HOW TO SLEEP 



the worst of mental habits captures the great major- 

 ity. For the person who wishes to use his mind to the 

 best advantage it is a snare and a delusion. Dozing 

 after the brain has been fully recuperated implies a 

 kind of half activity that brings little or no refreshment. 

 If indulged habitually, the organism, quick always to 

 acquire indolent habits, soon comes to expect to re- 

 cuperate its forces in this dilly-dallying way; and as 

 a result the entire period of sleep becomes less pro- 

 found, and more and more invaded by disturbing dreams. 

 Perhaps nine hours are regularly taken for an amount of 

 recuperation that might be accomplished to better ad- 

 vantage in seven; the creative mind thus surrendering 

 two hours a day of its invaluable time to the useless 

 indulgence of an indolent body. 



Moreover, it may be questioned whether something 

 of the same languor of action that marks the state of 

 sleep does not also invade waking hours; whether, in 

 short, such an organism ever comes to be quite as wide 

 awake as it would be were its habits of recuperation more 

 energetic. The actions of the body as a whole are 

 usually consistent, and if its constructive neural proc- 

 esses are carried on languidly it is probable that the 

 destructive processes will be equally languid. Let 

 anyone who is accustomed to sleep soundly and to 

 arise at once on awaking test the matter by dozing for 

 an hour or two some morning after his usual time for 

 arising. He will find, I think, that he has not added to 

 the working efficiency of the day by so doing. 



Be it understood, however, that this applies only to 

 dozing in the morning, after the brain has had its full 



[79] 



