A NEW REMEDY FOR WAKEFULNESS.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 43, 9 March 1878, Page 3

A NEW REMEDY FOR WAKEFULNESS.

To those whose brains will not subside when the time for the rest has arrived* Dr. John L. Cook, of Henderson, Kentucky, proposes a very simple method of securing prompt and refreshing sleep without the aid of drugs. When the mind is active, .the circulation m the brain is correspondingly active •; we breathe more frequently, and the movements of the heart are more rapid and vigorous. On the other hand, when the mind is at rest* as m healthy sleep, the circulation m the brain is ' notably diminished, the heart-beats are less rapid and and the breathing is perceptibly slower. In the wakeful state,, the mind as a rule,, is intensely occupied, whence we may infer an increased amount of blood m the brain. Dr. Cook's suggestion is. to withdraw a portion of this fr«wuthje ihead, or lower the- brain-circulation, by taking deep and slow inspirations — say twelve or fifteen a minute. By this means the action cf' the- heart wiU become slower and feebler* less blood is thrown into the brain* ajad very soon a quiet feeling, ending m sleep, is induced. As by a slight effort of the will" any one may try this* we leave the question <?f its value "to the itest (of actual experiment. — & Popular Monthly."