COLD FEET AND SLEEPLESSNESS.

Bruce Herald, Volume XII, Issue 1105, 18 April 1879, Page 3

COLD FEET AND SLEEPLESSNESS.

The association betwixt cold feet and sleeplessness is much closer than is commonly imagined. Persons with cold feet rarely sleep well, especially women. Yet the number of persons so troubled is very considerable. We know that, if the blood-supply to the brain be kept up, sleep is impossible. An old theologian, when weary and sleepy with much writing, four^d lihat he could keep his brain active !>y immersing his feet in cold water : the cold drove the blood from the feet to the head. Now, what this old gentleman accomplished by design, is secured for many persons much against their will. Cold feat are the bane of many women. Light boots keep up a bloodless condition of the feet in the day, and in many women there is no subsequent dilatation of the blood-vessels when the boots are taken off. These women come in from a walk, and put their feet to the fire, to warm — the most effective plan of cultivating chilblains. At night they put their feet to the fire and have a hot bottle in bed. But it is all of no use : their feet still remain cold. How to get their feet warm is the great question of life with them — in cold weather. The effective rlan is not very attractive at first sight to many minds. It consists in first driving the blood-vessels into firm contiaciion, after which secondary dilatation fol'ows. See the sno-vballer's hands ! The first contact of the snow makea the hands terribly cold, for the *mall arteries are driven thereby into firm contraction, and the nerve-endings of the finger-tips feel the low temperature very keenly. Bui, as the snowballer peret-verec, his hands commence to glow ; the blood-vessels have become secoudariiy di ated, and the rush of warm arterial blood ia felt agree ably by the peripheral nerve-endinga. This is the plan to adopt with cold feet. They should be dipped in cold waier for a brief period ; often just to immerse them, and no more, ia sufficient ; and then they should be rubbed with a pair of hair flesh-gloves, or a rough Turkish towel, till they glow, immediately before getting into bed. After this, a hot- water bottle willjbe j successful enough in maintaining the temperature of the feet, though without this preliminary it is impotent, to do so. Disagreeable as the plan at first eight may appear, it is efficient ; and those who h»?e once fairly tried it, continue it, and find that they have put an end to their bad nights and cold i'eet. Pills, potions, j

lozenges, " nighl«-caps," all narcotics, fail to enable the suffererfto l?woo sleep successfully. Get rid of "cold feet, and then sleep will come of itself. — British Medical Journal.'