FRESH AIR AND REFRESHING SLEEP
Somnus, that walks the world from twilights’ wane
All the night long till day be born again.
EDGAR FAWCETT.
It is not so necessary now as when Dr. Hall wrote to urge the
importance of large, airy sleeping-rooms. But it is amazing to find how
many, even among the so-called “better classes,” neglect to open their
windows wide at night. I have known people out in the country whose
bedroom windows could hardly be made to open, so seldom did they admit
the air. Indeed, they were also heavily shaded so that they might not
admit the sunshine.
That such people have been able to live at all is due to the patience
of Nature, or to the fact that so much of the day is spent in the open
air that it helps to counteract the effect of the closed-up night. Even
then they do not escape early wrinkles, bent shoulders, and a look of
age long before their time. We used to attribute these to the hard
work of the farmer’s life, but we might more properly attribute it to
improper living.
Besides an abundance of fresh air day and night, summer and winter,
personal cleanliness immensely aids to health and the ability to sleep.
In the old days we bathed to clean ourselves when dirty. It was an
advance on that when someone said he took a bath every spring and fall,
whether he needed it or not. In those days once a week was considered
frequent. To-day we bathe to keep clean.
Someone, probably Joseph Fels, has said that the civilization of
a people may best be estimated by the amount of soap and water it
consumes. If we start out well-groomed in the morning—fresh from the
bath with clean linen, clothes brushed and all our personal needs duly
attended to—we carry our heads higher, feel an uplift of body and mind
that is impossible to the careless or untidy person.
The same influence applies to going to bed at night. If we retire
soiled and worn from the day’s experiences, we may toss and turn
with discomfort whose source we may not understand, or we fall into
heavy, unrefreshing sleep. The body does most of its breathing during
sleeping-time. You know how the moisture from the breath shows on a
mirror when you breathe on it: well, the skin gives off about three
times as much moisture as the breath, and, unless the pores of the skin
are free from all obstructions such as dust, old, dried perspiration,
and similar soil, it cannot perform its work properly and to the
advantage of the sleeper. If you don’t like water, use oil as the
Easterns do. Even dry rubbing, if the skin is moist, will keep the
pores open.
The little trouble entailed is more than offset by the refreshed
feeling, the lightening of the mind as well as of the body, the more
restful sleep, and the better health resulting from the practice.
One of the advantages of the night bath is that it reminds us to change
all the clothes we have worn during the day. If they must be worn again
the next day, they should be spread out on the backs of chairs or on
hangers, that they may be thoroughly aired before morning. If we feel
that we must have something more than the pajamas or night-robe, then
there should be separate sets of underclothes kept for that purpose
alone—old, thin, partly-worn ones may be reserved for this use.
Whether baths should be hot, warm, or cold must depend upon the
individual. There is no set rule that applies equally to all persons.
Many persons find the cold plunge or shower most invigorating in the
morning,—it is too stimulating to be taken at night—and others cannot
stand the shock of contact with cold water at any time. There is but
one wise thing to do—to experiment for yourself and adopt the sort of
bath that seems best suited to your needs. Most people will find the
warm bath more satisfactory than the hot or cold.
And remember that it is not only the lungs that need fresh air: the
skin needs it too, and, next to overeating, the quickest way to
“catch” cold is to bundle up in heavy perspiration-holding flannels.
Linen mesh is excellent, but, whatever underclothing is worn, it should
not suffocate the millions of pores of the skin.
An airy room, free from hangings, carpets, street clothes, and all
other dust-gatherers; a clean body; a contented mind—these are
important factors both in sleep and in general health, and, best of
all, they are inexpensive enough to be within the reach of nearly
everybody.