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SLEEP

" The imoccnt sleep,

Sleep that knits up lit raoelled sleevt of Care,

The deatb of each dtty's lift, sort Labour's bath,

Balm of hurt minds, great Naturę's second course,

Chief nourisber in Iife's feast."......MACBETH.

W HAT a wealth of wisdom thcre lics in this quotacion! It is litilc wondcr that Shakespeare was ablc to give birth to thc grcat gcms of literaturę which set him on the pinnaclc of famc. Oncc you havc apprcdatcd thc valuc of sleep you arc wcll on thc way to physical fitness, bccausc thcre arc really only four essentials for sound hcalth and a good phy$iquc, and thcsc arc: thc right kind of sleep, food, exerci$e and mcntal outlook. Thrcc days and nights without sleep will rcduce a man morc ncarly to a State of physical and mcntal exhau$tion than will thrcc days without wat er or thrcc weeks without foo<L During any physical or mcntal cccrtion, ccrtain tissues of thc body undergo a brcak-ing-down proccss, thc replaccmcot of thcsc tissues bcing by food and sleep. Much cncrgy is used in absorption of the food you cat and so it is obvious that sleep is thc most importom factor.

Persom doing a body-bullding course need all thc sleep they can get, thc absolutc minimum should be eight hours. You must clcarly diflerentiate between the number of hours you spend in bed and thc number of hours you actually sleep. Eight hours in bed docs not ncccs-sarily mcan eight hours sleep. If you arc of thc slim typc who has found that all efforts at gaining wcight havc bccn unsuccessful you need all the sleep you can get and evcry opportumty that presents itsclf for sleep, cven if only a short nap, should be taken. It is thc first hour of sleep which is thc most important, cspccially from a body-building vicw point. Pupils approaching middle age will find that they can do with less sleep than younger men but it is stiil of parammt import ancc.

The conditions under which you sleep arc factons which influence not only how wcll you sleep but also how much benefit you dcriyc from it. It should not be nccessary to say that good ycntilntion is thc first cousidćration. It is better to havc an cxtra blankct on thc bed and thc window open than to dose thc window to keep out the cold. The best method of ensuring a circulation of air in thc bedroom is to have thc window open at least a fcw inchcs top and bottom. This permits thc used air to escape at thc top and thc fresh to enter at thc bottom. Remember, MOVEMENT in all things is IJFE, and stagnant air is as disastrous to breathe as stagnant water is to drink. Far fcwcr pcople dic from cxposurc than do from thc many ill-nesses which lurk in a>gcrnvriddcn atmosphcrc ! Ncvcr puli thc bed clothcs right over thc head otherwisc you cannot benefit by having thc window open.'

If sleeping apparcl is worn tt should be loosc, light and regularly laundcrcd. In thc summer months it is healthicst to sleep in thc nudc. Avoid having too many bed clothcs or too soft a mattress for if thc body is madc too hot in bed you arc morc likcły to fali prcy to thc cold on rising.

The sidc you lic on when sleeping is of little importancc, what is important is that you do not sleep in a crampcd nosition or with your knees drawn up to thc stornach. Cramping of thć chcst should cspccially be ayoided. Apart from thcsc fcw points it can safcly be Icft to thc individual to assume whatcvcr position is found most comfortable. If you are prevented from taking your sleep in thc one complctc strctch, do not let tjtis causc unncccssary worry, as two periods of four hours sleep per day is almost as bcncficial as a continuous perioa of right hours.

If you havc a tcndency to varicosc vdns in thc legs you will profit by naving thc foot of thc bed raiscd on blocks about six inchcs high, a$ this assists thc vcnous return of blood to the heart and relicvcs strain on thc vcin walls.

Sleeping as outlined abovc will inerease your resistance to common ailments likc coughs, colds, sorc throats, catarrh, bronchitis, etc.

It is common knowlcdgc that thc strongest and most agile of the animals, particułarly thc Cat tribc, c.g. lions, when they are not hunting or cating, are sleeping.