EARLY RISING.

Temuka Leader, Issue 170, 23 August 1879, Page 3

EARLY RISING.

Early rising is generally supposed to he conducive to health . and happiness, and indeed it has been alleged that few live to a grent- ngc, and fewer' still become distinguised, who have not acquired this habit. . A German doctor, however, who has devoted "pome attention to this subject, has arrived at an opposite conclusion. He has taken the trouble, to. collect information as to the habits in this respect of several persons who have lived to an advanced age, and he finds that in the majority of the cases fcs has investigated, the long-livers have mtttdgjld in late hours. At least eight out of ten persons attained the age of 80 years and upwards were in the habit of not retiring to rest until the early hours of the morning, and of remaining in bed until the day was far advanced. On the other hand, ho has failed to discover, after careful observation extended over a considerable length of time of the health of several early-risers, that it was in any degree better than that of a similar number of " late risers," although the former, by retiring to rest in good time, obtained their full modicum of sleep. He inclines to the opinion that, so far from any decided benefit being gained by getting up early in the morning, it rather tends to exhaust physical power and to shorten life. He has no doubt whatever that early rising is a most pernicious habit for those who go to bed late, and that it is an entire mistake to imagine that the most invigorating hours of the day are those of the early morning. On the contrary, they are apt to pi-oduce lassitude, and the " breath of the morning" is to some constitutions far more dangerous than that of the " dewy eve." It is the old story, no doubt: what suits some people will disagree with others ; and the advocates on both sides of the question often confuse post hoc with propter hoc.