The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-03-07
HE BRAIN IN SLEEP
WITH SOME 1T NOTES TIME BETTER
THAN WHEN THEY ARE AWAKE.


This Most Wonderful of All the Or
gans of the Human Body.
That a man may have better idea
of the time of night when he awakens
from a good sleep than he would nave
of the time of day, provided he were
working unusually hard, with unusual
intentness of purpose, is one OF the
odd facts connected with the operation
of the human brain.
But. on the other hand, if man may
work with such intensity of purpose as
to forget the lapse of two or three
hours of daylight. so he may sleep with /
a soundness that prevents the little /
timekeeper of the brain from making I
subconscious note of the hour hand OF
the clock in the night. AS between the |
two conditions, however. it is the opin- |
ion of a professor of nervous diseases |
that the awakened sleeper usually has
better idea of the fight of the night |
than the other may have of the fight
of the day.
"Under ordinary circumstances the
person who is in normal sleep is not
asleep" said the doctor. THAT one
| clock of the brain which takes cogni-
| Zance of time is alert to an extent not
| appreciated by the layman. Awaken
| ing at any time in the night, the per
/ son in good health and condition knows
pretty closely whether it is midnight or
| after or whether it be nearer O'Clock
in the morning than it is to 4 O'Clock.
! MANY persons have the faculty so cul-
tivated that they know within the
quarter hours of the exact time.
ION the other hand, it is 4 common
expression with persons in all lines of
work suddenly to look at the clock and
express the keenest surprise that it is
so late in the afternoon or the even
ing. and occasionally one who has been
working to poor advantage and under
difficulties will be surprised on looking
at his watch that it is so early.
"That the brain in sleep keeps this
tally upon the time is proved by the in
fuence of anasthetics. A person who
has been profoundly under the inf1u-
ence of any drug used for the purpose
will be as utterly unconscious of the
passing of ten minutes as he will be I'M
conscious Of the passing Of an hour de
may be forgetful Of all conditions lead
ing up to the state of anRsthesia, and
for the time being he may have forgot
ten the day of the week.
GAS TO the time measurement in
sleep. it is best represented in the per-
son used to travel and to the catching
of trains in the night. Many of these
persons will be able to awaken at an
hour giving them just the margin need
ed for preparation for the train.
zone of the peculiarities of a persons
(. waking for a train or for any such
emergency is that the awakening al
WAYS is sudden. There is none Of the
preliminary yawning and stretching
and slowly returning sense of luxurl
Gus rest and comfort felt by the MAJ
who has slept a full sleep. In this
awakening to a certain time the per
son frequently feels that impression OF
a sudden sound which he knows canno
" have been made or uttered. Not 1nfre
: ouently he has the sense that some on
has called his name. He may be almos
certain that he has heard his hrst name
= -George-called with the character
;, istfc rising infection. In almost an!
case his awakening is without any pre-
monitory symptoms. 1t is with sor
of Jolt that he comes into full fedge'
consciousness. In such cases as thos
where the sleep is profound beyond an.
- consciousness of the time the dream
period of sleep is left far behind; tn
sleep has approached the depth of al
esthesia."
One of the oddities of sleep was re
ferred to in which a person may Ii
= down for rest without intending t
: sleep. 1t may be morning or after
= noon. but the fatigue that prompts th
= person to lie down overcomes hin
-, and after sound sleep he awaken
without any knowledge of time in an
sense. He does not realize whether
p is morning or afternoon, whether b
- has had luncheon or whether he ma
= not have slept through Il day and
= night and awakened into another da.
1t is the opinion of the professor thi
in such case the person eXperiencin
= the sensations probably is not In
normal state of health.
AS an example of sleep that shou
- be natural and close to the design
nature and of an awakening tn;
u should be normal without the effect
an artificial civilization crowding
70 the babe which has rested to the flu
and begins to arouse itself from stun
'"' Der is an interesting study.
With it's little face on the pillow, u
marked by line, and its breath cor
ing with a silent regularity, its hant
listless and still at its sides, the @
nc locker is assured of the absolute r
pose that is upon the child. AS tt
:" hour for awakening approaches the
US NAV be lust a little tremor shaking Il
whole hodv Of the sleeper and perha1