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over the work of the day. On account of the loss of sleep, etc., she be- 
gins to suffer in health, and feels sure that at times if there were a few 
more days of it she would break down. But she admits one advantage of 
this automatic action of the mind or brain: Errors are constantly oc- 
curring, and when the books are balanced at night no one can account 
for the various discrepancies, and, of course, there is worry. Now in her 
“night work,” during this automatic cerebration, she generally “sees” just 
where the discrepancies are and the next morning is usually able to 
make the corrections promptly. 
She has some well-defined ideas regarding causes, that is, of the con- 
ditions under which such activity comes on, and I shall consider her re- 
marks later on in summing up “causes” and “supposed causes.” 
Asked about dreams, she said they occurred in the winter time, rarely 
in the summer—the exceptions usually being times of actual illness. 
Another patient told me that as a boy in school he worked out his 
mathematical problems while in bed at night. After he left school this 
form of mental activity largely disappeared and now only occasionally 
returns; he utilizes it in planning his business affairs. 
INSOMNIA. After a wakeful period at night, perhaps of an hour or 
two, there may gradually come repose, and then when one is about to 
fall asleep, subconscious mental activity may come on with a flow of 
thoughts, perhaps valuable in one’s work. Then comes the conscious 
thought, “If I don’t jot down these thoughts or ideas they will be lost; 
if I do write, then the composure to sleep will disappear and I will 
again be wakeful and sleepless. Shall I write or not? Shall I put the 
thoughts on paper or get the sleep?” While undecided, sleep may come 
on, there may even be a dreaming that the thoughts have been written ; 
the mind is relieved and deep sleep follows. In the morning nothing is 
remembered of the train of thoughts. If, however, they were written out, 
then on awakening the whole occurrence likely comes vividly to mind. 
ov at least there are notes more or less clearly decipherable. This may 
also occur in the morning when one is about to turn over for another nap. 
and then this mental activity is confused with dreaming, but the coher- 
ency of ideas enables us to distinguish. 
Sleepless nights of active minded people who utilize their thoughts 
are often due to the fact that they do not want to let go of the thoughts 
that come. They lie awake. thinking about them, or they will be kept 
