278 THE WONDERFUL HOUSE THAT JACK HAS 



mon use. Of course we should not sleep with bed- 

 clothing over the head if we want to breathe pure air. 



"Early to bed and early to rise" is unquestionably a 

 good motto, for it is more natural to sleep at night than 

 by daylight. While nearly all healthy persons can 

 get accustomed to almost any conditions, quiet sur- 

 roundings are more favorable to restful sleep than are 

 the opposite. Habit is a powerful factor in sleeping 

 as well as in other things the body has to do. On this 

 account it is well to have a regular time for retiring and 

 rising. We shall then not be troubled with wakefulness 

 when we go to bed, nor shall we need an alarm clock in 

 the morning. Sleeping and waking at the right time 

 will become simply a matter of habit. 



It is perhaps needless to say that sleeping with 

 a person who has a contagious disease is dangerous. 

 Another fact not as well understood is that children 

 should not sleep with invalids or with very old per- 

 sons. With no apparent cause, children who do so 

 have gradually become weak and sickly. If, on ac- 

 count of a doctor's advice, or for any other cause, the 

 practice of sleeping with the older person is discon- 

 tinued, the child has usually regained health and 

 vigor. Wherever it is possible, it is well, for many 

 good reasons, that children should sleep alone. 



As a rule, growing children are not troubled with 

 insomnia (sleeplessness). Their difficulty, as far as 

 sleep is concerned, is to wake up at the required time 

 in the morning. Adults, however, sometimes get into 



