The Washington times., 1918-06-08
Five Hours for Sleep
AND THAT TAKEN AT INTERVALS
Is the Assertion of a French
Scientist, Who Backs Up His
Deductions by Experiment.
By Garrett P. Serviss.

by NoA 4NSS 4 ~
Owe sleep more than IL nsess-
sary, and would II be better
for uA physically and men
tally, II, instead Of taking our
sleep all At a stretch We took 1t
By InstallmsutS: These interesting
questions are raised BY some sI-
Rsrimsnts which DR.. Francis Hseksi
describes in LIllustratiOn, Of Paris.
DR.. Hsckers plan. which he has
tried on himself a. well a. on other
persons, is to have four short per
IodB of sleep in the twenty-four
hours, and he has arrived at he
Unexpected result that, not only IL
there an apparent gain in bodily
and intellectual activity, but that
the aggregate time needed for com
Blsts rspose is cut down TO only
about ave hours in the tWenty-four.
The distribution Of the sleeping
hours which he has found to be the
most convenient and elective IL as
follows: First. a period Of two
bours from midnight 10 2 A. m; see
end. one hour beginning at or n
n third, one hour after the noon meal.
n the manner Of the Eiesta; fourth
enc hour in the evening, which may
begin at D. m. or p. m, according
70 the habits and convenience OF the
person concerned.
DR.. Hockel AYERS that, while a
little preliminary systematic train
ing IL necessary in order TO obtain
facility in the use Of this system,
yet the habit can be acquired in a
very short time, and that its good
effects quickly manifest them
GslveE-
The Basis of His Facts.
The reasoning which induced DR..
Hockel TO make his experiments
was IA brief. this: The intozieatiOn
Of fatigue IL cumulative BY geo
metric Progression. ~ Ia shown BY
the fact thatsthrss hours Of wax
ing, At the snd Of a long waking
period, as from 10 p. m to l a. m.
cause mora fatigue than the ten i'm
mediately preceding hOurH do.
That being so. would not the fatal
accumulation Of the toxic elements
that produce the effects Of fatigue
be reduced by substituting for one
long. unbroksn waking period, fol-
lowed By . proportionatsly long.
unbroken period Of sleep. a series
Of short psrieda. which would nsVsr
permit a very large toxic aecumulA-
ten?
The tive principal things con
eernsd In the production Of a state
Of fatigue are toxic. L e. poisonous.
tmpreEnationH, which can be traced
IN the blood. and exhaustion Of the
reserves Of cellular nutrition. Ar
FSSt both Of these At short inter
vals and their cumulative sHSctS VII
Be largely eliminated
This argument can be illustrated
By comparing the results OF good
and poor housekeeping. The good
housskeepSr iB she Who frequently
GuGtS her furniture and poIisheS her
EilEerWars, whereby she not only
keeps thing always clean but also pre-
serves them from the eorrodinE in
nusneeB Of long continued aceumu-
Iation Of dust and rust
Another Illustration may be
drawn from the proper care Of an auto
mobile. II yoB Let little injuries Aeeu-
mulstS and put long spaces Of time
:, Bstwesn your visits to the repair
shop. or between your own over
haulinEs Of the engine, your ear
will wear cut much sooner. and
viii give on the Whole much less
satisfactory service than n you see
that Il IS always in good running
eonditicn.
This 10 what Dr.. Hecksl intends
70 accomplish by his EUbd vision Of
the hours Of sleep and repoGs. His
four short periods Of B.sep dis
tributed through the tWenty-foUr
hours are like daily slight duBtings
Of the furniture instead OF more
iaborfOug Weekly or monthly oneA