5. The Value of Sleep and a New Method of Inducing It:

Sleep is Nature's restorative for tired tissues and often is found to be the only effective refreshener of the body machine.

The exact amount of sleep required varies with different individuals, much depending upon how fatigued a person is when retiring.

If one feels the need of relaxation and sleep, and yet cannot easily go to sleep, try the following method, which you may have read in my book, "The Healing Power is Life."

It is this:

• Sit nude on the edge of your bathtub, feet outside the tub.
• Take a fountain syringe and fill it with water that is blood-warm (NOT hot).
• Place the end of the tube at nape of neck and let the warm water trickle down your spine until you begin to feel relaxed;
• then go to bed quickly, comfortable, warm and relaxed.

Another aid towards relaxation (and relaxation, if complete, is sure to induce sleep in a weary person) is this:

• Lying in bed, on the back,
• deliberately send the message down to your toes, firmly, "Relax!"
• Continue sending the message until the toes do spread and relax.
• Then relax ankles in same manner, also knees, then base of spine, and the spine itself to base of head, also hands and arms.

As a rule one will never get this far with the relaxation-exercise; almost invariably one will slip off into deep, restful sleep before having consciously relaxed more than half the body.

Upon awakening if you feel recuperated, don't force yourself to remain in bed, whatever the hour.

Get up and do something that you are interested in doing.

Be sure the room you sleep in is always well ventilated; almost all people breathe more deeply when sleeping than when awake, unless exercising quite freely.

Do not eat a big meal just before retiring.

If you will give this method of inducing sleep a fair trial, you will find it very effective in inducing refreshing sleep that will have a real recuperative value.