We have all been taught of how books are our best friends, best teachers, and how they help us become better human beings. However, since we have become a generation of browsers and clickers, many of us have lost the ability to focus. In fact, some of us can’t even focus enough to read a book anymore.
For many, overwhelmed by the pressures of work and society, it has become hard to concentrate and to disconnect from our daily problems. More and more people are having a hard time sleeping at night while others have restless nights, and even after spending a great amount of time in bed, they wake up tired. Sleeping pills sales have boosted in recent years as as proof of that.
Constant lack of quality sleep can lead to many problems such as eating disorders, memory loss, irritation, anxiety and even more serious complications, such as depression.
However, it is quite possible that by adopting the habit of reading just before bedtime, you can relax more. That endorses the fact that books affect our minds in a positive way - books have a positive impact in our memories and in our mental abilities. Book have a great power to alter our consciousness because the act of reading is an active engaging of the imagination. While the mind is engaged in the realm of words, the body de-stresses making it easier to fall asleep.
In a study at the Sussex University, a group of volunteers reduced their stress by 68% after leafing through a book for a few minutes, relieving their muscle tension and decreasing the rhythm of their heartbeats.
Clinical experiments conducted by the University of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, have also led to the conclusion that reading before bedtime not only contributes for a better sleep, but also functions as a stress management strategy.
However, for the book to be able to provide all these mental benefits, its subject has to evoke feelings of wellness on the reader. You can click here for a few suggestions on books that are good to read before bedtime. And even if you don’t have problems sleeping, we must not forget this great quote by Dr. Seuss: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
