Huntsville gazette., 1889-08-10
HOW PEOPLE SLEEP.
Some Interesting Dream Statistics Cleaned
by a Russian University.

An interesting investigation upon the
above subject has recently been made
under the auspices Of the University OF
Dorpat, Russia Some 500 circulars
were sent out with series OF quite def
ainite questions, which were answered
with equal detail by 151 students, ll3
other males, 142 females. The results
for the two sexes were so different that
they demand separation, while the
students formed homogeneous class
interesting as a special study. The
first problem that was proposed was
the relation between the frequency and
the vividness of dreams. 1t appears
that 62.5 per cent. of those who dream
every night dream vividly, 60.5 per
cent. of those who dream frequently,
end only &c. 8 per cent. OF those who
dream seldom, showing that the vivid
ness of dreams increases very rapidly
with their frequency. Next, how is the
intensity of sleep related to the fre-
quency of dreams? OF the students
who dream nightly, 6S per cent. have
light sleep (and only % per cent
have deep Sleep; of those dreaming
frequently. 40 per cent. of those
dreaming seldom, 80. s per cent. Simi-
lar percentages fof the other males are
= 6S.S2, IL, and 1913, and for women,
72.46 and so per cent, We conclude,
then, that frequent dreams are a con-
comitant of light sleep. though the re-
lation is far from universal. As regards
Sex, women have 73 per cent of their
number dreaming nightly or frequent
ly, while students have only 90 per
cent. and other males 4S per cent
Again, 63 per cent. of the women sleep
lightly and only AZ per cent. of stu
dents, and Il per cent. of other males.
We conclude, then, that women have
very much lighter sleep than men, and
that their dreams are proportionately
more frequent.
Another conclusion, the evidence OF
which is too detailed at present. is that
as we grow older our dreams become
less frequent, but our sleep becomes
lighter, age affecting intensity of sleep
more than frequency of dreams.
The author regards the students as in
the period of maximum dreaming GO
to "A years of age.) The deep sleep of
childhood (hostile to frequency of
dreams) is then least counterbalanced
by the lessening OF dreams due to age.
The vividness Of dreams show a similar
relation to age and sex; the women
dream most wildly; the students, being
younger than the other men, have more
vivid dreams. The power of renem-
bering dreams is also dependent upon
.vividness and frequency of dreaming;
it is accordingly greatest in women,
and greater in students than in more
mature men. The liveliness of the
emotional nature, a prominent feature
of women and youth, seems thus to be
marked out as the causative agent in
the production of dreams. The dura
tion of sleep should naturally be related
to the habit Of dreaming, but in the
men no such relation can be discovered.
In the women, however it appears that
those who dream frequently sleep near
" an hour longer than those who sell
dom dream. This difference is re-
garded as due to the fact that men are
more under duty to break short their
sleep and thus vitiate the statistics.
This is corroborated by the frequency
with which the men who dream fire.
auently declare themselves tired in the
morning, indicating incomplete sleep.
The need of sleep is greater in wo-
men than in men, the duration Of sleep
being longer and the percentage OF
tired morning and evening and of not
tired being to 2 and 2 TO respectively
"a compared to the men. Students
sleep longer and are less tired than
other men. The time needed to fall
asleep IS about the same in all three
classes s minutes for the men, III
minutes for students, PIP minutes for
the women. In each case, however, il
takes longer for those who are fire.
quent dreamers and light sleepers to
fall asleep than persons OF opposite
D.
students sleep uninterruptedly through
the night, 20 per cent. of other men,
and only 43 per. cent. of women. Light
sleep and frequent dreams increase the
interruptedness of sleep. The power OF
falling asleep at will is possessed by
few. 1t is greater in youth than in
age. Twenty-eight per cent. of men,
10 per cent. of students. and 20 per
cent. of women sleep in the afternoon,
indicating making up of insufficient
sleep on the part of the men.
:. The effect of dream habits upon
Smental work is also evident Those
1who dream seldom. or sleep deeply, are
Better disposed for work in the forenoon
than light sleepers and frequent dream
ers.' The forenoon seems in general to
s.bez the preferred time of work. The
: statistics regarding nervousness confirm
the accepted fact that this is greater
among students than other men at
large. 1t is, too, aconcomitant OF light