Nowadays, people can’t live without their phones or the internet, which is affecting their sleep quality extensively. If you do a Google search for “ways to get better sleep,” you will find reading books as one of the top ideas. That’s because reading before bed helps you fall asleep. And in this article, we’ll explain how.
There was a time when books were the only source of information and, everyone used to read books regularly to strengthen their knowledge and get good sleep during the night.
This habit was helpful and gave them a healthier life.
Even today, a few people love to read books before bed. Reading books is beneficial to you in many ways. It relaxes your brain, stimulates sleep hormones and increases your knowledge.
So, if you are wondering how books help you to sleep better, you are on the right page.
How Reading Before Bed Helps You Fall Asleep
Read on to find how you can improve your sleep along with reading your favorite books.
1. Reading Books Lowers your Stress Level
Stress is one of the main causes of insomnia.
A study at the University of Sussex has found that half an hour of good reading before bed helps in reducing the stress levels better than any other relaxation methods.
Therefore, several sleep experts advise you to read for some time before sleeping.
Every before bed activity is meant to relax your body and help you get sound sleep through the night.
Reading calms your brain and reduces the stress hormones which improves your sleep quality effectively. Hence, it is essential to have a good sleep pre-bed activity like reading books.
2. Reading is an Excellent Bedtime Routine
Among several other ways to get good sleep, having a bedtime routine is the most effective one.
It is advisable to hint your body a few hours before your bedtime that it is time to start the process of sleep.
It takes around an hour to prepare your mind and body to get into sleep mode. Reading is a time when your body is in a relaxed position and, your brain enjoys the book.
Therefore, you can get your eye shut faster and better. Also, reading before bed improves your creativity and imagination as everything you read before bed produces an image in your brain.
This helps you to remember things correctly.
Reading is like mental training which keeps your mind engage and free from troublesome thought which prevents you from sleeping.
Hence, reading is the best activity to do before sleep.
Increasing your sleep education is another good way to help you get sound sleep through the night.
You can take help from informative sites such as
3. Your Body Feels Relaxed
All through the day time, your body is in constant movement.
Depending on your profession, your body has to go through several pains and activities which sometimes create stress within your body.
Therefore it is said that you should relax up your body before you go to bed so that you can sleep better and recover your lost energy more efficiently during the night.
While reading books, you can sit in the most comfortable position to reduce any stress to your body.
Also, subconsciously you are relaxing your body and mind both at the same time.
To get good sleep relaxing up is very important. It increases the production of melatonin and cortisol which promotes your sleep quality.
4. You Move Towards a Healthier Lifestyle
The technology was intended to improve the quality of life and help humans to get work done with ease.
However, somehow it has become an addiction to people, especially for the young generation.
The first thing in the morning many people do is checking their social accounts on phones and the last item of the day is to watch television or TV shows on Netflix.
Most people are following these unhealthy practices which are costing your precious sleep.
The blue rays emitting from these techno gadgets are harmful to your sleep quality and keeps you awake for most of the time.
Anything that keeps you away from such devices is great for your sleep.
Reading books is a healthy habit which soothes your mind and allows your body to sleep without any stress.
Moreover, learning from real books is an experience which connects you from a real-world filled with all sort of pleasure.
5. Reading Offers You Dreamland
Usually, sleep comes in four stages. Stage one, two, three, and four (REM). The higher the sleep level, the better you sleep.
In the fourth stage which is REM (Rapid Eye Movement), you travel in the dreamland and experience altogether different worlds.
The dreams that come to you are based on your subconscious mind and everything that you have seen or experience in your life.
Mostly you don’t remember the dreams as you wake up but, it does improve your sleep giving you dreamy feel.
The type of books that you read before bed impacts your brain by initiating a dream picture for you.
Most readers have confirmed that they have been dreaming about the character of the book most times.
Benefits of Reading Before Bed
Now that you know the benefits of reading books before bed, you may understand why your parents still prefer to read books before going to sleep.
There is a reason why reading books was always a bedtime routine in most of the families.
During day time, it is difficult to stay back from technological gadgets and get some quality personal time for yourself.
However, if you start reading before bed, it gives your brain and body enough room to relax and reduce its stress.
So, grab a book in your hand and start improving your lifestyle and enjoy a sound sleep.
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About the Author
Ella Lauren works as a content writer at voonky.com. She is passionate about writing on different niches like food, technology, and travel. She loves to spend time in nature and exploring new places.
I like how you said that reading is kind of like mental training because we’re teaching our brain to stay engaged while avoiding troublesome thoughts. I’ve been having trouble falling asleep for about two weeks now, probably due to the stress of starting my new job. Reading your article made me excited to find some mystery books to buy so I can try reading them before trying to fall asleep!
What year you’ve written this article?