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As a child, you probably had your parents reading you stories before you went to bed. And after growing up a little more, you more than likely had them telling you to go to bed early in order to read a book on your own before sleeping. That is because reading before bed has lots of benefits and can play a huge role in shifting your sleeping patterns in a good way. Reading before bed can help improve the quality of your sleep for different reasons. Here are some of the main benefits of reading before bed:
Training your brain to read before bed
The mind is like a muscle. Your brain has to be exercised to work at its best, just like any other muscle. Many people would be relieved to learn that there are other activities besides reading that can aid to enhance brain function. If you like, you can also decide to play video games. It can enhance cognitive abilities as well as hand-eye coordination. Playing games like zoome casino CA may help you think more clearly and absorb information faster.
However, reading is still one of the best workouts for your brain. It isn’t as simple or as natural as it seems to be. Reading solicits many of your abilities, such as your ability to:
- Connect words to form meanings,
- Picture scenes in your head, and
- Imagine scents and sounds,
These naturally represent a lot of work for your brain. Challenging your brain in such a way every night can only have positive consequences on its condition. Besides, unlike other workouts, reading isn’t extenuating nor repetitive. It is quite enjoyable in the sense that it helps you relax and at the same time exercise enjoyably.
On top of this, it has lately been discovered that reading (before bed or not) can be a tremendous way to prevent Alzheimer’s, since training your brain on a daily basis can help to face the threat of memory loss. What’s more, reading before bed can also potentially help you reduce or even completely stop snoring.
Benefits of reading before bed
1. Stress buster
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According to many studies, reading before bed can reduce stress by 68%, thus helping you sleep much more peacefully. That sounds quite logical in the way that reading takes your mind off your worries and whatever may stress you out when you are about to sleep. When you focus on the story you are reading, your mind clears up and you naturally relax and let loose.
As we have said before, reading engages your imagination, which makes tension fade away to make room for a much more tranquil state of mind.
Moreover, it has been discovered that reading before bed is one of the best ways to cope with insomnia. It can also be a way to deal with jet lag if you’re a frequent traveler! It is definitely a tip you can add to the list of tips we talked about in the article about the different ways to handle sleep deprivation and the benefits of adjustable beds.
2. Makes you replace electronic devices with books
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Earlier when we talked about sleep deprivation and adjustable beds, we mentioned how blue lights can disturb your sleeping patterns. When you get into the habit of reading before bed, you naturally get into the habit of no longer using your electronic devices before bed, which has one of the best effects on the quality of your sleep, as this helps you rest better when sleeping.
Melatonin and bright LCD displays hamper sleep quality
When using your phone or any other electronic device emitting blue light, your production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates your sleeping patterns and makes you sleepy, decreases and gets limited. That way, your brain stays alert and awake, instead of getting fuzzy and wanting you to sleep.
Turn-off phone notifications
Besides, having your phone around will be nothing more than disturbing as notifications will always keep you awake. It is much better to turn it off and grab a book instead that will make you cut ties with reality.
Of course, using your devices to read is no excuse. Remember, it is not about what you do with your phone, but rather about how the light of your phone or your laptop keeps you awake.
3. Improves your creativity
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Last but not least, reading before bed is one of the best ways to boost your creativity. Being exposed to so many words and phrase structures every night will do wonders to your brain and its ability to come up with new ideas and new concepts.
The more you read, and the more universes you discover, the more personalities you get to become familiar with, and the more stories you try to imagine the end of. And if you’re too tired to imagine, just pick up a universe with a complete arc, like a Spider-Man run. You could get Dan Slott’s massive run in one reading order, or the symbiote storyline leading into Secret Wars, or the entire Ben Reilly Clone Saga, or the Mark Millar Civil War omnibus. It doesn’t even have to be limited to Spider-Man, there are so many fun comic book universes you could explore, from Marvel and DC to Image Comics and Dark Horse, with amazing titles like Berserker, Invincible, The Boys, and so on.
Who knows, this might even help you write books in the future. All of these activities pique your interest at a young age, and reading can help you improve significantly. If you are into writing, reading can also help you improve your grammar and syntax structure. If this isn’t your strong suit, you may always hire a book editor canada or somewhere nearby. You get to learn about various perspectives and points of view which opens your mind, and you get to reach worlds that you may have never ever pictured before. When reading, your mind creates images you never thought of before, and the stimulation of so many of your senses improves your creativity skills.
On top of that, reading before bed can also have an influence on what comes after falling asleep: your dreams. Sleeping with a book in your hand or on your face will likely make you dream about the recent castle the main character was locked in, or about the latest tempest the crew of your novel was facing. No matter what, you will definitely not be dreaming about reality!
Correct posture for reading in bed
Adopting the proper posture while reading in bed is extremely important. Sitting in an incorrect posture for a long period can sprain your neck, back, arms or any combination of them. This can cause severe pain eventually and might require you to seek ortho urgent care to remedy it if it’s left unaddressed. This is why it’s very important that you adopt the right posture when reading in bed. You need to keep your back and head straight while reading; this will help you preserve your neck and back for decades of reading down the lane.
If finances are not a ‘deal breaker’, I highly recommend that you opt for an adjustable bed with pillow tilting. Pillow tilting is only seen on high-end adjustable beds even as of 2018; however, our best rated adjustable beds like the Glideaway adjustable beds and Leggett and Platt Prodigy 2.0 come with built-in pillow tilting feature.