Show rt c J t I 1 J DEVICE FOR WOOING SLEEP f t I 1 most of the mental devices for wooing sleep have failed because they have nearly always tried to resort to local treatment in other words they have made a homeopathic at tempt to stop thinking by thinking about something else a process which might alt be called ellmina tian by but all spink think ing spontaneous or forced ar draws an ws more or less blood to the brain prevents deep inhalations and bars the gate to the kingdom of dreams any device on the other hand which will make one take deep long breaths spontaneously the invariable forerunner of sleep may be counted upon as a genuine remedy for insomnia even deep breathing which Is forced Is better than any purely mental attempt to win sleep says good housekeeping but if the deep breathing can be produced involuntarily one Is sure of a a passport to nodland after several nights of experiments to this end the areni writer decided to apply the Drin principal cipal adopted by the mas deurs who begin their manipulation at the point farthest from the seat of difficulty which in the case of insomnia would be the feet lying on the right side with the knees together and considerably flexed the victim of insomnia should begin to pedal both his feet slowly UD up and down with the movement entirely a the ankles the pedaling should keep time with the natural rhythm of respiration pi ration anil and be continued until it ie Is followed by deep and spontaneous breathing several people who have tried this remedy report that involuntary deep breathing invariably begins before they have pedaled up and down a dozen times in obstinate cases of insomnia the patient may need to keep up the pedaling two or three minutes or even more with intermissions ter if necessary the treat ment merit may also be varied by moving the feet alternately instead of simultaneously though the latter method has proved the more speedily efficacious in the cases known to the writer the explanation of the resu t obtained is probably simple the blood is pumped from the head and with the removal of brain tension a general relaxation follows with a re quent deep respiration and its resulting sleep |