We all know reading is an excellent way to get your brain working and push it to its limits to learn and grow. Where there was a time when some people couldn’t put down their book until their head dozed off on the book and glasses still lay hung up on the bridge of the nose; nowadays mobile phones and Netflix have stolen this all. 

 

But the real question is, should I read books before bed?

 

Those who truly care about their personal development would know how important it is to dedicate a few hours before bedtime to kick-start a journey full of imagination and creativity.

Where a few people find listening to audiobooks helps them sleep better, many try to go the traditional way and unwind their day with a good book.

 

Boosts Brain Power

When you read, you expose yourself to different life stories, problems, personalities, and solutions which would inevitably expand your brain activity and make you smarter. Over the years, many successful people like Elon Musk, who holds a degree in Economics and Physics yet managed to build a rocket by reading books. An example of this could be Warren Buffet, who revealed that he reads for at least 5 to 6 hours of his time only to implement that into his investing.  

 

And as they say, you never solve a problem by being in the same mindset as were when you first encountered the problem. Reading plays a major role here. Every night you’re actively learning and growing your mindset which is likely to help you shift perspectives and solve the obstacles in a way never possible before. 

 

The best part is, if you aren’t a big fan of nonfiction books, you can never go wrong with fiction books thanks to their exemplifying creative writing and imagination. Where nonfiction shows real-life stories and practical advice on various aspects, fiction goes way beyond these tangible problems in your life. 

 

Reading before bed, in general, can improve concentration, vocabulary and exercise your brain to always generate new ideas and positively. In fact, according to Ken Hugh’s Ph.D., you enhance numerous parts of the brain like vision, associative learning, and language through reading books than with anything else.

 

Improves Sleep Quality 

Just like the concept of working out and how it tires your body to sleep, reading has the same effects on your mind. If you’ve read at least one book before sleeping you must know how quickly you doze off after reading a few pages. This could even be the reason why you’re reading this article in the first place. 

 

Is reading before bed really good if you only get to read for less than an hour? 

 

Well, here’s how it all works: if you switch off the blue light from your screen, your brain is already too occupied with thoughts from everything you saw throughout the day but never got a chance to reflect. When you pick up a paper book to read, your eyes go through each page in a very patterned way. Going from left to right, reading, focusing, picturing, and bringing lifeless words to life requires a lot of brainpower, which, in turn, will tire your mind and help you sleep faster and deeper. 

 

Have you ever found yourself dozing off as you’re reading?  It’s a perfectly normal response to being still and not exposing yourself to the blue LED light (assuming you’re reading a paper book). If you’ve chosen to read something particularly boring, it’s likely to put you to sleep even faster.

 

You can also make a perfect cozy enrolment every night before sleeping to enhance its effects. This can be done by only switching on a lamp, a warm blanket, a relaxing atmosphere, and getting lost in your favorite books. You can also set up goals and challenges to reading a particular number of books a week to motivate you to dedicate separate time to reading. 

 

Reduces Screen Time to a Great Extent 

Although we have touched on this concept in the previous point, limiting screen light needed some more reiteration. 

 

As you already know by now that books help you fall asleep faster and in the most peaceful way possible. This is because unlike the blue light emitted from the screens of your gadgets, paper books positively affect the secret melatonin which is a hormone responsible to make you feel sleepy. 

 

Since it’s recommended to put away screens at least an hour before bedtime your mind can get into the night mode and prepare itself to sleep. And, as you already know, a physical book can go a long way here. When we say this we aren’t referring to e-books since it also comes with blue light even if you’ve turned on the blue light filter. 

 

The more you spend time buried in the book, the more you get fond of the world of books than the world of screens. And who knows when you switch your unhealthy lifestyle filled with toxic social media to a healthier one? 

 

Helps You To Wake Up Mentally Relaxed

Reading before bed ensures you have the peaceful sleep that you’ve always craved. After a hectic day at work, if you manage to stack up a few if not hours, minutes to unwind with great books and find a way to positively escape the brutal reality. 

 

Many people have claimed that reading before bed has helped them to sleep peacefully and wake up with a refreshed mind. 

 

Consciously, if you feed yourself with good thoughts and creativity, you’re going to start your day with quality thoughts which then can yield a happier life. This way, you are more energized the entire day to welcome a set of obstacles and opportunities to tackle and grow. 

Read More: 10 Books That Can Make You Mentally Strong

 

Reading Before Bed Improves Creativity

We all love learning more than studying. Learning is fun; you get to indulge yourself in things that you never thought you would be interested in, and the experience and lessons always make it easier to understand the important aspects of life without it feeling like an actual school class. 

 

By reading at night you get to expand your imagination, build a world of your own and connect with characters or stories of successful people to help you create a story of your life. A study done in Toronto indicated that dedicating time to reading can improve vocabulary, general knowledge, creativity, and verbal skills which fuel the quality of life. 

 

Something is fascinating about viewing the world from the perspectives of other people and creatures (if we are talking about fantasy books here) and the way they submerge themselves in problems and rise above challenges that motivates you to do the same. And if you have been thinking you can achieve the same results by binging on Netflix all night, I’m here to inform you that you could be any more wrong than this. Sure, watching can also help you put yourself in the shoes of others and experience a different world but it will always lack the deep snort details that you can only imagine in your head.

 

All in all, this way you get to approach your problems differently, create strong convictions, and work out situations more creatively than people who don’t read regularly. 

 

Stay Up to Date With Current Events 

Ever wondered why our school education revolves around reading chunky textbooks rather than watching the tutorials on television? By reading the information you’re likely to remember and take in information 10 times better than by watching it online. 

 

If you’re someone who’s not fond of reading fiction or nonfiction books, you can always opt for daily news pages to keep yourself up to date with the current events going around in the world. 

This way you get to improve your vocabulary, and general knowledge and gain awareness of the issues going around in the world. Its effects don’t end here. By looking at the world besides your neighborhood, you truly get to understand the poverty and social issues going on so you can actively take part and make the world a better place. 

 

Reading even if it’s a trashing piece of writing can also help you learn a lot. If not good, then it shows you the bad side of life too, which can later help you make more educated decisions in life.  If we specifically talk about magazines, I would still have to say the same. Many experienced writers put in hours of hard work to craft quality content filled with research and knowledge that you can take advantage of.  

 

Influences Positive Dreams 

It’s not very uncommon for people to wake up to nightmares every few hours throughout the night. This will not only affect the quality of your sleep but is likely to keep your energy low for the whole day as well. You are indeed most likely to dream about the last thoughts you had before going to sleep. By reading positive and entertaining books at night, you can influence your dreams and dream of happy characters and lessons you learned from the book. As a result, you become a calmer and more pleasant person in general.