Insomnia is not a fun way to pass the night. Tossing, turning, looking at the ceiling, pacing the floor – it’s exhausting! You would think those things would make us tired and help us sleep but it just doesn’t happen. In fact, we just become wider awake and before you know it, the alarm is sounding that it’s time to get up.
Through the years, people have tried many techniques to cure the sleepless nights. A glass of warm milk before bed, counting sheep, and reading are just a few methods that some have found successful. History, though, records some really odd and/or dangerous insomnia cures that are best left in the past.
During Britain’s Tudor era (1485-1603), a cold apple would be placed on the head during those sleepless times. It was believed that the cold fruit had sleep-inducing properties. How peculiar sleeping Brits must have looked with an apple balanced on their heads!
Another method that was used during this era was to rub dormouse fat on the feet. A dormouse is a breed of mouse found in Europe that can hibernate for six months or more. I don’t even want to know how dormouse fat was extracted! Oddly, the dormouse is nocturnal, meaning that it forages at night. Evidently, the Europeans believed this would work. But doesn’t it seem to be a bit of a contradiction to expect the fat of a nocturnal rodent to help you sleep? And it surely couldn’t have been the most sanitary thing to do.
The 1600s were full of great ideas. If the dormouse fat didn’t work, Dr. Tobias Venner was certain that if you tied bread soaked in vinegar to your feet, you would sleep well. I suppose that beats dormouse fat, but can you imagine the mess you would leave at the foot of the bed?!?
The United States can’t point too many fingers at the Brits. We had Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup which was full of morphine. And in 1962, you could legally pop a few Quaaludes if you couldn’t fall asleep.
Let’s also not forget the 18th century. Sleep was often disturbed by flies, fleas, and other bugs. Creepy, crawly things would disturb anyone’s sleep! The cure, according to the 1760’s book The House Keeper’s Guide by Hannah Glasse, was to hang some cow dung at the foot of the bed. This would attract the bugs so that you could have a pleasant night of sleep. If that doesn’t work, try leaving a bowl of onions beside the bed. One of the two aromas will surely draw the bugs away and you could rest in peace!1
There can be many reasons for insomnia. Some of them are medical and should receive medical treatment. If you have been dealing with insomnia for a while, it might not be a bad idea to tell your doctor. However, there could be several non-medical reasons that prevent a good night of sleep. It could be something we eat or drink before bed. Maybe it’s something weighing heavy on our minds and the troubles of life. Or it might be that the Lord would just like to spend some quiet time with us.
Psalms 119:147-148 says, “I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word. (148) Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.” David also wrote in Psalms 63:5-7, “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: (6) When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. (7) Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.”
Those sleepless nights get frustrating. Perhaps, though, we might try investing those hours in spiritual pursuits like prayer and Bible reading. Someone has humorously quipped, “Try it and find out how quickly the Devil will put you to sleep!” Obviously, that’s not a good reason to crack open our Bibles at 0-dark-30. And if we do fall asleep while reading God’s Word or while we are in prayer, maybe that is just a gift from the Lord soothing our soul so that we can sleep.
Obviously, our body needs sleep and sleep is definitely a gift from God. Remember Psalms 4:8 as you put your head to pillow tonight. “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”
1https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/bizarre-insomnia-advice
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