cid, and before it is done, the skin should be
gently covered with lather (_see_ Lather; Soap). If this treatment is
not successful, a little olive oil, with cayenne lotion, may be mixed
with the soapy lather, and will make its effect more powerful. This
creepy feeling is sometimes the result of cold, and some extra clothing
may remove it. _See_ Underwear.

Sleep.--No greater mistake could be made than to curtail the hours of
sleep. Eight hours should be taken as a minimum, and any weak person
should take ten hours. More and better work can be done by a person who
takes fully eight hours' sleep than by one who tries to do with less.

Sometimes strong tea or coffee is taken to drive away sleep, and so the
nervous system is injured and sleep will not come when it is desired.
Tea or coffee should never be taken except _very_ weak, and the person
who accustoms himself to this will very soon come greatly to prefer it.

Sleeplessness.--In search of sleep men do many things both dangerous
and foolish--sometimes even fatal. Sleeplessness arises in so many ways
and from so many causes, that it is often hard for the patient to find
a cure, and he will try anything in desperation. A little thought
should prevent this state of mind. For instance, we have a man who
tries to get sleep by fatiguing himself by long walks in the open air
or hard physical work of some kind, but he only grows worse. Now, a
little thought will show that sleep requires a certain amount of brain
energy. If the supply be below this amount, the brain is _too tired_ to
sleep. Violent exercise of any kind will only make matters worse. So
"keeping people awake" all day is tried, to make them sleep at night.
It fails from the same reason--that it _reduces_ brain power. All
narcotics in the end fail similarly. There comes a time when they have
so reduced brain power, that even an enormous dose fails to give sleep,
and the patient comes dangerously near poisoning himself--sometimes,
indeed, does so outright. In all these cases, that which has worn down
the brain _must be given up_ as a first condition of cure. Whether
brain work, over-excitement and dissipation, alcohol or tobacco, the
cause must be removed, and rest taken in the open air, or in well
ventilated rooms.

This done, we come to treatment. Soaping the head (_see_ Head,
Soaping), or even the application of towels wrung out of cold water,
will often, when the cause has been removed, do all that is n