Insomnia is a characteristic malady of our age. The hurry and bustle of our modern world is unparalleled. Tension due to life’s tempo, is everywhere evident. Because of life’s exacting demands, there are growing numbers whose nerves stubbornly refuse to settle, and whose minds will persist in feverishly working long after the blessed oblivion of sleep should have brought rest and release.
There is no physical exhaustion to equal that which is emotional. If you are worried, anxious, or tense, or if you have quarreled and feel in consequence that your world is black, you will be far more exhausted than the man who has labored hard all day, but has mental peace.
Often the real need is just a few hours or a few days away in the country, where all is peaceful. Strange but true, however, is the fact that what is often needed by a tense, sleepless individual is not a change of environment, but a change of diet. It has been truly said that we are what we eat. If our diet includes foods which are natural, plain, well-balanced, and excludes the rich and junk foods, we will have clearer minds and calmer nerves. If our evening meal is a light one, consisting for instance of only fruit and toast, our stomach is then able to rest at night with the other parts of the body. The blood is free to do its work of cleansing the organs of waste, instead of being called to the stomach, most of the night, to digest food.
Furthermore, we shall dream less and sleep more soundly if our stomach is able to rest.
Importance of breakfast: Breakfast is a vital factor in healthful sleep. It should be one of the main meals of the day. It should be eaten calmly, and masticated well. We should rise early to avoid having to hurry over breakfast.
It is an essential health rule to eat a good breakfast with plenty of fruit and whole grain cereals or toast, a moderate amount of milk and, if possible, eggs. You will thus feel more able to cope with your daily work. The knowledge of work well done is, in itself, conducive to restful sleep.
It is surprising how many problems are automatically solved just by having a well balanced diet. Mental as well as physical problems have a direct connection with diet. A good diet means a healthy stomach, mental vigour, refreshing sleep, and a pleasant disposition.
Exercise Necessity: Exercise is essential if sound sleep is to be enjoyed. Attention is wisely given by some to indoor exercises, such as those for reducing, or moulding the figure. Whatever their nature, exercises should be done before an open window, or better still, in the open air.
The best exercise is that taken outdoors in the form of play or work. A man with a sedentary occupation will do well to spend at least half an hour in the garden each evening.
Walking also is an excellent form of exercise. It should be a walk brisk enough to make the heart beat faster and lungs breathe more freely.
With moderate exercise a person will sleep better, and be more able to face the next day with vigour. It may be a comforting thought to know that if a person is relaxed he is resting, even if he is not asleep.
Fresh Air at Night: To ensure sound sleep one should have fresh air in the bedroom, taking care to avoid draughts. Each day there should, if at all possible, be heat in the bedroom for at least an hour or two during cold, damp, weather, to dry out the room. Remember that cold air is not necessarily fresh air.
Nothing will make a person relax, promoting a feeling of restfulness, like simple faith in the fact that God is caring for everything. He is the Author of true peace in the heart.
SIMPLE TREATMENTS THAT HELP
Neutral Bath: Fill the bath tub full with comfortably warm water. Do not add more hot water unless it begins to feel chilly. Lie in this bath for twenty to thirty minutes before going to bed. This will help you to relax, and will undoubtedly promote a feeling of sleepiness.
Foot Bath: Fill a pail two-thirds full of hot water — as hot as the feet can reasonably stand. Place the feet in the pail for five minutes, then pour a pan of cold water over them while holding them up out of the water. This will clear the head and chest of excess blood, and equalize the circulation. The hot and cold foot bath is especially good for brain workers and for people who worry a lot.
Fomentations to Spine: Hot fomentations to the spine are usually very helpful in combating insomnia. Procedure is to use heavy towels, or folded pieces of old blanketing, wrung out of boiling water. The wrung-out cloth should be carefully placed on the spine, and then covered with a piece of old blanket.
When wringing, leave the ends of the fomentations out of the water, so you can handle them. Apply these fomentations while the patient is resting in bed, and gently stroke the spine afterward. Make sure the feet are warm. This procedure often works when everything else fails.
So if you’re a sufferer from sleeplessness, check well your diet and health habits, and try these simple methods.