WHAT CAUSES SLEEPLESSNESS.

Bruce Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 1933, 17 February 1888, Page 5

WHAT CAUSES SLEEPLESSNESS.

When a man cannot sleep because, .he works his brain ; too' niucbivftne :}.. remedy : is cessation* from- or ;i greatly *„ - leuened labour;; ■ Eeal work upj, Kqw^ ; eyer, not always the cause of Bleeplepi- ... nese^ tut^woirj, aime't^: ; l»tai^ij^B&

bring unrest. It is not work that Wtiftifi but worry. To tell a busy man, with ' the' absorbing claims of a vast, business, that he must leave his office, and give up work for wefcks or months will- not cure hid insomnia/but rather tend to aggravate bis symptoms. One of the most eminent physiciane of the day, dealing with such a case ' in the course of his practice ordered his .patient to take two beefsteaks and a quart bottle of Indian pale ale for luncheon every day for a fortnight, and then'to Jtee him again; - At the end of the fortnight the patient protested that he could : not rget through his work if the treatment was continued ; but continued it was for six weeks/ with the result that the patient's work was reduced to reasonable proportions, and a complete cure was effected, because the patient readily consented to take a holiday, -involving change of scene and complete reßt, as the result of his physician's diplomacy. * In the case of smokers, excessive smoking, with the progressive advance from mild to the .strongest tobacco, jneans in most cases sleeplessness in the ' end. Even slight alteration or .excess in the daily quantity of tobacco, may produce nntest, followed by sleeplessness. In" the same way a a little more than the usual quantity of wine after dinner, or even ihe usual quantity of some unusual wine, may produce a like effect. . Doctors often meet with cases of sleeplessness in which alcohol alone is the cause of the wakef illness. A man may even pride himself upon his moderate use of stimulants,. and yet be made sleepless by the amount of alcohol he consumes In such cases cessation or reduction in the. tobacco or alcohol will usually prove an effectual remedy. In the case of (old persons and others, where sleeplessness becomes almost a habit, a simple and often an effectual cure is to have an Etna by the bedside which will keep milk, or beef-tea, or soup warm throughout the night. When sleep forsakes such persons, then the taking or" a little warm food will often prove effectual in producing healthful and sustaining sleep.