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Culture May 7, 2020
Sorry! I'm Booked Tonight.
After a long day of sitting at a desk, the last thing some people want to do is lie in their bed and read. However, grabbing a book before bed is important. Why is reading important? It’s extremely beneficial for the mind, body, and soul.
Reading for just 15 to 30 minutes every night could boost your vocabulary, imagination, and creativity.
Delving into a book takes the reader to a new world. The setting, characters, and storyline are just the beginning; books allow you to escape and grow your imagination. Without direct images of settings and characters, you have endless possibilities to form a mental picture of every scene. You can make assumptions about characters without judgment. By reading more books, we learn about different perspectives. With more perspectives, we see the world in a new light. We gain intelligence. Additionally, reading helps to strengthen vocabulary and communication.
When we start a book, we don’t jump to William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens; instead, we begin with simple sentences. Reading takes practice. As our reading levels grow, our selection of books grows too. When you’re an adult, you can still strengthen your communication skills immensely, so why not pick up one of your favorite books?
A chapter before bed not only strengthens your brain and communication skills, but also prepares your body to go to sleep. Take a digital detox.
Several scientific studies show that electronics before bed produce stimulation and blue light that have adverse sleep effects. According to the National Sleep Foundation, electronics before sleep can, “delay the body’s circadian rhythm, suppresses the release of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, and makes it more difficult to fall asleep.”
Instead, if you read a book before going to bed, your body will not be exposed to blue light and will, therefore, allow the body to rest. However, you don’t always need to read a printed book before bed. Some Kindle Readers (e-ink e-readers) emit little to no blue light, making them safer to read before going to bed. So, if you’re like me and prefer all of your books on one slim device, don’t worry you still can.
If you begin reading for 15 to 30 minutes every night, your body will build a habit. The brain will then correlate reading with getting ready for bed, which will allow the body to wind down and prepare to rest. Soon, instead of grabbing for your phone to scroll through social media or binging a new Netflix series, once you hit the hay, your body will desire to read.
So, why is reading important? Not only will you get better sleep, but your brain, communication skills, and imagination will grow tremendously. Now go ahead, stop reading this article, get cozy, and snuggle up with your favorite book before getting a good night’s sleep. You’re booked tonight.
