Evening star., 1915-01-24


awake. If this persists for a few successive
nights it fastens habit of intense listening
upon the would-be sleeper, which effectually
prevents his passage across to Slurnber
Land. Or he may merely be overeXcited, or
suffering from some mental strain, and the
usual gentle noises of the elevated trains or
the ambulance bells become an actual racket
Temporarily placing plug of vaselined cot
ton in each ear will cut off that source of irri-
tat1on.
An earthquake is not more disturbing to a
normal mortal than is an ordinary fly, buzz
ing and humping against the windowpane, to
the overexcited nerves of the insomnia. He
intensifes the evil by exaggerating the
sounds he hears, and by concentrating his
attention upon them. Thus will he lie awake
half the night listening for noise he heard
the night before. And.he is almost as much
disturbed by the sounds he doesn't hear as
by those he does.
DUT not your faith in sojourn in the
country for the cure of noise insomnia,
so long as you carry the particular thing
with you that causes susceptibility to
sounds. To city-bred ears and nerves the
country is the noisiest place in the world.
The maddening shrill of the cricIets and
treetoads, the insistent assertion that Katy
did or didn't, the full-throated "gurrup" of
frogs, the untirnely clarion of leather-lunged
roosters, and the bawling plant of bereft
bossy for the bull-calf apple of her eye, con-
splre to drive nervous man or woman, un-
used to these ear-splitting sounds, almost
into Mysteries.
Still further to demonstrate that "there is
no good nor bad but thinking makes it so,
we must remember that certain amount of
noise-about what the individual is accus-
to in, pu11
essential to deep sumber Indeed, it is high
ly probable that the inability of many of us
to sleep soundly in strange surroundings is
due to the fact that we miss the familiar
noises, and subconsciously resent the intru-
sion of unfamiliar ones.
In fact, if there isn't definite agglomera-
ton of usual sounds upon which the insom-
MAC can focus occasional attention, he in
vents new ones of his own. And if he has an
active imagination in good working order, he
can conJure up sufficient incident and acci-
dent, and moving tale by field or flood, to
keep him awake twenty-five hours out of
twenty-four So it isn't wise to anchor in
the middle of calm lake, or to pitch camp
in desert, unless the thing that is causing
the insomnia is left behind.
For those forms of insomnia due to heart
disease, chronic congestion or organic dis
ease of the brain, insanity or melancholia,
kidney disease, cancer, eye strain, gout, or
rheumatism, it is obvious that skilled medi-
cal attention is required. This is also true of
any condition that depends upon pain,
cough, shortness of breath, excessive sweat
ing, or delirium for keeping its victim awake.
In the sleeplessness of typhoid or other
fevers continued nervous or muscular activi-
ty completely exhausts the vital forces. 1t
may be absolutely necessary to secure sleep
in order to save life All means that accom-
plish this result are good means.
nNE of the most effective methods of in
~ ducing sleep, one that can be put into
practical application by almost any intelli-
gent man or woman, is the employment of
therapeutic suggestion. 1t requires no spe-
cial powers, and but little practice, to be-
come proficient in treating others by this
method. The chief requisite is confidence in
yourself, supplemented of course, by will
ingness on the part of the patient to try as
far as possible to make his mind a blank
to busy the brain over nothing.
Take position by the side of the COM
fortably relaxed passenger for Dreamland,
back just far enough to cause his eyes
slight strain in the attempt to focus them
upon yours. Hold them thus steadily, and
repeat in drowsy, monotonous tone, "You
are going to sleep-sound away asleep!
Your evelidS are getting heavy! You are