The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1904-02-25
THE BRAIN. In. SLEEP.
wITH SOME 1T NOTES TIME BeTTEa
THAN WHEN THEY ARE AWAKE.

enc of the Odd Facts Connected
with the Ceaseless Operations of
This Most Wonderful of All the Or
gans of the Human Body.
That man may have better idea
sg the time of night when he awakens
from a good sleep than he would have
81 the time of day, provided he were
working unusually hard, with unusual
fntentness of purpose, is one of the
add facts connected with the operation
81 the human brain.
But. on the other hand, if 4 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
as'soundness that prevents the little
timex eeper of the brain from making
gubconScious note of the hour hand of
the clock in the night. AS between the
two conditions however, it is the opin-
son of a professor of nervous diseases
that the awakened sleeper usually has
q better idea of the fight of the night
4 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-
sen in good health and condition knows
Dretty closely whether it is midnight or
after or whether it be nearer 2 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 a 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
4uence of an9sthetics. A person who
has been profoundly under the infu-
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. He
may be forgetful of all conditions lead
ing up to the state of an9sthesia, and
for the time being he may have forgot
ten the day of the week.
"As 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
8our giving them just the margin need
sd for preparation for the train.
some of the peculiarities of 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 lu1uri-
GUS rest and comfort felt by the man
who has slept a full sleep. In this
awakening to a certain time the per-
son frequently feels that impression Of
q sudden sound which he knows cannot
have been made Or uttered. Not infre-
quently he has the sense that some one
has called his name. He may be almost
certain that he has heard his first name
George with the character
stic rising infection. In almost any
case his awakening is without any pre-
monitory symptoms. 1t is with a sort
Of jolt that he comes into full f1edged
consciousness. In such cases as those
where the sleep is profound beyond any
consciousness of the time the dream
period of sleep is left far behind; the
aeep has approached the depth of an
sesthesia."
One of the oddities Of sleep was re-
ferred to in which a person may lie
down for rest without intending to
deep. 1t may be morning or after
soon, but the fatigue that prompts the
person to lie down overcOmes him,
and after a sound sleep he awakens
without any knowledge of time in any
sense. He does not realize whether it
Is morning or afternoon, whether he
aas had luncheon or whether he may
not have slept through day and a
right and awakened into another day.
Il is the opinion of the professor that
IN such a case the person experiencing
she sensations probably is not in a
normal state of health.
AS an example Of sleep that should
ae natural and close to the design Of
nature and OF an awakening that
should be normal without the effect Of
an artificial civilization crowding it,
the babe which has rested to the full
and begins to arouse itself from slum-
Der is an interesting study.
With it's little face on the pillow, I'M
marked by a line, and it's breath COM
ng with a silent regularity. it's hands
Estless and still at it's sides, the on
booker is assured Of the absolute re-
pose that is upon the child. AS the
hour for awakening approaches there
may be just little tremor shaking the
whole body of the sleeper and perhaps
Just the trace of sigh following 1t.
Then an eyelid will futter for the
width of hair, and the liDS will close