RESTLESS WOMEN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 264, 7 November 1931, Page 4 (Supplement)

RESTLESS WOMEN.

WHERE TO TAKE REPOSE

IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP TO BUSY

WORKERS

(By DR. D. E. PEAKE, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., Loud.) Everyone is ramiliar with tlie restless type of woman. Even when there is nothing particular to be done, she is in a • state of perpetual fidget.. Such a woman has never acquired the art of resting, and will he aged prematurely, not by the amount of work she actually does, but by the amount of energy she expends in thinking about it. Of all the forms of resting the most perfect known is sleep. Sleep has been defined as "a period of rest for the body and mind, during which the bodily functions are partially suspended."

The exact physiological processes which produce this phenomenon are still a matter of speculation. Some observers have considered that it is due to the presence of certain toxins which are produced during sleep, and which act upon the cortex of the brain. Whatever be the cause, the most striking and .important fact is the lessened activity of this, the most highly developed and specialised portion of the brain. It has definitely been proved that, during sleep, more of the blood is contained by the limbs and proportionately less by the brain. In the cortex of the brain are certain very delicate and highly specialised nerve cells, and these are liable to deterioration if deprived of. their necessary period of rest. The amount of sleep required varies in the individual. Some people find that their mental faculties are at their best after a comparatively short period of rest, and that, if they exceed this allowance, a certain morning sluggishness is the result. More important than the quantity is the quality of the sleep. It is a common experience to wake after only a few hours' sleep feeling quite refreshed, whereas on another occasion, a very long night's sleep fails to restore one to one's normal activity of body and mind. The conditions under which one falls asleep are of prime importance, and of these, the mental factor plays the chief part. The ideal at which to aim is the complete avoidance of all mental strain or worry for at least a couple of hours before retiring to bed. Some people find that to read a chapter or so of an interesting book, preferably not a novel, will secure that calm frame of mind which is necessary for refreshing sleep. Besides worry, other prosaic factors conduce to insomnia. To be in a room that admits too much noise, is too cold or too light, to go to bed either too hungry or too soon after a heavy supper, are all factors which, although obvious, are often overlooked.