The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-09-10

u Yeo De. Yea Are Very Apt g
0Dooa q s1eepDess Nlght.

u Tee De. Yss Are Very Apt -
sSssA = sleepIess Night.
n EFT any readers when nsxt they pass
IL q s.ecplcss night notice carefully
what happens. II will probably be
somewhat NJ follows. Suppose. for In
stance. that they are In the habit OF being
called at 7:D: they viii hear the clock
strike 4. s. 8 and Z. and then. when the
knock At the door comes they viii either
be fast asleep or else they viii drop asleep
Immediately sftsrwasd. and IN either case
possibly viii, "a their intense disgust. over
siesp themselves. What n the explanation
Of this? Simply that by far the common
cot cause OF prolonged sis<piessness 10 the
worrying about u. the anxious effort 10
obtain sleep. And so they lie awake hour
after hour YEARLY striving for II. until AZ
last. when strikes, the effort 10 given
UP aa useless: At once, the strain bens
taken or, the WORKOUT brain takes i,s resi-
the sleep which has been 30 ionged for
comes at last. 4 great physician has truly
said: The body viii always rest II the
mind Will let IT,"
Some years ago when house physician at
. London hospital I used 10 experiment on
this subject. On my midnight rounds
would frequently receive complaints Of
sleepIessness from weary pat,ents, often
when there was no pain or other definite
reason for II. ! would say 10 them: "Ah
u doesn't really matter: you are resting
all right. IL won't do you any harm: lust
lie awake and think how comfortable you
sss here" Or TO the weaker natures
would say: Nurse shall bring you q
pouitice." or. II will send you something
when have finished my rounds" Aimost
invariably on my return. In twenty min
ufes' time. they would hc sleeping peace
fully. no further remedy was needed
Every doctor Will tell you how often
some simple sleeping draughs Ii sent and
never taken--nevcr needed. The mere fact
OF knowing II r. there - sufficient: the
anxious dread OF another sicepicss night
has been taken away. the mind IN at rcst.
and sleep comes In the natural way And
40 II would seem that by far the common
est cause Of sleepIessncss II the anxious
striving 10 obtain sleep. II follows. there
fore, that all such devices for procuring
u ~ counting an mag mary nock Of sheen.
liking the attention on the circulation,
making an effort 20 stop thought. are
wrong theoretically. as well ~ being usual
Iy worse than useless In practice. What
then, IL the real remedy? Why. simply
e. give UP the attempt TO sleep II ones
sleep does not come an usual. Give up
trying. IL a slscpiess night IL to be ones
lot. one must accept II as phiiosophicaily
as one can, remembering tina. many and
many man has had 60 lose nights
sleep before. and has been little. n any. the
worse for II. To the rlecpless one I would
say: Mako UP your mind to stay awake
for tho night" Nine times out OF ten the
blessing. strivcn for In vain. will come un.
sought and that almost Immediately, no
that on looking back the next morning
the last thing You remember will be your
determination TO lie awake.
Directly you cease 10 strive for sleep, TO
wish ardently for II. the strain will DO Ia
ken on the brain. the body will rest be-
cause the mind is no longer preventing n.
and sleep will be the happy result. And
10 mako the requisite determination--or
should say. rcnunclation-th's thought
may be help TO you. II In the anxiety
for sleep and the worrying about It's alb
sencc. far more than the seeplessrerr IL
self, that cause the feeling OF prostrntiy.
which follows . sieep.ess night. The man
whose duty or occupation has forced him
10 give up nights rest 10 In n far better
condition tho next dag than tho man who
has spent a restless nigh. IT, the vain and
weary search for sieep.-London Spe .tator.