The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-05-17
WHEN-SLEEP COMES NOT.

10 a worried and troubled spirit 1t is
calm advice that slips smoothly from
The tongue of the untroubled. "Don't
and "Take it easy" become
mere insults when there is no way Of
taking it easy and plenty of cause for
worry, and it is really very amiable
person who does not resent them. 1t
is also very amiable person who feels
no fierce rage against the sheep jump
ing over fence that some one has told
her to count when courting sleep. AS
the long, weary hours slip by and the
distant hum Of the streets sinks to its
lowest ebb.and every one else in the
house goes on sleeping more or less
noisily, those sheep are only so many
more incentives to brain activity, and
by the time several hundred have
leaped over the visionary barrier it is
time to change the treatment and re-
call other sure methods for curing
sleeplessness.
The best way to cure the evil, &C.
cording to an old authority, is to pre-
vent it by observing seven very simple
rules. A good bed; sufficient exer-
else to produce WEAKNESS, and pleas
ant occupation; good air and not too
warm a room ; freedom from TOO much
care clear stomach; clear con-
science avoidance of stimulants and
there are the only requisites
and the only wonder is that any one
every suffers from a white night after
reading them. But second reading
shows that the old authority was but
another of those willy advisers who
transported the don't worry doctrine
into different words. How is the per-
son Of many, many cares going to get
that freedom from too much care
Pleasant occupation doesn't always
come at will. A clear conscience is
sometimes an afterthought. But on
all these points and their bearing on
sleeplessness the old authority verbose
enough on the blessings of sleep and
the evils of the lack thereof. You
may look him full in the page and de-
mand what he means 10y sure way to
cure insomnia, but he only smiles
back blandly, "Don't worry" and you
know just about as much as you did
before.
Sleep is commonplace, but it is
nevertheless interesting. When we
go to sleep the first muscles to become
relaxed are those that move the arms
and legs, taking precedence on this
point of the muscles which maintain
the body in an erect position. Sleep,
of course, may occur in a sitting posi-
tion or even while standing, but still
the recumbent position has much to
do with it. Sleep is generally SCUM
der with a low pillow than with high
one and therefore state of waketul-
ness at night may be overcome in
some degree by lowering the head till
it is on a level with the rest of the
body.
Of the senses, that of sight, is the
first lost when sinking into slumber,
the eyelids forming a barrier between
the retina an the outside world. Even
however, if for any reason the eyelids
did not close, as from disease or be-
cause they had been removed, the
sense of sight would still be the first
to become dead to the world. Some
animals do not close their eyes when
asleep. The other senses disappear in
the order Of taste, smell, hearing and
touch. 1t follows, therefore that one is
most easily wakened by the sense of
touch; next in order by sounds and so
on back through the list. Sleep OBJ
tanned two hours before midnight,
when the negative forces are in opera
tion, gives the rest which most re-
freshes the system. 1t is not the best
plan to sleep mainly on the back, but
it is we'll to try various positions, and
sleep occasionally on the left side and
occasionally on the right. The right
side is the better of the two to lie up
on, as it leaves the action of the heart
quite free. Really, though the body
may be relied upon to select its own
position.
Sleep will cure many things. The
lack of it is almost certain to cause
leanness, while sound slumber will re-
lieve anything, from headache to an
all-consuming sorrow. 1t will do
much toward curing dyspepsia, par
ticulally that kind known as nervous
dyspepsia. 1t will cure neuralgia. 1t
will cure an irritable tempcr-for a
time. 1t is prime necessity, with
out which We would suffer speedy
Granted all these points, how is
sleep to be obtained at will is the
eternal question. How in spite of
great sorrow, or Of neuralgia, may
that delicious moment be fastened
when "gentle failing of the percep.
tious comes slowly creeping over US;
the conscientiousness disengages itself
more and more with slow and hush
ing degrees, like found mother de-
taching her hand from that Of her
sleeping child; the mind seems to have
a balmy lid closed, closed together,