PSYCHOLOGY OF SLEEP

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 420, 31 July 1928, Page 14

PSYCHOLOGY OF SLEEP

DR. FENNELLY’S ADDRESS The first purpose of sleep is to pui the body into shape for tomorrow’s work,” Dr. P. Fennelly, past-president of the British Association of Practical Psychology, told listeners in the Lewis Eady Hall last evening. He was giving an address on “Sleep and Dreams,” first of a series of everyday psychological talks. “During sleep something seems to go through the body,” .he said, “adjusting and harmonising it. A similar function is carried out for the mind. Experiences of yesterday are tonad down and their rough edges rubbed off. Advice to ‘sleep on’ a problem is wise. In sleep, the proposition, is unconsciously weighed, measured and moved into its proper position. “Sleep takes one out of reality. It breaks and varies the monotony of daily existence. MORBID SELF-PITY “Insomnia is due more often to a morbid state of self-pity than to excessive interest in life,” Dr. Fennelly said. “Some morbidly-inclined people even enjoy a certain amount of insomnia. They like to lie awake and think about themselves. “Dreams are a fascinating study; their roots are traced to the beginning of life. Whether they prophecy events is not certain. In this, science is confirming what the man-in-the-street had felt for thousands of years ” This evening Dr. Fennelly will speak on “Developing Personality” and ‘Nerve Control.”