The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-06
QUIET REsTFUL SLEEP

QUIET RESTFUL SLEEP
 Careful scientific observation of the sleep pattern of children has shown that the normal child changes position may times in a night. Graphic records of 78,624 hours of sleep made by Dr. Glen vile Giddings of Atlanta gave as the longest period any person slept without any body movement one hour and forty-seven minutes. An ingenious machine was used for recording movements. At the end of the nights observation the active minutes (every minute in which there has been any body movement recorded) are counted up and the total number of active minutes constitute the sleep pat tern. The children were from 9 to IA years of age.
 The most active boy showed an average of 110 active minutes in a night of nine hours sleep. The quietest sleeper had an average of only 53 active minutes nightly.
 Girls proved sounder sleepers than boys; they not only get to sleep more quickly but sleep more quietly all night.
 After getting a few nights rec ords the sleep pattern of the indi- vidual may be accurately rated. A child who is q quiet sleeper" re- mains quiet sleeper, and one who is a "restless sleeper" will re- main restless from month to month and year to year.
 Dr Giddings made some interest ing tests of popular aids to sleep. In q series of normal sleepers he gave ounces (moderate glassful) of cold water to the child on re- tiring; the child went to bed at 8:30 and lights were put out. This was repeated five nights. Then warm water was given in the same way for five nights. Neither ap- peared to have. any influence on the childs sleep.
 A similar experiment was done with ounces of warm milk. This seemed to produce quiet sleep.
 A beverage containing 6 small amount of caffeine apparently had no disturbing effect on the sleep of normal children.
 This last observation prompts me to acknowledge that my former teaching about cocoa may be WIOUBs SOCO9 dOCoh SVAhdAh GtLA feino but does contain drug with similar effects, name, theobromine which is q stimulant to the kid- neys mainly, but also to the heart and the brain or spinal cord. Caf- feinc Gin coffee and certain popu- lar fountain beverages) is stim- ulant mainly to the brain and spin al cord. secondarily to the heart and perhaps least to the kidneys. Of the three domestic beverages, coffee, tea (theine in tea has ef- fleets virtually the same, to milder, as those of caffeine) and cocoa or chocolate, the last is least objec- tionabie, believe, for children under 16 years of age. If the CO., coa or chocolate beverage contains plenty of milk and cream, 50 that the dring is practically milk or cream favored with cocoa or choc- olate, there is little objection to 1t for any one. However, if the child likes milk 1t is much better for digestion and health without any fiavoring or sweetening added A hearty meal, even of plain wholesome, easily digested food, | taken at or near bedtime, result cd in marked reetlessness which continued all night in many in- stances.
 Baths. warm or cold, on retiring apparently had no effect on the sleep of normal children.
 A child sleeps more quietly ir a cool room than in q warm one or in cold weather than in hot. All of these observations, think, apply to adults who fuss about their sleep.