Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 March 1894 — COMPLETE REST. [ARTICLE]

COMPLETE REST.

Some Hints As To How It May Bo Attained. Few who pretend to rest give up entirely to the bed, a dead weight, letting the bed them instead of trying to hold themselves on the bed. Watch closely and you will usually see the muscles are tense, if not all over, so nearly that it is fatiguing; the spine seems to be a central point of tension. It touches the bed at each end, it is true, but only in ita entirety as far as the individual will permit. The knees are usually drawn up, the muscles of the legs tense, the hands and arms contracted, often clasped above the head, the fingers clinched, either holding the pillow or themselves; the head, instead of letting the pillow have its whole weight, holds itself on the pillow, the throat muscles often contracted, or the muscles of the face drawn one way or another. This may seem exaggerated when it is sleep that we are talking about, but it is indeed too true. How many poor sleepers are more fatigued when they get up than when they go to bed, and yet natural sleep is “nature’s sweet restorer,” and always brings perfect recuperation to fit one for the coming day’s duties. “If I could only stop myself from thinking,” is a complaint often heard, but no one can reason himself or herself out of the habit. Even the knowledge that nothing is gained by it, and that it is a drain- on the system, often adds to the difficulty and renders the habit more difficult to abandon. But you say, I must get control, reason must assert herself over every bodily function. Try it. You will find that the strain and nervous tension in trying but add to the difficulty. To use a homely phrase, “It is less difficult to jump out of your boots than out of yourself.” If you cannot stop thinking, do not try. Let the thoughts stream ahead if they will, only use enough will power to relax all the muscles, make yourself as heavy as possible in bed, and, while the attention of the mind is drawn to the letting-go process of the muscles, the Imps of thought find less to do In the brain, because the mind is absorbed in a betJ ter work, and soon the senseless thinking will stop. Five minutes of complete rest are worth more than an hour of common resting. There is no better way of learning to overcome perverseness in sleeping than to study with care the sleep of a healthy little child. Having gained the necessary freedom to give perfect repose, the dropping of all thought and care can be made an easy task. To take the regular process, first let go the muscles, which will enable one more easily to drop disturbing thoughts or refuse without resistance to admit the thoughts, and freedom from care for the time will follow. Take plenty of time for repose, and above all things, court a clear conscience before resting; the latter adds much to tranquil sleep.—[Worthington’s Magazine.