This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1880 Excerpt: ... that we cannot sleep, and there are few conditions more difficult to deal with than sleeplessness produced by over-exertion of brain or body. A certain amount of work is needful, in order that we may gain good, refreshing sleep. There are some lazy, lymphatic people who are able to sleep almost the whole of their time ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1880 Excerpt: ... that we cannot sleep, and there are few conditions more difficult to deal with than sleeplessness produced by over-exertion of brain or body. A certain amount of work is needful, in order that we may gain good, refreshing sleep. There are some lazy, lymphatic people who are able to sleep almost the whole of their time, but I do not suppose that they gain much by it; it certainly does not make them stronger or wiser. Those who are able to sleep well and thoroughly after working well and thoroughly find that the exercise, on the one hand, strengthens body and mind; and sleep, on the other hand, maintains the power to continue work steadily throughout the whole duration of their life. In cases in which we are troubled with sleeplessness from any cause, it often becomes a question of very grave importance what we should do to remove it. There have been a great many recipes suggested, but I think they all depend mainly on our being able to put ourselves into the circumstances in which naturally sleep occurs. Sometimes we are told to count a hundred, then begin to count another hundred, and so on until we fall asleep. That is sure to succeed if we go on long enough! I believe it does succeed, in a short time, in a great many cases. We are told, at other times, to think of our breathing, and follow the breath in imagination as it goes out and as it comes in. We are told, again, to think of an interminable flock of sheep going through a hedge. Anything that will take our minds away from what may be exercising it, and fix it upon some monotonous theme or subject--anything that will arrest its activity and fix it somewhat vacuously--isindoubtedly conducive to our going to sleep. All these recipes depend on that fact. It. we are able to withdraw ourselves from outer ...
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