Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-22
A DROWSY SUBJECT.
Brain Workers and Nervous People
Should Take More Sleep.
1T IS GOOD FOR ALL AILMENTS
The Young Folks Require More Rest Than
Old Persons.
BENEFITS OF AN AFTERNOON NAP.

Want Of sleep, and consequently want of
rest, is the cause Of half the ailments of
people Of this country. The man Of busI-
ness wants to crowd in the whole day attend
ing to his business. and during the whole Of
the night, or best part of the night, in the
fashionable season, he is attending to social
daties. How many Of the society women of
this city, and in fact OF other cities, too,
manage to get along with the little sleep
that they take is mystery to nearly all the
doctors in the country. They are not sur
prised that society women are glad when
the Lenten season comes along and gives
them a rest from their gayety. Several
doctors who have been talked to recently on
the subject of sleep agree that this question
is not given enough consideration. That
people think too little of sleep and are too
ready to cut short their proper allowance.
If fthey wish to go to some fashionable enter
tainment in the evening that will keep
them out until the early hours of the morn
ing they never think Of paying back the
few hours of sleep that they borrowed in
order to be able to attend to these social fes-
tivities. DR.. Sara B. Chase, of New York,
is great advocate of sleep. She advises all
her patients to sleep more. She prescribes.
sleep for almost every ailment, and she at
tributes, in great measure, her health and
strength to the amount OF sleep she takes.
Talking recently on the subject she said:
SLEEP FOR BRAIN WORKERS.
Some people require more sleep than
others. The more nervous the temperament
than any stimulant. II all those who work.
mentally would take time in the middle of
the day, say for half an hour, and would ac-
custom themselves to 60 to sleep, they would
find that they would wear better, last longer
and do their work much easier Sleep IS a
remedial agent. Brain workers require
more sleep than physical workers. They
should go to sleep at 10 o'clock at night and
should have their breakfast at 8. I don't
know why women should require more
sleep than men. It would depend a great
deal upon the temperament of the men
and women. Men and women of equal
temperament should, I think, be satisfied
with an equal amount Of sleep.
think there is great deal of benefit de-
rived in sleep obtained before midnight,
very often called beauty sleep. I think
one hour before midnight is equal to two
hours after midnight. 1t seems more nat
ura1 to sleep from 10 o'clock at night than it
does from 2 or o'clock in the morning;
and, as far as have been able to discover,
the sleep taken before midnight is much
more beneficial and refreshing than sleep
taken from say o'cIook until II or u at
noon. Sleep taken sitting down is better
than no sleep at all, but il possible sleep
should always be taken with the body in q
reclining position. The room should be
kept at the temperature from 600 to $50
at night. I think cold room is injurious,
and think hot room is injurious also. |
During the daytime 600 to 700 is a proper |
heat to keep the room. Sleep taken inn
mediately after eating in my opinion is |
beneficial. The digestive organs seem TO do
their work better when perfectly at rest. |
mails. They always sleep after eating.
A CAUSE OF DYSPEPSIA.
'T think want of sleep is the cause of |
nearly all the dyspepsia, nervousness and |
mental prostration that we find SO much of
in this country nowadays. Dyspepsia is
not caused so much by the food that is eaten
as by the want of sleep and rest to the
nerves. The more excitement and more
worry one has the more sleep is required.
Sleep is the only perfect rest for the brain
and heart. Frequently. when / have had
some great strain to go through, perhaps
some important operation to perform, or
some hard lecture to deliver, refresh my
self great deal by taking five or ten mIn-
utes sleep. Very often, though, during that
i've or ten minutes will wake up and look
1t my watch every minute, and still at the
end of the time feel have derived great
benefit from that few minutes during which
my mind and nerves were at perfect res"
DIR. John T. Nagle, of the New York
Bureau of Vital Statistics, is great advo-
,ate Of sleep; but he does not think so much
VI sleep as DIR. Sara Chase does. Talking
on the subject of sleep he said:
"a healthy person should take from seven
% eight hours sleep out of the "a. You
lear of some men in the world who claim to
lave gone through life with only fous, five
n six hours sleep. Napoleon was one of
hese men. 1t is said that he had but five
lours sleep every day. He took that sleep
It various times, when be felt be needed it,
nd would instruct one OF his servants to
rake him up when the five hours had
lapsed. Such men are exceptions to the
eneral rule and are not often met with.
he best hours to take that sleep are from IL
clock at night until about the next
1orning. Brain-workers require more
leep than physical workers. Their
rain requires rest which it can
My get we'll during sleep. 1 don't know
Thy women should require more sleep than |
len. Some say they do. Generally speak [
ng, they have less care, less mental trouble, 1
evote great deal of their time to parties,
alls, operas and receptions, and should not
,quire as much sleep as man who has /
usiness cares and the thoughts Of having to I
rovide for family on his mind all the
hinI ;
uires as much sleep as a man, and woman j
ho has plenty Of brain work would require
lore rest and sleep than one who has moth s
,g to do all day but think of pleasure. I
his rule, OF course, applies TO women who
re employed in business in this city every
ny.
THE BEAUTY SLEEP.
"Sleep taken in the afternoon is beneficial.
acts as stimulant. Alter one has been
orking and worrying for several hours
uring the morning, 40 winks taken in the
fternoon seems to revive one. Women
aim that a few moments sleep taken at odd
ltervals during the day preserves youth
I'D beauty. 1t certainly rests the muscles
the face, and rests the working of the
rain. which is so telling on youth. Sleep
ken before midnight, usually termed
beauty Sleep" is not particularly bene-
,ial any more than sleep taken at any
her time. Sleep, Of course, is more bene-
,ial when taken during the hours OF dark
,ss; one does notseem to be able to rest
hen the sun is shining brightly in the
indows. At least I can't. 1 don't know
at sleeping Immediately after eating is
.rticularly good. Sometimes eating will
axe one sleep, and then a few moments
eep is refreshing. Sleep taken while in a
tting position is beneficial. 1t is a rest.
,me people who are suffering from heart