Quality sleep is as important as adequate sleep for living in focused energy. I was a bit surprised when my Jawbone UP coach recently suggested that reading before bed would improve my sleep quality. If that’s true for me it might be true for your, too.
The Atlantic published an article about the decline of the American book lover, specifically leisure or pleasure readers. If my reading patterns reflect the general American public, I can see why it would look like there’s a decline in pleasure reading: I read many more business and self-improvement books presently than leisure books. That’s a trend I’m changing, though, as leisure reading is my night-time reading.
The first question I had was why reading would improve my sleep quality. I do read before bed because it helps me unwind from the day, get sleepy, and drift off more quickly after turning out the lights, but I thought that was just me. What is your experience with reading before going to sleep?
But I still didn’t understand why the quality improves with reading.
Reading lowers your stress levels more quickly and effectively than other commonly accepted stress reducers like walking and listening to music. So my personal reaction correlates with science. But how does that improve sleep quality?
Part of the answer lies in the degree of satisfaction you have with your evening activities. If you do things that you choose and that make you feel content, your satisfaction is higher and you will sleep better. Also, evening activities involving lower mental effort are highly correlated and better sleep quality.
A nighttime routine — in fact, more daily routine in general — is connected to better sleep. The sooner you signal your brain and body it’s time to shut down, the sooner sleep comes. It seems that routine is important for keeping your circadian rhythms stable, and that helps sleep quality. With reading as part of your bedtime routine you can de-stress your brain, as long as you don’t read anything too stimulating. The signal for sleep starts as soon as you start your night routine and carries through to lights out.
Blue light can be an issue with your sleep. If you read from an e-reader make sure you use it in night mode. If you read a paper book strive for a yellower light, again avoiding blue light. When you travel you may not have much choice about the light quality, so traveling with a pair of yellow-lens glasses could be an option, or stick with your night-mode e-reader.
Now, I don’t want to get into a personal discussion here beyond reading before sleep, but some argue that bed should be for sleep only, and…uh…also for adult activities – not for reading, tv, or discussion. If you buy into that concept, then do your bedtime reading in an easy chair and trundle off to bed after you wind down and get sleepy.
The research shared by The Atlantic article indicates that the decline in reading since 1992 has leveled out. Maybe people are realizing that relaxing reading — not just business reading — has value. Maybe people are starting to value the sleep benefits of light reading before bed.
Since inadequate sleep — quantity and quality — are being associated with many of modern society’s ailments, maybe book reading to improve sleep can improve all that ails us. Reading before bed may be about more than “just” quality sleep.
Pick up some light reading before bed tonight and see how your sleep improves. Then you can see if you are more readily able to live in focused energy.