Chapter XIV · SLEEP.
Reading edition
CHAPTER XIV. SLEEP.
General remarks. A prevalent mistake. A hint to fathers. Few Catos. Everything left to mothers.
SEC. 1. Hour for Repose.
Night the season of repose, generally. Infants require all hours. Sleeping in dark rooms. Excess of caution. Habit of sleeping amid noise.
SEC. 2. Place.
Where the infant should sleep. Why alone. Poisoning by impure air. Illustration. Proofs. Friedlander. Dr. Dewees. Destruction of children by mothers. Anecdote. Moral reasons for having children sleep alone. Sleeping with the aged. Sleeping with cats and dogs.
SEC. 3 Purity of the Air.
Nurseries. Windows open during the night. Lowering them from the top. Habit of Dr. Gregory. Going abroad in the open air.
SEC. 4. The Bed.
No feathers should be used. They are too warm. Their effluvia oppressive. Other objections to their use. Mattresses. Air beds. Beds of cut straw. Soft beds. Testimony of physicians. The pillow. Dampness. Curtains. Warming the bed. Beds recently occupied by the sick.
SEC. 5. The Covering.
Light covering. Mistakes of some mothers. Covering the head with bed clothes.
SEC. 6. Night Dresses.
As little dress during sleep as possible. No caps. No stockings. Loose night shirt. No tight articles of nightdress. Frequent exchanging of clothes.
SEC. 7. Posture of the Body.
Sleeping on the back—on the sides. Position of the head. The infant's bedstead. Sir Charles Bell. Darkening the room.
SEC. 8. State of the Mind.
Mental quiet favorable to sleep. Crying to sleep. A good father. All anxiety should be avoided.
SEC. 9. Quality of Sleep.
Soundness of our sleep. Nightmare. How produced. Late reading. Late suppers. Influence of religion on sleep. Different opinions about sleep. Truth midway between extremes. Effect of silence and darkness on our sleep. Of sleep before midnight. Light unfavorable to sleep.
SEC. 10. Quantity.
Infants need to sleep nearly the whole time. Number of hours required for sleep. Opinions of eminent men. The author's own opinion. Statements of Macnish. Estimates on the loss of time by over-sleeping. Hint to young mothers.