Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-08-19
SLEEP MAY BE HARMFUL.
Some Brainy Men Go Without II, While
Others Must Have Il.

Some Brainy Men Go Without II, While
Others Must Have II.
Whether sleep is a habit or a neces-
sity might be considered strange
question to most persons who regard
sleep as a solace and a recuperative
force. Yet there are physicians who
not only doubt the value Of sleep, but
maintain that fatigue, overexertion and
the other tense excitement Of the day
can be neutralized and cured by mere
ly resting in a reclining position for
seven or eight hours in a darkened
room or at night. These same doc
tors hold that the sweetness, content
ment and freedom from that tired
feeling" that follows sleep is conse-
quent to the sleep, true enough, but
not the result of sleep.
Rest and placing yourself in the
supine position with the eyes closed
is just as restorative as SOUND sleep,
according to them. Thomss Edison
AYERS that sleep is the cause Of the
backwardness of the earth's inhabi-
tants. He asserts that there has been
more time wasted by the human race
in sleep than in the profiigate expen-
diture Of rakes and roustabouts.
"Sleep is a bad habit" Is his dictum,
and Gus Lieblich, a gentleman who
has not slept for 25 years. corrobor-
ates Edisons belief, despite the we'll
established experiments of the labora-
tory that animals die II not allowed to
fall asleep.
Certain brute creatures can do with
out food longer time with less harm
than they can do without sleep.
Prof. Paul Haupt, Of the Johns Hep
kins university, has accomplished
twice as much work as the ordinary
man by sleeping only two hours in
"a for almost generation. II it
were possible for him to stay awake
altogether, there is no doubt he would
do so.
The brain takes no rest in sleep
unless you consider change Of ac-
tivity rest, the heart does not fall
ter in its rhythm while natures al
legged restorer is on the job; nor do
the lungs and liver pause in their ap-
pointed work during your unconsci-
BUSINESS. The blood flows. the kidneys
work, the stomach and vital organs
carry on their allotted tasks; consci-
BUSINESS alone Is dulled.
Can be % years that every normal
man who reaches three score and ten
spends in this loss Of consciousness,
in dead sleep, be put to living, stir
ring, active use without danger to his
health, his efficiency, his limbs and
his life? Here is the crux Of the
matter. Shall a man do as Prot.
Haupt, as Mr.. Edison, as Mr.. Lie
blich, and thus try to add almost a
generation Of exertion to his 20
years? Will it profit a man to cut out
all sleep and use it for work.?
Honestly, cannot believe it; even
the mental life seems to be the only
fragment Of yourself-and that only
partially-that is actually different
from the waking life. Just as an
overworked bricklayer recuperates by
dancing the tango; just as the tense
bookkeeper, hard at his task, finds
relief by writing short stories at
night; just as the stock clerk, who
has thrown hundreds Of heavy arti-
cles about during the week, finds re-
lief in pitching game Of baseball on
Sunday; so the busy vital organs Of
your body get a change of pace at
night that rejuvenates them for the
next days excitement.
Far be II from me to pose as q re-
dictionary and to block the thrilling
iconnoclasts in their efforts to startle
and satisfy sleepless age. Nothing
is further from my intentions. In
deed, 1t Is a great pleasure always to
swat a universal custom and popular
belief, or to explode platitude that
everybody is convinced is true. In
the present instance, however, what
seems to be true. namely, that be-
cause a few men can 90 without
sleep. all Of them can do so, is not
true as far as efficiency and your best
efforts are concerned.
There is no doubt that exceptional
individual work at a maximum of eff
ciency-that is to say, they do the
best that is in them-whether they
are sick or we'll. awake or asleep.
These need less sleep, less food, less
diversions, less Of everything than
their fellow-men. Frankly, I am not
Of them. Perhaps 1t is because
hate work, especially routine work,
but the fact remains that to do my
best, seven or eight hours sleep pre-
ceeding the effort, is necessary. Nor
am I alone in this railty Of my ma
ture; If the truth were only half told,
there would be many more lined up
beside me than with the sleepless
men.-Boston Herald.