XXIX. Nature's Sweet Restorer-Sleep
Of all of nature's functions that should be understood
by people, sleep seems the one which should be so
simple that no instruction or advice should be needed. The child needs no elaborate treatise upon the value and necessity of sleep-it just sleeps, that's all. And the
adult would do the same if he lived closer to nature's ways. But he
has surrounded himself with such artificial
environments that it is almost impossible for him to live naturally. But he
may go a considerable distance on
the return journey to nature, notwithstanding
his unfavorable environments.
Of all the foolish practices that man has picked up on his travels away from nature, his habits of sleeping and
rising are among the worst. He wastes in excitement and
social pleasures the hours which nature has given him
for his best sleep, and he sleeps over the hours in
which nature has given him the greatest chance
to absorb vitality and strength. The best sleep is that
taken between the hours of sunset and midnight,
and the best hours for out of door work and the absorbing
of vitality are the first few hours after the sun
rises. So we waste at both ends, and then wonder why we break down in
middle-age or before.
During
sleep nature does a great part of her repair work and it is highly important
that she be given this opportunity. We will not attempt
to lay down any rules about sleeping, as different
people have different needs, and this chapter is
merely given as a slight suggestion.
Generally speaking, however,
about eight hours is the normal demand of nature for sleep.
Always sleep in a
well ventilated room, for reasons given in our chapter on fresh air. Place
upon yourself enough bed-clothing to keep
you comfortable, but do not bury yourself under the mass of heavy bed-clothing that is common in so many families-this
is largely a matter of habit, and you will be surprised at how much less
bed-clothing you can get along with than you have been using. Never sleep in
any garments that you have worn during the day-this practice is neither healthy nor cleanly. Do not pile
up too many pillows under your head-one small one is enough. Relax every
muscle in the body, and take the tension off of every nerve, and learn to
"loaf" in bed, and to cultivate
"that lazy feeling" when you get under the covers. Train
yourself not to think of the affairs of the
day after you retire-make this an invariable rule and you will soon
learn to sleep like the healthy child. Watch a child sleep, and what it does
after going to bed, and endeavor to follow its plan as nearly as possible. Be a child when you go to bed,
and endeavor to live over again the sensations of childhood, and you will sleep like the child-this one piece
of advice is worthy of being printed
alone in a handsomely bound book,
for if followed we would have a race of greatly improved people.
If one has acquired
an idea of the real nature of man, and his place in the universe, he will be
more likely to drop into this childlike rest
than will the average man or woman. He feels so perfectly at home in the universe, and has that calm confidence and
trust in the overruling power, that
he, like the child relaxes his body and
takes the tension off his mind, and gradually drops off into a peaceful
sleep.
We will
not give here any special directions regarding the bringing on of sleep
to people who have suffered with sleeplessness. We believe that if they will
follow the plans for rational and natural living given in this book, they will
sleep naturally, without any special advice. But it may be as well to give one
or two bits of advice along this line, for the use of those "on the way." Bathing the legs and feet in cool water, just before retiring, produces sleepiness.
Concentrating the mind on the feet, has been a help to many, as it directs the circulation to the lower
part of the body, and relieves the brain. But above all, do not try to
go to sleep-this is the worst thing in the world for one who really wishes to sleep, for it generally acts the
other way. The better plan, if you think of it at all, is to assume the mental
attitude that you do not care whether or
not you sleep right off-that you are perfectly relaxed-are enjoying a
good "loaf," and are perfectly
satisfied with things as they are. Imagine yourself a tired child,
resting in a half-drowsy way, not fully asleep nor fully awake, and endeavor to
act out this suggestion. Do not bother about later in the night, and whether or
not you will sleep then-just live in that particular moment, and enjoy your
"loaf."
The exercises given
in the chapter on Relaxation will get you into the habit of relaxing at will,
and those who have been troubled with
sleeplessness, will find that they may acquire entirely new habits.
Now, we know that
we cannot expect all of our students to go
to bed like the child, and awaken early like the child, or the
farmer. We wish that this were possible,
but we realize just what modern life, particularly in the large cities,
requires of one. So all that we can ask our students to do is to try to live
as closely to nature in this respect as
possible. Avoid so far as you can,
late hours and excitement at night, and whenever you get a chance, retire early and rise early. We realize, of course, that all this will
interfere with what you have been taught to regard as
"pleasure," but we ask that in the
midst of this co-called "pleasure" you take a little rest once
in awhile. Sooner or later the race will
return to more simple manners of living, and late hour dissipation will be regarded as we now regard the
use of narcotics, drunkenness, etc. But in the
meantime, all that we can say is "do the best you can for
yourself."
If you are able to
get a little time off in the middle of the day, or other times, you will find
that a half-hour's relaxation, or even a
little "snooze," will do wonders
toward refreshing you and enabling you to do better work when you arise. Many of our most successful business and professional men, have
learned this secret, and many a time when they are reported as being "very busy for a half-hour" they
are really lying on their couches,
relaxing, breathing deeply, and giving nature a chance to recuperate.
By alternating a little rest with one's
work, he will be able to do twice as
good work as if he had worked without a break or rest. Think over these
things a little, you people of the Western
world, and you may be even more "strenuous" by varying your strenuosity by occasional relaxation
and rest. A little "letting-go" helps one to take a fresh grip and to
hold-on all the harder.
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