The evening times., 1896-12-10
ABOUT INSOr1NIA.
Some New Methods of Treating an
Old Complaint,

insomnia is best cured by outdoor air
Ihis has been said 4 thousand times and
sun sufferers do not Comprehend tho
force OF the truth of it, Very few peo-
pie indeed will be sleepless after whole
day out OF doors, and sleep is so much n
matter OF habit that it would be worth
fnuch effort and cOntrivance to get this
whole day out Of doors in many a case
where such measure is treated as quite
out or tue question. one such day NAV so
help to break the habit of being awake
as TO render other sleep.provoking devices
effectiye, devices that without TIE opcn-
air cxpedient may have utterly failed.
Remember Prof. TyndalIs verdict on
the hopelessness Of getting COED air in the
house: do the best you can for it, Of course,
butwe have his authority and demonstration
toprove that all indoor air is bad nd all the
world has long ago found out that good
air is the finest nerve tonic and soporific
ever discovered.
One pleasant, desirable article of food is
invaluable in fostering sleep. and that IS let
tuce salad-not merely lettuce: lettuce is
good-but the oil and flavoring Of garlic
that go TO making good salad of it m
crease greatly its soothing powers The
garlic is, of course, merely rubbed on THE
dish, but a pretty thorough use of it in
that way helps the case in several wavs.
1t. like all its vegetable kin. has a definite
sieepproducing tendency, and then it makes
u salad taste so well that you eat twice as
much OF it as you otherwise would, and
that is point gained. Besides its express
soporific tendency, most peoples stomachs
stand in sore need of more salad than they
get, and they profit in sleep by an improved
digestion. Very stubborn cases of insomnia
are frequently cured by steady habit of
eating such salad as described at the
evening meal. Baths can be made invalua-
BILE in treating insomnia, but either n hot or
a cold bath just Before going to bed is
often perilous to sleep: it is stimulating,
not soothing. For all who can stand such
hardy treatment. cold morning plunge is
good for sleeping habits, because it tones
tie nerves; but the bath immediately sleep
provoking is the sitz, taken in conjunction
with hot foot bath; hot foot bath alone
is often tried but where the brain activity
is strong it is not effective enough iii draw
ing the blood from the head.
If one has not n sitz bath, something ap-
proximating the stz bath can be taken in
an ordinary tub by filling to the depth of
ten inches or so with hot water and then
sitting IN it with the feet drawn up so as
not To wet the legs above the knee; five
minutes in the tub, and water as hot as
can be borne, then rob off. (most of the
person, remember, should not be Wet, jump
into bed, and fe are the cases that after
some preceding hours out of doors and a
lettuce salad for dinner, won't go to sleep
and stay asleep.
In some cases OF extreme sleeplessness
great help has been found by putting the
patient in a hamm ocl, where they could be
gently swung or swing themselves Rock
| Ing is deplored now for children, and Ger
| tainly it is better that they be trained To
sleep without it; but when it is a case of
sleeping or not sleeping for person of any
| age, 1t is better to sleep by rocking than
not to sleep at all. In the case Of the ham
| mock the gain, as with many other devices,