The Colfax chronicle., 1904-06-04
REsTLEssNEss OF A CITY.
Desirs to Remain Awake for Enjoy.
ment Produces Insomnia in the
People Of Chicago.


Chicago does not get enough sleep
Men, women, and even children ought
to spend more time in bed for their own
health and for the good of the race,
This is the opinion held by intelligent
observers of the city's life and especial
ly by physicians with a large general
practice, says the Chicago Tribune.
Chicago practically never sleeps"
said one doctor. TITS not as bad as
New York or Paris, as far as its night
activities are concerned, but it is GER
tainly not a somnambulist. The con-
slant stimulus to the nerves which life
here creates first deprives people of
desire to sleep and then of.the power to
sleep. Hence the flight to the suburbs
of families with growing children.
Every social enjoyment is apparent
ly ingeniously contrived to prevent the
present generation from obtaining
due amount of rest. The after-dinner
cup Of coffee, the supper after the the
ater, the hot, crowded ballroom, with its
yitiated air, the saloon open till one
o'clock by the kind permission of the
city council-here We have a series OF
causes of nervous stimulation and ex-
haustion not followed by sufficient
sleep. A vicious endless chain is thus
started, and it's pretty hard to catch up
with it. Exhaustion prevents refresh
ing sleep. and the lack Of sleep in
creases the exhaustion. To end this
wearing round men take cocktail or
tonic, many of which contain strych-
nine, which notoriously has an after ef-
feet of irritability and indisposition to
sleep. There's a whole lot of truth in
that song which asks: Amt it funny
what a difference just few hours
maker The loss of a few hours of
beauty sleep is something that Is as
hard to make up as shortage in the
stock market.
"a well-known lawyer came to me the
Dther day to find out what was the mat
ter with his nervous system. While
was writing out prescription he fell
asleep in his chair. This at once gave
me a clew to the real nature of his
case; it was not drugs he needed. it was
sleep. Thwarted and outraged nature
was asserting herself. Since then
have seen many cases where the real
cause Of mischief was simply an INSULT
eiency of sleep. The brain cell, with ia
multitude of delicate tentacles radiatine
through the tangle of gray matter, Is
the most easily fatigued portion of the
body and the one upon which Chicago.
ans have the least mercy. Lawyers and
merchants here work from eight o'clock
In the morning till late at night Can
we wonder that the brain at last ceases
to do its work satisfactorily and sus-
pends diplomatic relations with its
neighbors while it strikes for an eight
hour day and decent period of rest?
Remove the constant irritation we sub
|ect it to and see how speedily it recov-
ers. The air of California or Florida is a
good restorative, but country quiet is a
far better one.
Look at the way our college athletes
sleep and look at the magnificent con-
1ition they are in at the end of the sea-
son. Even the cruel bruises of football |
lade away from their sleep-charged |
bodies with rapidity that is astound-
ing. I've seen black and blue marks dis
appear In two days which would last an |
ordinary man weeks.
THE training quarters of UNIVERSE
fy boat crew always remind me of a
'reche with its rows of pink giants
sleeping in little white beds. That's |
the condition that prevails here at eight
o'clock every night. 7 say a man yes
terday who pulled in the Yale eight of |
1896 and the deterioration in his physic-
u condition was something app ling.
He'd make good coxswain now, he's so
small and light. He told me that he was
90 busy to get much sleep these days,
'ut the information was unnecessary.
lis looks told the story"