Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1890-05-23
EAT A GOOD SUPPER.
That Is the True Way of Obtaining a Re.
freshing Sleep.


freshing Sleep.
Going to bed with well-flled stom-
ach is the essential prerequisite Of re-
freshing slumber. The cautions so Of
ten reiterated in old medical journals
against late suppors were directed chiefly
to the bbulous habits of those early
times. When at very lato feast the
guests not unseldom drank themselves
under the table, or needed strong assist
ance to reach their couch, the canon
against such indulgences was not un-
timely. Nature and common sense
teach us that full stomach is essential
to quiet repose. Every man who has
found it difficult to keep awake after a
hearty dinner has answered the problem
for himself There are few animals
thai can be trained to rest until after
they are fed.
Man, as he comes into the world, pro-
sents condition it would be well for
him to follow in all his aftes-life. The
sweetest minstrel ever sent out of para
disc can not sing newborn child tc
sleep on an empty stomach. We have
known reckless nurses to give the little
ones dose of paragoric or soothing
syrup in place of its cup of milk, when
it was too much trouble to got the latter,
but this is the one alternative. The
little stomach of the sleeping child, as
it becomes gradually empty, folds on
itself in plaits; two of these make it
restless; three will open its eyes, but by
careful soothing these may be closed
again; four plaits and the charm is brok-
en-; there is no more sleep in that house,
hold until that child has been fed. 1t.
seems to us so strange that with this ex-
ample before their eyes full-grown men
are so slow to learn the lesson.
The farmer does it for his pig, who
would squeal all night if it were not fed
at the last moment, and the groom
knows that his horse will paw in his
stall until he has had his meal But
when he wishes to sleep himself he
never seems to think of it. To sleep,
the fullness of the blood must leave the
head; to digest the eaten food the blood
must come to the stomach. Thus sleep
and digestion are natural allies; one
helps the other,
Man, by long practice, will train him
self to sleep on an empty stomach, but
it is more the sleep Of exhaustion than
the sleep of refreshment. lie wakes up
after such troubled sleep feeling ut
terly miserable until he has had cup
of coffee or some other stimulant, and
he has SO injured the tone of his stom-
ach that he has little appetite for break
fast. Whereas, ono vino uafl6%S himself
to sleep after a comfortable mGaf
awakes strengthened, and his appetite
has been quickened by that preceding
indulgence
The difficulty in recovery comes from
the fact that we are such creatures of
our habits it is impossible to break away
from them without persistent effort. In
this case the man who has eaten nothing
after six o'clock and rclircs at ten or
eleven takes to bed an empty stomach,
upon which the action of the gastric
juices makes him uncomfortable all tho
night. If he proposes to try our expert
mcnt he will sit down and cat toler-
able hearty meal. He is unaccustomed
to this at that hour and has a sense of
discomfort with it. He may try it once
or twice, or even longer, and then he
, gives it up, satisfied that for him it is a
failure.
The true course is to begin with lust
/ one or two mouthfuls the last thing be.
fore going TO bed. And this should be
, light food, easily digcsted. No cake OF
pastry should be tolerated. One mouth.
r full of cold roast beef, cold lamb, cold
| chicken, and little crust of bread will
t do to begin with, or what is better yet
F.; a spoonful or two Of condensed milk
5 mot the swcetened that comes in cans,
| in three times as much warm water
v Into this cut half pared peach and two
1 or three little squares of bread, the
Y whole to be one-fourth or one-sixth OF
v what would be light lunch.
| Increase this very gradually, until a
: the end of a month or six weeks tho
n patient may indulge in a bowl of milk
Q two peaches, with a half hard roll or
Q crust of home made bread. When peache.
e are gone take baked apples with tn,
milk till Strawberries come and cat tn,
r latter until peaches return again. Thi
0 is the secret of our health and vitality
!; We often work until after midnight, bu
s eating the comfortable meal is the las
4 thing we do every night of the year
r This is not an untricd experiment o
Y one depending on the testimony of a