New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-06
POLLING INSOMNIA.
SOME SCHEMES WHICH MAY WORK WHEN
OTHERS FAIL.

CT have been irving The Trbunes recipe Ior III
ducing sleep" said a business man while situhs VII
the piazza of a summer hotel one evening W" no
the last week II have also trieo a"o'"'' ~
given I'm The Boston Transcript. bo'h arc eo'
and in n majority of cases, perhaps ei'hei Vi ,
wouId nrove effective. But sometimes they VIII
,,u nc have discovered by personal eNPe'ie'''''
IT, moo, s,ch stubborn cases Of sleeplessness nave
- s,,,,goe,ion # nv own TO offer. which, "heh cal
,iod ont in connection with either OF THESE 'eo'p''
mr. hotter still both of II en- combined WI" '"''
tho most aggravated case of waketuress'
.nTbe Tribunes met nod was. in brief. to treat inc
brain as if it was n rol-top desk IN 'he ","Jo.,''
If cases sleepessness IL due to the aoho' '''' "
-. ., ,b hrain After YOU go to bed you begin to
sneculate over Smiths ability to pay you MS "o'e
when It falls due or your own solvency ""e" so"'
,,onor held nv Brown natures. From ABSTRACT
sneculation YOU speedily pass TO nervous worry
not only in regard Smith and Brown. Dut III re-
gard to the business of tho day. ana the th'hss '
may or may not happen TOMORROW Inc more w"
think the more feversh and wakeful you oeooh'''
and the result IS that YOU get no restful sleep put
rico ,oxt morning more wearied mentally ana
nhvsicallv than when you went to bed
"Nov, the remedy for this suggestion II Inc
Tribune was simply to stop thinking. whenever
thought darts out Of the brain, thro" !" oaon
and close the lid on it. so to speak vi 'ouiHe "
will fry to get out again. but 1t must he put back
thought for half hour. you will be able to sleep
A I said 7 have tried this remedy, and IL mas
workcd-somotimes. But 1t is often imposslpie hol
10 think The very attempt not 10 th'nk 'Seii w
comes a prolific subject of thought ana induces the
very nervous unrest that you are trying 10 over
come.
.rho Rosto, Transcript remedy is really taken
from Dr Cal's book on Power through Repose
II IS ba scd on the principle Of inducing sleep
by the suspension Of mental activity But IL aims
to bring about this result by relaxing the physical
tension of the body. Most people whose minds are
very active during the day are unconsciously keyed
up TO a high physical tension And when they go
10 bed doesn't occur 10 them TO relax mat ten
sion Every muscle is as tight as drum. and Is
fhrobbng with activity. and while that is the case
II is impossible to sleep If you should cease
70 think altogether So The transcripts recipe Is
follows:
Begin at your toer to relax loosen all your joints
and muscles vnbind your fingers shake your
wrists loose take the and strain out OF your
neck: 20 all Iieces. in fact. and see how IN"
DAYS fatigue seems 10 slip Off from you. and the
gentle mantle Of rest and oblivion to enfold you
Il have tried this method. and have found ii et-
fcctive But 1t won't work unless you can baton
dow n the hdtchways OF your brain so that worry-
ing thoughts will not pop out And here Is where
my suggestion comes In. Generally speaking 20"
must think about something. The brain Is not aD-
~olutelv n rest even when YOU are asleep Very
well Tho Thing to do then IL 10 initiate as far as
You 20 to bed Get into the way OF beginning TO
,Ircam before you 60 to sleep. and The first thing
YOU know YOU won't know anything. FOR you VIII
Zoe asleep That Is my method. and 1t works IKE
charm First Of all relax my muscles so .n;,'
an, In absolute physical rest And then. instead OF
thinking OF the things In my lie that nave III tleh
the power to me conjure up lnposs,tpP'r,
weird and dreamy situations to tnnR Dour , MiC
induces no worry or anxiety. anu III " "" "'''
I am peacefully slumbering - - , ,
..Thus far | have rung the changes on two CON
colts which have been prolific I'm restful sieep-ih-
drn,nc trains Of thought. But any one who has the
fttts ri n .
ids,l worlds Sometimes when go 10 bed and be
",nr conscious that am going TO be harassed ~
thoughts relating TO business, SuPpoS. 49,. n.'
TO be- receipt Of an income OF nlteen OF o M
n,Ji,inn that | should spend II all each day Non
scnsica you say? OF course IL IS nut ,nni ~ yaai
t,s merit II is so utterly Impossible ana uhreaI
that can't get anxious over H. WINE AT 'ne IN
,i,nc ,hrrn is nm Intellectual rest and pleasure III
drcamily imagining TN" startling ana humorous S
uations that would arise OUT OF su.n 800 nv,
f,irs For Instance. the other night lmaslh'u nS
scif AT II % o'clock at night with 5000 OF my u"S
income still unspent and no atail'ine % W." o,oci
sncndlng IT II did not get rid OF II by !. cioch
would lose my fortune. and so ! st3rtea TO r
come NV of spending so 90 In half an hour.
nr,, ln1w how | finally did II. for IN the eilort
promptly fen into a drcamess sleep ,, -, ,,.,.,
My other method IS to imagine my o'ld en
" III, ~, - transport r1yself bodily from New-lork
10 Iondon in ten fifteen minutes let my s'',
,,,,'cr - ould occasion when. for instance. / would
,isit the London correspondent OF the tribune
s,ru. dnv and give him "A copy OF mat hiN lsSu'
- 'rhn Tribune You can realize al one" the ui,
hnunded possibilities of such a me OF ' nuusn. %
haven't vet begun 10 exhaust theh LOT '. 80, 10 ~
IN sl..p before have elaborated any one III
...rb.rn may be- some people so saturated WIN
tho material and the real That they can XIV
themselves up TO these waking M ni 1 But
fhose who are fortunate enough TO nay" a tnS ~
uty Of mlginttion we'll ieyEi9psu Wir i =, the the
method Of inducing sleep lhi'i'"''' ''' " "
method OF nature.