What is the elegant name for sleeping in ancient times? Why do we need pillows when we sleep?

Sleeping is something that seems very easy but is actually very knowledgeable. In ancient times, people had very interesting names for sleeping. Are you interested? Then open it and see what it is! In addition, you must use a pillow when sleeping. Why is that? I hope the following common sense is useful to you.

Contents of this article

1. An elegant name for sleeping in ancient times

2. Why do we need pillows when sleeping?

3. Should I close the windows when I sleep at night?

Ancient elegant name for sleeping

In ancient times, the elegant names for sleeping included ming, mei, qin, shui, mian or wo. In ancient Chinese, "sleep" and "awake" have different meanings. "Sleep" originally refers to a person dozing off while sitting, while "awake" refers to the state of being awake. It was not until the Wei and Jin Dynasties that "sleep" was used to mean falling asleep or sleeping.

"I cannot get what I want, and I miss her day and night" comes from "Guanju" in the Book of Songs. The two words "寤眠" in the poem refer to waking and sleeping, and "寤眠思服" is used to describe a man who misses the woman he admires no matter he is awake or asleep.

In ancient Chinese, "眠" means closing one's eyes, but not necessarily falling asleep. "眠, 眠也" in "Yu Pian" means that one should close one's eyes first and then gradually fall asleep.

Why do we use pillows when sleeping?

The human spine is a straight line when viewed from the front, and has four physiological curves when viewed from the side. A sleeping pillow can protect the normal physiological curvature of the neck and maintain normal physiological activities during sleep. A pillow is a sleeping tool, generally composed of a pillow core and a pillowcase. It is a filler used by people for a comfortable sleep.

There are three basic elements to a high-quality pillow: basic structure to support the neck, appropriate height, and good filling material.

Pillows are divided into head pillows, lumbar pillows, back pillows, ear pillows, knee pillows, etc. according to their different functions.

According to the pillow core material, there are stone pillows such as jade and magnet, wood pillows such as sandalwood and cypress, Chinese medicine pillows such as cassia seed, silkworm sand, chrysanthemum, etc., soft pillows such as cotton, velvet and various chemical fiber pillows, as well as water pillows, air pillows, tea pillows and other pillows.

Should I close the windows when I sleep at night?

It is not recommended to close the windows completely when sleeping at night. Because when people fall asleep, they inhale about 300 ml of oxygen per minute and exhale about 250 ml of carbon dioxide. If you close the doors and windows completely when sleeping, there may be a sharp increase in indoor carbon dioxide and a decrease in oxygen, which threatens human health.

In the hot summer, we usually need to close the doors and windows when turning on the air conditioner, but it is not recommended to close them completely at this time. You can leave some gaps between the windows and doors.

In other cases, it is recommended to keep the indoor ventilation and fresh air, which is beneficial to people's health.