Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-08-08
FACTS ABOUT SLEEP.
Important Information Developed BY
the Wisdom Of the Ages.

tho Wisdom Of the Ages.
The following facts on the physioi-
ogy of slecr. are from q recently pub
lished work by Dr. William s. Walsh.
AS quoted they are assembled by a
contributor to The Nations Health
(CMcago). why an indivindnal must
sleep away one:third of his existence"
says the writer ''no one las yet sat
isfactorily explained. What Is sleep,
anyway? II is merely the resting of
consciousness and does the lowering of
physiological processes. become possi-
bic only when the desires OF waking
rours are held in abcyance?" He con-
tinues:
"It is significant that, while the pur-
posive activities of mankind are fa-
tiguing, his physical automatizations
pursue their ordered rhythms without
muse and without fatigue. Asleep or
awake. the heart pumps its streams,
the lungs expire and inspire, and the
stomach, liver and other organs per-
form their functions. The skin is
practically twice as active during
sleep as during the waking state, and
even the hair and nails continue to
grow.
"SIeop is rhythmically recurrent and
Il necessary function. Loss of sleep
is worse than Starvation. Animals de-
prived of food for twenty days, and
which have then lost more than half of
their weight, may still be saved by jul
dicious feeding; but, completely de-
prived of sleep, they die in from four
to, five days, and this in spite of the
most careful feeding and other care.
The biologic theory of sleep, formulat-
cd by Cleaparedc, supposes that sleep
is a defensive factor of the body and
that it's purpose is to ward off fatigue.
Ropose and sleep are considered to be
inevitable consequence OF the law OF
rhythm which appears to govern life
and which constitutes its means Of de-
fense. Amar,s experiments indicate
that at least seven hours of sleep are
necessary to reestablish the forces
which have been upset by days
work. 1t should be at night, and free
from disturbances, he says.
In old age the requirements are less.
In cold climates more sleep is requir-
ed, than in warm or temperate climates.
The first few hours Of sleep are deep
est, and the amount Of sleep indulged
in should be gagged to suit the individ-
ual rhythm. s".
psychologists have long been in
clined to, regard sleep as an affair of
the mind, to consider disturbances OF
sleep, as varying degrees of conscious
ness, and to interpret the uncensored
dream thoughts in terms of the real,
though perhaps unconsciously hidden,
wishes of the subject. Certain types
of dreams may indicate an unstable
nervous system, or may be the fore
runners of disease. They are matters
for the consideration iof the physician
rather than the psychological.
THE mind, however, must be con-
sidered in sleep processes The far
Their away from the brain a member is
the more lightly it sleeps. A sleeper
can be awakened more easily by
tweaking his toe than by touching his
face or head. Fifty-nine per cent of
persons can awaken any time they de-
eide upon before going to sleep. Awak-
ening is determined, not by physiolog-
J ical demands, but by predispositions of
psychological kind.
"This perhaps accounts for the fact
that suggestion forms an important
part of almost any treatment Of in
somnia. Belief in their ability to sleep
is absolutely essential for those whose
! insomnia is the result of mental caus-
es. Normal sleep, according to Walsh,
IS a Gift we all have had at one time,
and may still have. Mental habit has
much to do with It, Effects of light
and sound which disturb cerebral quiet
are to be eliminated. The bedding
should be as simple as possible, not
too absorbent, but Of a, nature easily
kept in a sanitary condition. The
covering should not be heavy. The
sleeping room should be airy.
ION what side gof the body should
I'VE sleep? Most people prefer the
right side, but this is largely matter
of habit. Sleeping on the back is
fruitful source of dreams, probably
due to interference with the cerebral
circulation. Which side to sleep on
is, after all, but minor point. We
must choose one side, and there is no
woiShty reason why one side is not as
! good as another.
Remembering that sleep, tends to-
ward stasis of blood in the various
larger organs and in the extremities,
We should, before arising, lie on the
right side a few minutes then on the
left, then on the stomach and finally
on the back. This simple practice is
often efficacious in removing the an
gina pains, asthmas lumbagos, so Oft
en-. found in .anemic individuals and
which are often due to improper posi-
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