Work: The Best Cure for Sleeplessness
JOHN B. GOUGH says that work is the best cure for sleeplessness. He relates that the celebrated Lyman Beecher used to keep a wagon-load of sand in the cellar, and after his evening sermon he used to go down and shovel it from one side to the other. The vigorous exercise coaxed the blood away from his brain into his muscles, so he was prepared for healthful and refreshing sleep. Sometimes, when unusually wide-awake, the old gentleman would take down his violin, and work himself into a sleepy mood by amateur fiddling. The narrator does not mention the effect of the fiddling upon the other members of the household. “Amateur fiddling” does not usually exert the most somniferous influence imaginable. The exercise prescription we can indorse without qualification. The persuasive effects of fiddling upon the sleepy god, Morpheus, would probably depend upon circumstances.—Good Health.