St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-08-17
CAUSE OE INSOMNIA.


A mine Of information concerning
various treatments prescribed for VIC
tins of insomnia is contained in new
scientific work by Marie de Menaccine,
a Russian woman who has consulted
hundreds of the highest authorities on
the subject and who has made many
original experiments. Her work has
been translated into English.
Cold water bags applied to the fore
head and hot ones to the back of tho
neck are recommended to produce sleep,
since by their means the blood is driven
from the brain. Hot baths increase the
size of the blood vessels of the skin and
produce the same effect. Another meth
cd OF freeing the brain and causing sleep
-one which will be found acceptable
to every one-is the eating Of light
supper just before retiring. The blood
in this case is sent from the brain to the
stomach. where it is needed in digestion.
Experiments prove that monotony is
an effective source of fatigue to the
brain, which organ appears to automat-
ically drain off its blood where fatigued
to normal degree. Almost every one
has tried the experiment Of counting
himself to sleep. Men have been readily
put to sleep by being made to hear wa
ter drop constantly. A watch ticking
under the pillow will produce the same
result until one becomes so accustomed
to its monotony that it is no longer
heard. According to the Russian au-
thority, old time MOBILES of her country
were put to sleep by their servants,
commanded to scratch their heels until
lapse of consciousness occurred. The
, lullaby of the American mother pro
duces sleep because of it's monotony
A Papago Indian recently told the
, writer that the native doctors among
his people sit at the bedsides of the sick
and sing monotonous chants, repeated
, over and over, throughout the whole
night. No additional treatment beyond
conjuring is applied. Many patients are
doubtless cured, the only virtue of the
! treatment being the relief of pain and
the nourishment of the system by sleep
produced by monotony. Repeated rock
ing produces sleep, as does repeated
brushing of the hair. Korean mothers
put their infants to sleep by scratching
r them monotonously upon their abdo-
, mems. Spanish mothers accomplish the
> same result by continuously stroking
2 the spines of their infants. In the last
two cases sleep is produced not only by
' monotony, but by the attraction of the
, blood to the body by the stimulus of
touch
: The manipulations of the hypnotist
j. tend to fatigue the mind through monot-
6 ony. The writer has seen subjects hyp-
=. Noticed while counting their breaths.
a Hypnotic sleep, however, like sleep pro.
duced by narcotics, or an8sthetics, in
:. jures rather than refreshes the mind as
, rule. Sufferers from insomnia should
n never court sleep in lighted room.
f Experiments show that light falling
8 upon the eyelids causes rush Of BLOOD
r. to the brain. The head should not bt
kept too low, lest gravity produce TIT
|. same result.
i Insomnia is found to be characteristic
# of persons who blush, laugh or weel
d readily and whose pulse is apt to quick
x EN- upon the slightest provocation. Los
\. of sleep most frequently results from
q overwork of either mind or body. Over
f strain of either kind dilates the BLOOD
q vessels of the brain and eventually par
alyzes them. Extreme cold produces thu
n same result. Experiments also show
"a that exercise of the emotions causes
9 rush of blood to the brain and sleepless
4 ness if occurring near bedtime
!. There is an interesting theory tina
: we require sleep in proportion to thu
a scarcity of red corpuscles in our blood
v All people, therefore, do not correspond
"a in their need of sleep. Many authoritie
q agree that the degree to which sleep il
needed depends upon the strength O.
"a consciousness. Children, savages ant
!. idiots readily fall asleep because thei
!. consciousness is i'll developed, ant
If therefore readily fatigued. Persons o
d strong will power and marked individ
10 uality require relatively little sleep. I
II is difficult to overfatigue their con
N seriousness.
a. Young infants are found to demand
% sleep the majority Of the hours Of tn
10 day, those up to weeks of age requir
n ing 20 hours, the time being gradual,
!. decreased to from ten to eight hours un
$. til the age of puberty. During the ag
>, of puberty more sleep is required. Ate
J. puberty from nine to seven hours ar
IS necessary. After complete growth from
10 eight to six, and in middle age evel
d less, until feebleness begins, when tn
IT sleeping hours should gradually in
3. crease. With increased intellectual
If growth, however, insomnia natural,
N increases even during old age.
" Too much sleep is thought to b
r. harmful by some authorities. Sine
consciousness requires waking hours TO
<. development, too much sleep will rob i
rs of its education. During sleep mai
10 grows like vegetable, but his min'
q gets no exercise, which its development
ID demands. Were child to sleep q
20 hours day until 10 years old, be woul'
9 doubtless have feeble mind. Children
N who sleep too much are found upon in
I vestigation to be fatter than those VIII
Y. sleep at normal rate, but their intel
70 lects are duller and their muscles weak