Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-09-15
TREATING INSOMNIA
ADVICE TO THE VICTIMS OF A Dis.
TRESSiNG DISEASE.

An Affiiction That Is Widespread In
the "Sleep That Knits Up the RaveIed
sleeve of Care"
Insomnia Is q widespread American
disease. 1t affiicts the best brains of this
country-lawyers, teachers and other
professionals and especially men Of
affairs whose minds are overtsxed with
q multitude of harassing, incessant bust
ness details. It is caused by AN undue
distension Of the arteries supplying the
red blood to the brain, resulting in un-
relieved pressure on the nerve cells of
the gray matter, eventuating in pro-
Iongcd wakefGlness during the night,
at time when they should be allowed
to remain quiescent and recuperate the
tissue wasted during the active hours
OF the day. Shakespeare POLITICALLY says,
'Tis sleep knits up the raveled sleeve
of care. " This is also true scientifically
and physiologically. 1t is capable of
being expanded into whole treatise.
With the lightninglike glance of genius
he saw into the very structure of nerve
tissue, the cause of its wear and tear
and the remedy.
/. Dr. Samuel Johnson in his ponderous
dictionary defined met to be AN
interNoven decussated tissue OF mesh
es" Each cell III the brain has this
character. Hagnified several hundred
diaineters it would resemble the net
work covering q small balloon. In the
morning. after refreshing nights rest,
each cell is expanded, alert with life,
and has the faint PINK glow of health.
At evening, after a long days work
over some eXhausting mental occupa-
ton, this cell is fiaccid and collapsed,
portion of its substance gone. and it is
unfit for further immediate work.
A nights natural sleep repairs the
waste, the life giving blood in gentle,
regular pulsatious flows by and the
proper element is taken out of each
globuie and incorporated into the struc-
ture Of the nerve cell, 50 that on awak-
ening it is again restored, alert and
ready to receive and send out messages
and do its proper work. Sleep has knit
by caro-. The action OF 1000, 900 Of
these cells packed together i'll the brain,
like Leyden jars i'll battery, is analo-
gous to electricity, bat not at ell identi-
cal with it.
One has sometimes in the country
noticed lone forest lightning struck
tree slowly decaying Us the seasons roll
by il the alterations OF rain and frost
and wind First the small twigs become
brittle, break of and fall, then larger
branches aud limbs and finally the many
thousand subdivisions are reduced TO
about three large stumps supported by
the blasted trunk with the rotten bark
clinging to it, As age creeps slowly on
the animal body the small ramifcations
of blood vessels in the face, for instance,
wither and die and then larger vessels,
leaving pits called wrinkles. The
same thing happens in the interior Of
the brain, but this is invisible on the sur
face Instead of many fine subdivisions
of arteries reaching every part of the
structure ard thus irrigating it with
the red life giving fluid these dry up,
are absorbed and larger ones and fewer
in number result. Into these tho blood
has tendency to pour at night during
sleep, on slight provocation resulting
In undue distension and engagement,
and consequent wakefulness, thus pro-
ducing the well known disease ''insom-
~. - which If prolonped. resul.s in