The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-07-27
FRED EASTMAN TELLS
WHY WE SLEEP
lis no Longer Considered as Wan
derina Abroad of the
CnlIl

lis no Longer Considered as a Wan
dering Abroad of the
Soul.
Sleep is no longer indefinitely con-
sidered wandering abroad of the
soul, writes Fred w Eastman in the
Atlantic, but is now known to be a
temporary poisoning of the brain
cells by the waste products resulting
during the day from the activity OF
the body cells in general.
Thus when muscle cell or nerve
cell acts nutritive material stored
within it's walls Is broken down into
substances that are of no value and
merely impede further action of the
cell unless removed Normally these
waste products are washed out by the
blood stream which at the same time
1 provides new food, and is finally itself
purified by the excretory organs, the
lungs and the kidneys.
In the course of the day, however,
production is in excess of removal and
/ then the clogging effect Of these sub
stances is manifested by fatigue in
muscles and brain, the extreme degree
! of which results in the latter organ,
| in the inability to act, which We know
as sleep. The third of our time thus
spent out of commission is therefore
really due to the inadequacy of the
excretory organs for purifying the
blood.
Perhaps, on account of popular
opinion and personal habit, we waste
much time in jellyfsh condition that
could be more profitably spent in ac'
Il i've pursuit of our ambitions. The an
swer of course depends upon the ma
ture of our occupation. If there is
much muscular effort involved with g
correspondingly large amount OF
waste in the cells and blood, eight
hours or more are probably necessary
But if our work is of a sedentarA
, nature and mainly of the brain there
, is naturally smaller quantity of &C
cumulated waste and less time is re
+ o,1ired for it's removal. Many are M
instances OF great men, past and pres
ont who have lived BEAUTIFULLY ant
worked increasingly and strenuousl,
on only four or five hours OF sleep, o
half the laborer's portion
dreams are due to an increase O
I sensation and circulation over tina
which exists in profound sleep OF
servations made upon patients wit
cranial defects show that wnen !"
J are dreaming the brain is greater i
volume than in deep sleep, and les
p than when we are awake. Thus thi
g intermediate volume of blood woui
Indicate that dreams are an inferno
J diate stage between unconsciousnes
, and wakefulness, and their incompel
/ and irregular intelligence would II
dictate the same thing.
This increased circulation Is usual
j due to sensory stimulation affectin
the yaso-motor centre and causing
n return of blood to the head, with r
u sultant increased consciousness, Co
y trary to popular belief dreams
u themselves do not Contribute to igl
or broken sleep in which they al
present.
Such a condition is due to the ev'
nresent stimuli, which according
q their strength or the degree of irrit
II bility of the cells maintain even
sleep a varying degree of consciou
mess. of which the dreams are mere
manifestation Therefore the
tiguing effect often also attributed
v dreams is not due to them but to
~ lighter degree of sleep and less CO.
- plete cell restoration which they
W company, and which are due to sol
= Irritation.