The Alaska citizen., 1915-05-17

functions like digestion or creating,
says the Literary Digest We do not
have 10 apply our minds consciously
10 the assimilation OF our food. or
take care lest We should inadvert-
emily cease breathing and so smoth-
.r one w,o thinks about these
things will perform them no better
and may even interfere with the
processes OF nature. SO II is with
sleep. He who wonders how he
can put himself to sleep and who
begins to worry lest he should be
wakeful is doing what he can to
Danish tie very comforter that he
wishes to WOO DR. Edwin F. Bow
.rs. who writes on what he calls
The Demon of insomnia in The
associated Sunday Magazines, re
marks that there is only one thing
worse than insomnia. and that is
worrying about IT, Frequently, he
says the worst sufferers are the
family and friends of the insomnia,
who nave to listen TO the lugubrious
tales Of his sleeplessness. Staying
awake in a comfortable bed isn't
reaTly so dangerous. he assures us,
$ filling oneself with the autosug-
gestiun that the performance is go
ing 10 De repeated We fNau luItH-
er:
This is the beginning Of what
might be called psychic insomnia
q condition that has no particular
rs,son for existence beyond its ini.
,al mental impulse. aided and abet
ted by an overfertile imagination.
We. many of our most persistent
irsomniacs got their start in just
this way.
To have an occasional wakeful
night is an evidence of intelligence.
..a!dly a normal man or woman but
will sometimes have experiences
that cause a period of wakefulness.
Only human ClodS sleep undisturbed
through every sort of storm and
stress Until the fear of sleepless-
ness becomes full-grown phobia,
no anxiety need be felt lnsomni-
phobia Ito coin term)--the fear
Of insomnia. mere overanxiety to
get to sleeps more TO be dreaded
than insomnia. 49,.
Active eXercise-any exercise in
the alphabet, from Alp-climbing to
the tango-will give excellent re
suits in most cases OF insomnia.
None sleep quite so soundly as those
who have earned il by the sweat OF
cir brows.
"A brisk but not too fatiguing
walk before retiring will sometimes
work wonders for either human
Sloth or a brain-abuser A good mea-
sure of wha; is appropriate in the
way OF exercise would be to walk
in ole direction until one begins
to feel tired Then turn, and walk
back the same distance-on the
principle that a little too much
walking produces just sufficient
fatigue tor sleeping.
In connection with the subject
of exercise il is curious to note
that one may have too much of
good thing. IaradoXical as it may
seem, many Lecome sufficiently
tired to stay awake, developing in
somnia for this reason. The fatigue
poisons resulting from the breaking
down of cell tissues accumulate in
the blood stream faster than they
can be oxidized or eliminated, there
by poisoning nerves and brain, and
causing irritability and wakefulness.
"A warm bath before retiring
wet pack, cold cloth at the head
or tie back or other measures tend
lie the circulation, will usually give
satisfactory results. For those of
sedentary habits who are troubled
with cold feet, hot foot-bath. or.
better still. a cold foot-bath, with
vigorous friction following it, and
the wearing of a warm pair Of bed
stockings, will often induce sleep.
Fresh air is also valuable in these
cases; for lacking sufficient oxygen,
the fatigue poisons are no, oxidized
in the lungs and eXhaled as carbon
dioXid. This maintains nerve irri-
tation and restlessness, which are
reflected in insomnia.
"Or the sleep may be light. the
victim of bad air and fatigue poison
rising in the morning more tired
than when he went TO bed. To
avoid this, open the bedroom win
dows early in the morning, then for
get to close them at night. Strict
observance of this omission will cure
many of these can't 5leepers.'
Perhaps the most common of all
causes of insomnia, DR.. Bowers tells
us, is what doctors call neurasthenia,
which is nothing but nervous ex-
haustion from nerve starvation. II
especially afficts those who burn
the candle of health at both ends.
Sleeple5sness in this case is the
symptom OF actual disease. 1t is
encouraging to know that neurasth-
enia has an actual physical basis
somewhere. if We can but discover
it. 1t may be exhausting study, or
mental labor at night, worry. some
digestive defect. improper metabol
ism. imperfect elimination, or any
OF hundred other things that inter
fere with the perfect functioning
OF the body. The writer goes on:
Sometimes an unusual noise
keeps one awake. If this persists
for few successive nights 1t fas-
ten habit Of intense listening upon
the would-be sleeper, which effect
ually prevents his passage-across to
Sunderland Or he may merely
be over-eXcited. 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
a plug of vaselined cotton in each
ear will cut off that source Of IT.
ritation. .
Put 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
,,ln III