Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-11-08
HOW TO WOO MORPHEUS.
A List of Remedies For InsomnIa-How
Persons Try to Drop Into the
Land Of Nod.


Land OF Nod.
twill be interesting to collect the
many remedies that have been sug-
gested for sleeplessness. A hot show
or bath at bedtime cleanses the skin
and predisposes to sleep, it is claimed.
The zone 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 a mechanical
turn of mind should fix up his attic as
carpenters shop, and spent 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 linen ker-
chief, folding it and placing it under
the back of the neck, with 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 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 a chimney corner, reading
and eating by turns until the demon
intimated a desire to depart.
A physician writes that the evening
should be period of relaxation and
recreation, relief from care and ankle
ty, TO be found in cheerful conversa-
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.
If it is overloaded, easy 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 retir-
ing, to be the best promotive of sleep.
The bed should neither be too hard or
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 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 q clear conscience
and sound mind, has the promise of
unfailing sleep.
Another victim of slceplessness found
that continued low noise favored
sleep. The sound of water dropping
on pan has been prescribed by
physician. The explanation seems TO
be that a simple monotonous 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
and forward, imagining sheep jump
ing one by one 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 of
it.
A man who has ''struck upon the
right plan at last" and who opens up
to the world something that is calcu-
lated to make mankind rejoice and do
away with all drowsiness, writes that
all you have to do is to imagine your
self 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 con-
fine the thoughts to one subject. OF
number or individual, and close the
eyelids, rolling the eyes continuously
in one direction. In short time con-
sciousness 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
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 cogi-
tating 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 long, slow breath by the
mouth and force the breath out through
the nose, imagining that the current
can be seen. An attempt may 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 a paper read by physician
before the Boston Society for Medical
improvement, he said that sleepless-
ness is often caused by starvation, and
that tumbler of milk drank in the
middle of the night will often put peo-
pie to sleep when hypnotics would fail
of their purpose.