Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-05-09
SLEEP.
A Mysterious Necessity That Is But
Little Understood.

A Mysterious Necessity That Is But
Little Understood.
To the psychologist sleep is con-
dition in which all the nervous func-
tions are diminished and all the vol
untary movements suspended; the
condition in which the senses are
closed as the windows Of house are
closed at night. The respiration Is
less full, the pulse Is slower; and the
temperature slightly lower than in the
opposite condition. There is also less
blood in the vessels Of the brain.
What Is the cause Of sleep, that con-
dltion in which approximately one
third of the short human life is spent ?
The most plausible of hypothesis is
that sleep Is the result of poisoning
or intoxication caused by the waste In
progress in the animal organism.
Yawning, stretching and the inclina-
ton to yawn are symptoms Of poison
ing or intoxication. There are chemi-
cal poisOns whose action causes sleep,
as there are microbes which produce
poisons that cause sleep. 1t Is reason
able to suppose that some narcotic
substance is accumulated during the
waking condition. when all the acts or
the normal man are ordered ny the
brain; and that the same substance Is
eliminated during sleep. Man sleeps
at night, because night Is the time or
calm, of silence, of the sleep Of nature.
Sleep" say the poets, lis the hrst
delicacy Of the banquet OF life" An
imals that can resist hunger Tor
lengthy periods will soon succumb II
deprived of sleep. Certain animals
have been known to fast forty days;
no animal has gone ten nights and
days without sleeping. Sick people
and nervous people who believe that
they get no sleep deceive themselves;
no matter how watchful their vigils,
there are moments when the brain
loses consciousness.
Nothing Is more variable than the
individual need of sleep. In the same
family are individuals who thrive on
three or four hours sleep while 9TH
ers need to sleep eight or nine hours.
NAPOLEON slept when he wished to
sleep and when he found time to sleep.
Doctors hold the opinion that infants
require sixteen to twenty hours sleep;
that until the sixth year child needs
to sleep from eleven to fifteen hours.
From the sixth to the eleventh year
from nine to eleven hours sleep are
sufficient to the child whose health Is
normal.
Sleep is not equally sound through
out the night 1t Is soundest during
the first three hours, the maximum OF
intensity being in the second hour.
The first sleep Is, or ought to be, sa-
cred 1t should not be disturbed In
any way. In the middle Of the night
the sleep . Is less sound. Toward
morning it deepens again; but II Is al
ways lighter then than during the
first three hours.
There is no physiological reason
for concluding that either the night or
the morning sleep is the more health
full Children are, generally, night
sleepers: nevertheless there are chill
dren who, after they reach their third
year. sleep in the morning. II child
sleeps late there is no reason for anX-
iety as long as his sleep is calm and
OF adequate length.
The midday map" is. in some cases,
helpful to the sleep of the night
Nervous people and children rest well
at night if they sleep a little during
the day; the days nap seems to I'M
prove the sleep Of the night.
Insomnia, apart from the diseases
which either suppress or eXaggerate
sleep, is the lot of brainworkers. nu-
merous old people and people OF i'm
pressiOnable and nervous tempera-
ments. The treatment prescribed Is,
in insomnia, exercise moderated by
tepid baths, and darkness and silence
in the sleeping room. He who sleeps
moderately should avoid too great
care concerning his sleeping condi.
tions. Far from habituating himself
to take note of noises he should ac-
custom himself to sleep in moderate
light and moderate noise. To lie mo.
tionless in the physical attitude OF
sleep is to be near sleep.-Harpers
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