The Washington herald., 1914-04-30
SIeeplessness.
BY EMORY ,. HAYNES.


am asked to discuss it But none who ever ex-
perienced Insomnia" could describe II. None who
ever suffered it would if he could, nict the tale on
others We do know that except in rare instances the
beginning of this sore aiction is plainly understood
1t is this approach that is worth nearly every persons
consderate attention Get out of doors and breathe
pure air. Look carefully the diet and discover what
Is disturbing that great stomach that is so close
y influential with the BRAIN Pull yourself together
and refuse to become morbid on the subject of Sleep
Let not sleep become bugbear,
Different people differ greatly in the amount of
sleep actually needed Perhaps there is no one line
of thought so valuable as this The man who writes
that he has not slept over four hours in twenty-four
during the last four years present comfort to those
who are getting frightened. He is alive and able to
attend to large business. Countless millions, no
doubt, getting fairly we'll with four hours Sleep
Unless one is so apprehensive already that he can
not pull himself together the contemplation of these
sleepless millions is a consolation. What multtudes
are doing you can do.
By the way, who told you that you must sleep eight
or nine hours per day? Or six hours the law and
If so. who knows it to be so in your case? This
nameess tyranny of bedtime is queer thra, anyway.
Suppose do not want to go to bed at all for night
Who says must. If sleep refuses to come, why let
this abominabe darkness of doors that everybody
else bows to- and all the world goes dead under its
tyranny; this is one-half the trouble
l am tired. Very well. | will change my muscular
exertion. ! will get new lot of brain cells into use
That will rest me. l snap my fingers at sleep, this
will-o -the-wisp. / am not trying to catch you. do
not even want you, sleep Go hop our of the window
if you please. l would not cross the dooryard to
catch you
The basic trouble is, suggested, that the hemi-
sphere is dark and most things shut down for the
night and most OF your friends are willing slaves
to the fashion are dead in sleep. That leaves you
alone. There is companionship. The house is
still You alone vital and active. So you get the
hypoes. You take something. Then you are lost |
Ii is this taking pill that rivets the fetter Small
hope after that
just think of taking pill TO force yourself to do
something that with you is unnatural pill to
pei yourself to do what you do not want to do, do
not need to do. And all because it is the fashion
with the majority go lie down and do this thing
sleep. How absurd. You, rather, are like Napoleon
Bonapare who needed only three or four hours sleep
now and then Or like your family doctor, who
almost never sleeps. President Wilson says he must
have nine hours sleep. Very we'll There is no OBJ
lection. But you are not like Wilson You differ
llOiH III many ways II 20 So ne nScuS
much sleep; you do not.
1t is not sleep that is the trouble. 1t is nervous
break. Why not try to your nerves? Sleepless-
ness is but symptom. You are working wrong in
some way Work does not shatter nerves unless it is
carried with friction. Get at that friction Intense
work the end of the day breaks down nerves. Try
to maintain happy evening Let the later hours be
pleasant and conduce to repose.
Sleep is result, not an aim. Sleep follows as a
sequence not object of pursuit. There many
involuntary functions of the body Every effort to
tion forcing to action on orders is worse than
less. 1t is precisely the as crying for the
He who resolves directly order his respiration,
counting his breaths loses his senses. He pres
emily to get short of deep breaths. Poor man,
let your breathing alone 1t is involuntary action.
And sleep belongs in this class
You cannot sleep: Then play the piano, read
book, get at your hobby, your favorte avocation if
it is a work bench and kit of tools Do the thing
you enjoy doing. Be boy playing with favorite
toy hour after hour there in the quiet night watches
of hot oatmeal porridge which you do not like to do
Sleep delicious when it lies in wait for you steal
ing you like charming lover. In the church pew,
for instance Or when respected but dull. neigh
Dor drops in tell all his weworn stories and
over. Sleep when we surrender to it. is unspeakably
sweet You resisting. in gentle way but sleep
got its hold and you simply gave up, let CO. hoated
off into cloud entered the dream land. Then. and
cnly then is sleep worth while.