SLEEP AND FOOD.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5082, 31 January 1927, Page 3

SLEEP AND FOOD.

NEEDS OF THE BODY.

VITAL IMPORTANCE OF SLUMBER.

Philosophers and others have told us that a man at the age of 90 has spent 30 years or more sleeping, and have pointed out to 1 us the. importance of saving years, of our life by sleeping less. Advice to restrict bur sleep artificially is very dangerous. Apparently the we spend in sleep we spend unprofitably. In reality sleep is far more important than food. That has been proved by experiments made on animals. If one set of animals is starved and another set of the same animals is. well fled but prevented from sleeping, the animate deprived of sleep will die in a few days, while the starved animals which are. given sleep will survive •for weeks.

Sleep gives necessary rest .to our bodies, and particularly to our brain and nerves, which jointly regulate our heart, lungs, digestion, and every function of the. body. Sleep gives indispensable rest to the ever-working brain and nerves. Hence we find that sleeplessness rapidly leads to nerve troubles to a general breakdown, and other very serious consequences. To some extent sleep is equivalent to food. A starving animal and a starving human being as well, try to sle®.p not only in order to forget the troubles and pangs of hunger, but also to preserve strength, and to gain new strength supplied by sleep. Sleep, in the words of the. ancients, is the great restorer of mankind. Normally, after a night’s res.t, we ought to wake up physically and mentally refreshed. If we. do not wake up rejuvenated by sleep, but feel dull and languid, something is wrong with us. We ought to sleep in accordance with our needs. No one can tell hoyv long men ought to sleep normally. The need of sleep, as that of food, is by no means uniform. Some steep more intensively than others, just as, some people eat more, quickly than others. However, over-long sleep is not beneficial. I.t may be compared to overindulgence in food.

If, we wish to sleep .well we. should go to bed with a good physical and mental conscience. We should discard our worries, with our clothes and look forward to bed with the same pleasure, with which we look forward to an enjoyable meal. The physical conscience will keep us awake if we have had a heavy meal soon before going to rest. lOver-indulgeneq in food shortly before retiring is a fruitful cause Oif restlessness, and of a 'feeling of utter tiredness., a bad taste in the mouth, etc., wheji we get up. It is the hormal thing to sleep well without dreams. Food eaten before going to bed keeps certain functions of the body active and pr®,vents our getting all the good we can 'from the period we spend in bed. Over-hot bedclothes and stuffy air also interfere. with the quality of <*ur There are, of course, people who have so excellent a digestion that pangs o£ hunger awaken them in the middle, of the' night. Those will be wise to .take some easily digestible food shortly before retiring to sleep or to keep something like, a glass of milk at their bedside.