Not only does this regularity of conduct conduce to the attainment and maintenance of perfect health, but it enables the individual to accomplish more within the limits of the day, partly by economizing time, and partly by the added vigor due to improved health.
First, regularity in the hours of rising and retiring, namely, regulating the minimum period to be devoted to sleep. There is much conflict of opinion as to the amount of sleep necessary for the average adult. We have in mind an old saying which runs as follows: “Six hours’ sleep for a man, seven for a woman, and eight for a fool.” This is somewhat arbitrary, and, moreover, is not in harmony with physiological law. In the first place, no hard and fast rule can be laid down that will cover all cases. Apart from the difference of sex, there are temperamental conditions which vary with every case. We are decidedly of the opinion that eight hours’ sleep is necessary for the adult individual. It has been affirmed by some authorities that the more the individual sleeps the longer he will live, which is a perfectly rational claim, in view of the fact that night is Nature’s repair time, when she is busy at work replacing the ravages committed by wear and tear during the day. It is a well-known fact that nearly all growth takes place during sleep.
Again, it is a fact not generally known that the heart receives no nourishment during the period of contraction, owing to the pressure upon the arteries which supply it with nutriment. It is only during the infinitesimal pause between the contractions that these arteries can carry blood to the heart tissue; hence during sleep the heart-beats differ from those of our waking hours, being fewer in number, and with a more decided pause between. Now, the heart being to the body what the mainspring is to a watch, the necessity of affording it ample time for recuperation becomes apparent.
Having stated that eight hours’ sleep is the minimum amount for the individual, the question of regularity presents itself, and this should be understood to refer especially to the time of rising, which, unless the individual is in ill health, should be at 6 A.M. This not only proves invaluable in economizing time, but paves the way for regularity in eating, which we will now consider.
There is much diversity of opinion as to the number of meals that should be eaten during the day, and recently the practice of eating only two meals a day has largely obtained. This, although preferable to the practice of eating four and five meals a day, or of indiscriminate lunching between meals, is yet (we consider) running into the other extreme. Unless an exceedingly hearty breakfast is eaten, the tax upon the vitality before the next meal hour arrives is too severe. Our rule, which we commend to our readers, is as follows: Rise at six, then take your bath, either plunge or sponge bath, followed by ten to fifteen minutes of moderate exercise. This, we will say, occupies until seven; then eat a light meal of juicy fruit, such as oranges, grapes or berries, followed by the perusal of the morning newspaper, or, if you are a student, devote an hour to study. At eight o’clock take your proper breakfast, which should consist of some preparation of wheat (with milk or fruit juice), followed by toast, boiled or poached eggs, and a glass of milk. Take a light lunch at 1 P.M., and a moderately good dinner at 7 P.M.
If regularity in the hours for meals be strictly observed, and the quantity and character of the meals carefully considered, the system will rapidly acquire the habit of expecting sustenance at those hours, and regularity, like virtue, will be its own reward.
Next comes the question of exercise. Too little attention is paid to this matter, more especially by those engaged in sedentary occupations; yet it is in the highest degree important that the balance between the mental and physical energies should be maintained. To preserve this balance while the mind is active and the body untaxed, artificial exercise must be practiced, for physical strength cannot be promoted without some kind of bodily exercise. Unused muscles soon become flabby, as athletes and their trainers well know. The best time for taking exercise is, as stated above, just after the morning bath, and it is astonishing what results can be obtained from fifteen minutes of intelligently directed exercise each morning. Here, again, regularity will work wonders. It may be a week or two before you will notice any marked improvement in the muscular condition, but you will be amply repaid by the glow of health which pervades the system as the result of stimulated circulation.