Barre evening enterprise. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-1898, 1898-04-28
CURSE OF INSOMNIA.
VIEWS OF A RUSSIAN WOMAN WHO
HIS STUC 90 THE SUBJECT.

Some of the Causes nad Remedies learn
cd by Experiment and investigation.
The u, ,ortant Fart the Blood Plays In
tie latter OF Sleep.
\ mine Of information concerning
various treatments prescribed for vic
tins Of insomnia is contained in new
scientific work ty Marie de MouaCcine,
a Russian woman who has consulted
hundreds Of the highest authorities CN
the sui. set aud who has made mai.
original experiments. Her work ha.
been translated into English.
Cold water Lays applied to the fore
head and hot ones to the back Of the
neck are recommended to produce sleep,
since by their means the blood is driven
from the Train. Hot baths increase the
size CT the Llood vessels of the skin ard
produce the same effect. Another meth
cd of freeing the brain and causing sleep
-one which will he found acceptable
to every Oue-is the eating CT light
supper just before retiring. The blood
in this case is sent from the brain to the
stomach, where it is needed III digestion.
Exrerim ATS prove that morotony is
an effective source of fatigue to the
brain. which organ appears to automat-
icaliy drain off its blood where fatigued
to normal degree. Almost every one
| has tried tc experiment Of counting
/ himself to sleep. Men have been readily
! put to sleep by being made to lear wa
ter drop constantly. y watch ticking
/ under the pillow will produce the same
result until one becomes so accustomed
to its MULCtOny that it Is no longer
/ head, According 20 the Russian an
/ thlrity, Ola time nonles ot her country
were PIT to sleep ty their servants,
commanded to scratch their heels until
lal - Cf Consciousness occurred, The
lullaby Ct the American mother pro-
ducls Il e hecaUse CT Is monotony.
\ Iara.o Indian recently told the
writer that the native doctors among
his people sit at the beGsides Of the sick
and sing nupotouous chants, repeated
over arl ever. throughout tie whole
night ,,u additional treatment beyond
cuu1uril 2 is applied Many patients are
doubtlC. : 'uled, the only virtue CT the
treatment ling the relief Of ain and
the ucuiIsbL!ent Ct the system : sleep
pr>Iuted y Monotony. Repeated rock
iIr ICGCtss sleep, as dots repeated
tIusLIuI Of tie hair koiean mptLers
y; their infants to sleep IS scratching
them nonrtCHuusly upon the.r a! o.
mlns. Spanish mothers accomplish nc
same result by continuously sticking
the spires of their infants. In the Last
two cases SLEEP is produced not only by
monotony, h,t by the attraction of the
blood to tie body by the stimulus Of
touch.
The mauiaula-ions of the hypnotist
tend to tHli.uo the mind through mouot-
ony. The writer has seen subjects hyp-
noticed while counting their Graaths.
Hypnotic sleep however, like sleep pro-
duccd ~ Narcotics, Or an2sthetics, in
jEros rather than refreshes the mind as
rule. Sufferers from insomnia should
never court sleep in a lighted room.
Experiments show that light fall ~
upon the yelids causes rush of blood
to the brain Tie head should not be
kept too low, lest gravity produce the
same result
Insomnia is found to be characteristic
Of persons W ho blush, laugh or WEEP
readily aNd whose pulse is apt to quick
ell upon tue slightest rrovocatlon. l. IS
Of sleep Il o.t frequently results fl III
ovcrwolh Ct either mind or body. Over
l.. RI
vessels Of the brain and eventually I r
alyzes them. Extreme cold produces he
same result. Experiments also show
, that exercise Of thr emotions cau"es
rush Of blood to the brain and sleeple SIS
ness it occurring near bedtime.
: There is al interesting theory that
we require sleep in proportion to tlt
, scarcity Ct red corluscles i'll our bloHd
All people, therefore, do not correspcA at
in their need Of sleep. Many authorize:
agree that the degree to which sleep i.
needed depends upon the strength Of
4 consciousness. Children, savages ant
idiots readily fall asleep because tholl
- consciousness is Ill developed, an(
therefore readily fatigued. Persons O
y strong will power and marked lndlvld
i nality require relatively little sleep |
= is difficult to overfatigue their con
l scousness.
Young infants are found to demand
sleep the majority CT tie hours OF TIT
- day, those up to 6 weeks OF age requlr
ing 20 hours, the time being graduall.
. decreased to from ten to eight hours un
a til the age Of puberty. During the ag
of puberty more sleep is required. Ate
puberty from nine to seven hours ar
necessary. After complete growth from
eight to six, and in middle age evel
less, until feebeness begins when tn
sleeping hours should gradually i'll
~ crease. With increased intellectua
- growth, however, insomnia natural.
- increases even during cid age.
y Too much sleep is thought to b
y harmful by some authorities. Sine
-. CONSCIOUSNESS requires waking hours TO
>" development, too much sleep will rob
~ of it's education. During sleep MA
~ grows like vegetable, but his min
gets no exercise, which its devGlopmen
- demands Were a child to sleep :
~ hours day until years old, he wou
=. DOUBTLESS have "a feeble mind. Chlldre
who sleep too much are found upon III
~ vestigation to be fatter than those VIII
>, sleep at normal rate, but their lnte
lects are duller and their muscles weak
~, err. Insomnia, on the other band, is a.
y ways a dangerous symptom III children
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