physician.
The explanation seems to be that sim
pie monotonous impression quiets the
brain by occupying it to the exclusion OF
more varied aad interesting, and there
fore stimulating, impressions. On the
same principle are the devices of count
ing backward or forward, imagining
sheep jumping one by one through a
gate. etc, but they are open to the OBJ
lection 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,' and who opens up to the
world something calculated to make
mankind rejoice, writes that all you have
to do is to. imagine yourself going on q
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, confine
the thoughts to one subject, and close the
eyes, rolling them continuously in one
direction ms short time consciousness
will be lost, and you will be in the bliss
full land Of dreams. After an 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 up when he was sleepless
and was cogitating something that kept
him awake.
An editor fnds relief by wetting a
cloth with cold water aud binding it
across his forehead. Another plan is to
draw long, slow breath by the mouth
and to force the breath out through the
nose, imagining that the current can be
seen. An attempt may also be made to
read an amnsing novel in bed or to re-
peat familiar poem, but sll study or Sc
rious reading should be stopped half an
before going to bed. In q paper read by
q physician before the Boston society for
medical improvement he said that Sleep
lessness is often caused by starvation and
that tumbler of milk if drank in the
middle of the night will often pat people
to sleep when hypnoties would fail Of
their purpose. - Good Hoataskeep5ng.