DO YOU EVEN READ BRO? The Benefits of Picking Up a Book

 It's around 9:00pm, the kids are asleep, the house is getting more and more relaxing by the minute, and after this long day I am lifting up the down comforter on my king sized bed about to lay down for the night. FINALLY, some much needed relaxation. About six months ago I would have reached for the tv remote and either put on the most recent show that I had been watching the night before, or scrolled for about 10 minutes through the vast universe of shows and movies on Hulu, Netflix, Prime TV, etc. I enjoyed my nightly routine. It was comfortable to me. Naturally I am a lazy person so this fit perfectly into my routine. If I'm being honest, I once didn't work for four days and I binged watched all six seasons of The Sopranos. Yeah I know, not really the makings of a successful person. So six months ago I decided to make a change. I've always been a really light sleeper, but my sleep had been awful for a few months. I felt so fatigued for the majority of my day, and then at night I couldn't fall asleep comfortably. It was a vicious cycle. I knew that sleep was very important for your body to function properly, and getting maybe 4 solid hours of sleep a night was really taking it's toll. 

I started doing some research on sleep, and what could be causing my issue. One of the many things that stood out was screen time. It kept coming up over and over again that the use of screens later in the evening could cause your mind to not shut down properly and in essence keep you in half sleep throughout the night. For a naturally light sleeper that has to get up at least once a night to relieve himself, that's a nightmare! I found out that the of watching screens before bed can suppress our melatonin, which is the hormone that is released to help us wind down and feel sleepy, and it can raise our cortisol, which is the hormone that keeps us alert. It made perfect sense. I always wondered why my body could be so tired yet it wasn't easy to fall asleep. Little did I know that the tools I were using to wind down, were the wrong tools. I was using a screwdriver to hammer in a nail. It was time to try something different. 

In a Healthline article in 2023 it suggested that picking up a book before bed instead of watching TV or scrolling social media can be life changing. It can ease stress, improve sleep quality, relieve insomnia, and promote longer sleep. It even said that it could potentially help you live longer. I didn't buy to much into that, but it's a great idea. It also mentioned that you would want to read a real book and not a an ebook. Makes sense considering the premise of a book before bed is to stay away from screens. So I went for it. What could it hurt to try it for a week. 

Throughout my life I was not a big reader. I think through college I read one, maybe two books cover to cover. At certain times in my life I would try to start a reading journey, but I would start a book, and then life got busy. It would be so much easier to get home from a long day and click on the TV instead of having to put any effort into reading. I think for a long time I associated reading with school or studying. That was just more work for me. If I was going to do this I would have to shift that mindset. I started by reading a couple pages during the day to see if the book sparked an interest. I found one called "The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People" By Stephen Covey. Let me preface with the fact that I tried a fiction book, but it just did not speak to me. Since I've become a working adult I've always been curious about self development so I figured I'd start with a self development book. So everyday while I was cooling down after the gym, and every night before bed for a week I read. By the end of the week, I actually started to look forward to it. Especially after my workouts. It was nice to cool down with some classical music in my headphones and a book in my hands. Was I becoming a reader? 

I will say that it took me about three weeks to finish the book, but I felt so accomplished when I did. Within six months I've actually ready four books, and I'm starting another one that is over 500 pages. I'm a little nervous, but I am determined to finish it inside a month. Might seem like a long time, but I really only read after the gym and before bed at the moment. As far as my sleep goes, I didn't notice a huge change after 7 days, but after about a month it was very apparent that this new routine was helping. I would wake up more rested which in turn has help me become more productive during the day. I also wouldn't feel like I was half asleep as much during the night. Before I would wake up randomly through the night and look at my phone and it was only two hours after I had fallen asleep. Then three, then four, until it was time to wake up. Now most days if I wake up in the night it is really only to relieve myself. Other than that I usually wake up with my alarm. That being said, my next habit needs to be not drinking anything an hour or so before bed. Then I might be able to sleep through the whole night. 

Sleep is not the only benefit to reading. According to Angela Buttimer, MS, NCC, RYT, LPC, a facilitator at Thomas F. Chapman Family Cancer Wellness at Piedmont, reading can boost empathy for others which can create healthier relationships, increase cognitive function and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's, and reduce stress. Check out out the article on the Piedmont website. With all these benefits to be had from picking up a book for 15-30 minutes, what do you have to lose by trying it? If you're having trouble sleeping, try picking up a book before bed. In my research I also came across the fact that an audio book can be a great alternative for someone that is not a big fan of reading. Take that step and let your reading journey commence.