The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-09

this process continues the body gets
warmer and warmer, less and less blood
is now confined within the cells of the
brain and drowsiness and sleep take pos
session of you.
The human brain has a motion of its
own. If one shall be engaged in more
light, superficial thought, the brain moves
slowly and needs but little blood to pro-
long its activity. Being without ex-
element. the brain action generates lit
tie heat and little heat invites but a
small flow of blood to the brain cells.
Profounder thought. or prolonged mem
tai labor accelerates the action of the
brain and this creates brain heat, which
is followed by a greater influx of blood
from the body to the brain cells. Under
these conditions the feet of the thinker
are cold, while the head is hot and his
temples throb. This condition is fatal
to sleep.
A young woman was so injured by an
accident that part of her skull was
torn away, disclosing her brain. 1t was
observed that when she slept calmly her
brain was almost motionless and re-
manned within the cranial cavity. When
she dreamed as she would subsequently
report. the brain would become enlarged,
swollen with the influx of blood. When
she would wake the action of the brain
would be accelerated and it would be-
come so enlarged as to protrude through
the assure in the skull.
If there be too much blood in. and
too great activity of, the brain there
can be no normal sleep. Hence 1t is that
people under the stress and strain of
great anxiety can do without sleep for
many days at time. They do not get
sleepy; their brain is hard at work and
the skull Is hot on account of the activ-
ity within.
Take another illustration: If one should
want to proong any intellectual labor
long after the weary body has indicated
its need of rest. his eyes being heavy
from sheer exhaustion of nervous en-
ergy, he can succeed In keeping awake
until dawn by immersing his feet into
tub of cold water and keeping them
there The cold water contracts the
blood vessels of the extremeties and
forces the blood to the brain. Keep the
feet cold and you can keep awake but
II you would sleep let the brain be as
inactive and as anaemic as possible.
EATING BEFORE SLEEPING.
In accord with these facts, I dare to
affirm that there is sound sense and
sound science in the custom now grow
ing of eating just before going to sleep.
Every animal in the realm Of nature
sleeps Just after eating. The old notion
that the digestive organs. in state OF
health need rest, is unscientific. or
course II one has treated his digestive ap-
paratus beyond restraints of conscience"
it must be dealt with as sick organ
until health Is restored; otherwise one
will find that a little lunch of some whole
some diet will assist in invoking drowsy
slumber. The philosophy of 1t is this:
The food to be digested requires good
supply of blood in the organs Of diges-
ton and this blood Is drawn In part from
the brain cells the effect being the
soothing of the brain, then dullness, then
sleep.
A physician was called up at o'clock
ono night to see lady. She assured
him that she was dying. He found that
her temperature was normal and that
her heart was doing honest work. To her
extreme Indignation he ordered that
bread and butter be brought. She ate
desire for sleep. Profound unconscious
ness soon fell upon her sensibilities and
her insomnia was thing of the past.
She had learned the remedy.
knew a lady whose custom it was
for over 50 years to eat something just
before retiring for the night. When
knew her she was beautiful old lady
and in all the years of my acquaintance
with her I never knew her to be sick.
She lived to be 81 years old
One of the bishops of the Episcopal
church for years took his lunch near the
midnight hour. He lived to be SO.
I was q sufferer from insomnia for
years Many time have / rolled and
tossed through the night hours till dawn.
Often the suggestion came that l could
cure It all by the use of drugs. But I
suffered instead Sunday night. after
the usual intellectual work of the day.
was my worse time and on Mondays I
was always FRUSTRATED. weighed about
80 pounds, far less than the size OF my
frame warranted
But the days of those terrible expert
ences passed away. can now outsleep
the fat boy In the Pickwick Papers and
"Blus Nendax' y only : menanE1-l pa