Middletown transcript., 1914-06-20
WHEN you CAN,T SLEEP

form, and many sufferers from sleep
lessness are sorely tempted to begin
this harmful habit. This is not only
dangerous but positively wicked. Make
it rule never to take drug to produce
sleep without written prescription
from your physician, and then never to
have such a prescription refilled without
his express orders. The most frequent
causes of fsleepIessness are mental worry
or cerebral excitement of some kind, of
some disturbance of the digestive
organs; therefore, little common sense
and little win-power will often over
come Insomnia, and it will not be at all
necessary to resort to drugs. Try any
or all of the methods given here before
even thinking of medicine.
When you can't go to sleep look to
the ventilation of your sleeping-room;
if the air is not perfectly fresh, wrap
yourself up warmly and open the win
dows wide top and bottom, until the air
has become thoroughly changed; then
leave the window open part way and try
again to sleep.
Cold feet are often cause of sleep
lessness. Never go to bed until the
feet are well warmed, and if they be-
come cold after you are in bed rise and
try the tiptoe exercises to promote cir
culation in the toes, then put on warm
wooden bed-socks and keep hot water
bottle at the foot of the bed
If sleep is impossible try warm
mustard foot-bath, putting one heaping
tablespoonful of mustard to each gallon
of water. Have the temperature of the
water about los degrees, and soak the
feet and legs in this for ten or fifteen
minutes; carefully dry them and put on
warm wool bed-socks. This will help to
draw the blood away from the over
charged brain and will produce a quiet
ing effect.
To many people warm tub bath
taken at bedtime will insure a good
nights sleep, while to others its effects
are the reverse; at all events it is a
thing to be tried
When the feet and rest of the body
are comfortably warm cold compress
placed on the forehead of a sleepless
person will many times prove very sue
cessful in producing quiet sleep. This
cools the head, driving away any ex-
cess of blood from the brain and so pre-
venting the long continued brain activity
which so often causes sleeplessness.
1t is almost as bad to go to bed hun
cry as it is to eat too hearty meal
Something light and easily digested as
well as satisfying may be taken at bed
time. A glass of warm milk, cupful
of hot matted milk or some cocoa may
be chosen, and if one wakes up hungry
in the middle of the night, and cannot
go to sleep again, one of these drinks
will often be found most beneficial.
They not only satisfy hunger but their
heat will warm up the stomach and help
to draw the blood away from the brain,
thus making sleep possible. Tea and
coffee should never be taken for this
purpose, for they are excitants and will
not have the desired result.
Old people are very apt to wake very
early IN the morning and are not then
able to go to sleep again. If they will
take one of the above drinks and eat a |
cracker, many times they will be able |
to drop into a refreshing sleep which |
will last for several hours.
The very bad habit of sleeping with
the bedclothing over the head is respon-
sible for many wakeful nights. Many |
impurities are given off from the body |
during sleep which if taken again into
the lungs are apt to cause great deal
of trouble. Only fresh, pure air should
be breathed in, if restful night is de-
sired.
The time-honored method of producing |
sleep by counting an imaginary flock
of sheep as they jump over fence is
really helpful to some people, simply |
because it is a means of diverting an
anxious mind. l have found the follow
ing manner of counting of much more
benefit, however; it needs close atten-
ton, and other trains of thought cannot
be carried on at the same time. Count
slowly up to twenty in this way; one,
two; one, two, three; one, two, three,
four, etc. People who habitually use
this method tell me they rarely reach |
fifteen before dropping into peaceful
sleep.
While reading in bed is not thing to
be generally advised, if every other
method Of taking the mind off anxious
thoughts has failed, then try light and
amusing story.
Some people never completely relax
the body, part Of. the muscles being
held in more or less of a rigid state all
the time When you can't go to sleep
try making yourself perfectly limp, so
that you are conscious of your physical
weight on the bed.