The Freedom of Life | Page 9

sometimes restful in itself.
There are five things to remember to help rest an overtired brain: 1. A
healthy indifference to wakefulness. 2. Concentration of the mind on
simple things. 3. Relaxation of the body. 4. Gentle rhythmic breathing
of fresh air. 5. Regular nourishment. If we do not lose courage, but
keep on steadily night after night, with a healthy persistence in
remembering and practising these five things, we shall often find that
what might have been a very long period of sleeplessness may be
materially shortened and that the sleep which follows the practice of the
exercises is better, sounder, and more refreshing, than the sleep that
came before. In many cases a long or short period of insomnia can be
absolutely prevented by just these simple means.
Here is perhaps the place to say that all narcotics are in such cases,
absolutely pernicious.
They may bring sleep at the time, but eventually they lose their effect,
and leave the nervous system in a state of strain which cannot be helped
by anything but time, through much suffering that might have been
avoided.
When we are not necessarily overtired but perhaps only a little tired
from the day's work, it is not uncommon to be kept awake by a flapping
curtain or a swinging door, by unusual noises in the streets, or by
people talking. How often we hear it said, "It did seem hard when I

went to bed tired last night that I should have been kept awake by a
noise like that--and now this morning, I am more tired than when I
went to bed."
The head nurse in a large hospital said once in distress: "I wish the
nurses could be taught to step lightly over my head, so that they would
not keep me awake at night." It would have been a surprise to her if she
had been told that her head could be taught to yield to the steps of the
nurses, so that their walking would not keep her awake.
It is resistance that keeps us awake in all such cases. The curtain flaps,
and we resist it; the door swings to over and over again, and we resist it,
and keep ourselves awake by wondering why it does not stop; we hear
noises in the street that we am unused to, especially if we are
accustomed to sleeping in the stillness of the country, and we toss and
turn and wish we were in a quiet place. All the trouble comes from our
own resistance to the noise, and resistance is nothing but unwillingness
to submit to our conditions.
If we are willing that the curtain should go on flapping, the door go on
slamming, or the noise in the street continue steadily on, our brains
yield to the conditions and so sleep naturally, because the noise goes
through us, so to speak, and does not run hard against our
unwillingness to hear it.
There are three facts which may help to remove the resistance which
naturally arises at any unusual sound when we are tired and want to get
rest.
One is that in almost every sound there is a certain rhythm. If we yield
to the sound enough to become sensitive to its rhythm, that, in itself, is
soothing. and what before was keeping us awake now _helps us to go
to sleep._ This pleasant effect of finding the rhythm in sound is
especially helpful if one is inclined to lie awake while travelling in
sleeping cars. The rhythm of sound and motion in sleeping cars and
steamers is, in itself, soothing. If you have the habit of feeling as if you
could never get refreshing sleep in a sleeping car, first be sure that you
have as much fresh air as possible, and then make up your mind that

you will spend the whole night, if necessary, in noticing the rhythm of
the motion and sound of the cars. If you keep your mind steadily on it,
you will probably be asleep in less than an hour, and, when the car
stops, you will wake only enough to settle comfortably into the sense of
motion when it starts again. It is pleasant to notice the gentleness with
which a good engineer starts his train at night. Of course there is a
difference in engineers, and some are much more gentle in starting their
engines than others, but the delicacy with which the engine is started by
the most expert is delightful to feel, and gives us many a lesson on the
use of gentle beginnings, with other things besides locomotive engines,
and especially in our dealings with each other.
The second fact with regard to yielding, instead of resisting, in order to
get to sleep is that listening