I’ve tried reading books in bed. But frankly, within minutes of flipping a page, I’m off to nighty, night sleep land.
So for me, what’s the use?
My experiences, however, should in no way be construed as throwing shade on the importance of reading books in bed. For winding your day down with a good read has many benefits in terms of a way to relax and de-stress.
Studies have found, as I can attest, that reading in bed can boost sleep quality, helping you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. One cautionary thought: It is best to read earlier in the evening so that you can mitigate any potential disruptions to your body’s natural sleep rhythms. And make sure your bed is comfortable. I know a number of people who have reading pillows and swear by them.
Reasons abound for why reaching for that book on your nightstand can serve as an elixir for our mindset and overall health. Researchers at the University of Sussex in the UK, in fact, assert that six minutes of reading reduces stress by 68%. Other benefits they discovered include brain stimulation, increased empathy, a boost in creativity, and a relief to chronic pain and dementia.
Akin to having a community of friends, bedtime reading can help mitigate feelings of isolation and loneliness, two of the major precursors to depression. So if you are finding that these are contributing to your sleeplessness, try reading as a catalyst for a good night’s sleep.
Then there’s the question of whether hardback/paperbacks or digital books are best for reading before bed. Many researchers believe that it’s the former as studies show that exposure to blue light from digital devices can adversely impact one’s sleep rhythms.
A 2015 study, in fact, found that the use of e-readers before bedtime can adversely impact one’s ability to fall asleep along with reducing your alertness the following morning. The good news is that the warm light setting on your Kindle can help to reduce the harsh blue light when you are reading at night. Same with using the night mode feature on your iPad if you are using an e-reading app.
Wearing a set of blue-light blocker spectacles while taking in a book in bed is another way you may be able to diminish any negative impact that blue light has on your sleep. SleepScore recommends blue-light-blocking glasses by Swanwick, which feature orange lenses that filter out more blue light than most other options.
Obviously, if you choose to read print books, you can completely steer clear of this blue light issue. Same as with audiobooks and meditation apps like Calm and Headspace which are growing in popularity and can help you relax and sleep.
“It really doesn’t matter what book you read,” says cognitive neuropsychologist Dr. David Lewis, one of the researchers who worked on University of Sussex study. “By losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book, you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world and spend a while exploring the domain of the author’s imagination.”
Do you read books in bed? If so, what value have you personally found from this practice? Please share your thoughts.
I find I can’t get to sleep if I don’t read before bed! Even if I’m completely exhausted, I’ll do a few pages because skipping it entirely just feels wrong, like I’ve forgotten something important.
Reading in bed is one of my favourite habits, and the way I wind down most nights before falling asleep. I've been doing this for as long as I can remember (except for the first few years after my son's birth when I fell into bed exhausted every night). 95% of the time it's a paper book; even though I now have a Kindle Paperwhite I avoid screens before falling asleep.
I read before bed and it's hit and miss. Sometimes I get a couple of chapters in and I'm tired and go to sleep. Other nights I stay up, engrossed in whatevver I'm reading. Either way it's relaxing and the part of my daily routine I most look forward to.
I read in bed almost every night, a habit I began as a child when I would read under the covers with a flashlight. The perils of reading a page turner in bed is that I've found myself turning the pages until the end way past the early morning hours. My body can't handle that any more so I am selective about my night-time reads versus the reads I tackle in the daylight. I may read more poetry. I have read short stories. I watch for voice. Right now I am reading "Braiding Sweetgrass" and am entranced. I go to sleep thinking big thoughts but filled with a sense of possibility. Unfortunately, I have had to go back and re-read some of the pages the next day. I think I will seek out a book to re-read at night and save "Sweetgrass" for the light of day.
Long before the Internet, I was a read-aholic. I would read a book while I was walking to swim team practice, keeping an eye on the edge of the road by the edge of my book. (Please understand, I said that I did it not that I would recommend it today. That was a much more rural time, but still not ideal.) I read everywhere and I could barely go to sleep without a book in my hand. When Kindles first came out it was so much like science fiction I had read 30 years earlier, and I couldn't believe I would be happy without the touch and feel of the pages, the smell and weight of the book. I always carried a book with me everywhere. More recently I discovered the joy of Audible. Perhaps this is because it is returning to a time when we read aloud to each other - at bedtime, but also while doing dishes or on a rainy day at the cabin or in a tent. For the 1st time ever, I now have computer glasses with blue light blockers, so I can read in bed from my phone, no matter where my day's journeys have taken me. Reading in bed? Isn't that kind of like breathing?
I find I can’t get to sleep if I don’t read before bed! Even if I’m completely exhausted, I’ll do a few pages because skipping it entirely just feels wrong, like I’ve forgotten something important.
Reading in bed is one of my favourite habits, and the way I wind down most nights before falling asleep. I've been doing this for as long as I can remember (except for the first few years after my son's birth when I fell into bed exhausted every night). 95% of the time it's a paper book; even though I now have a Kindle Paperwhite I avoid screens before falling asleep.
I read before bed and it's hit and miss. Sometimes I get a couple of chapters in and I'm tired and go to sleep. Other nights I stay up, engrossed in whatevver I'm reading. Either way it's relaxing and the part of my daily routine I most look forward to.
I read in bed almost every night, a habit I began as a child when I would read under the covers with a flashlight. The perils of reading a page turner in bed is that I've found myself turning the pages until the end way past the early morning hours. My body can't handle that any more so I am selective about my night-time reads versus the reads I tackle in the daylight. I may read more poetry. I have read short stories. I watch for voice. Right now I am reading "Braiding Sweetgrass" and am entranced. I go to sleep thinking big thoughts but filled with a sense of possibility. Unfortunately, I have had to go back and re-read some of the pages the next day. I think I will seek out a book to re-read at night and save "Sweetgrass" for the light of day.
Long before the Internet, I was a read-aholic. I would read a book while I was walking to swim team practice, keeping an eye on the edge of the road by the edge of my book. (Please understand, I said that I did it not that I would recommend it today. That was a much more rural time, but still not ideal.) I read everywhere and I could barely go to sleep without a book in my hand. When Kindles first came out it was so much like science fiction I had read 30 years earlier, and I couldn't believe I would be happy without the touch and feel of the pages, the smell and weight of the book. I always carried a book with me everywhere. More recently I discovered the joy of Audible. Perhaps this is because it is returning to a time when we read aloud to each other - at bedtime, but also while doing dishes or on a rainy day at the cabin or in a tent. For the 1st time ever, I now have computer glasses with blue light blockers, so I can read in bed from my phone, no matter where my day's journeys have taken me. Reading in bed? Isn't that kind of like breathing?