Study: Reading Before Bed Can Lead To Better Sleep
I always have issues falling asleep, especially this week. Are you like me? Tired of waking up at 4 am and not being able to drift back off to sleep? You may want to crack open a book. Lots of us struggle with falling asleep or staying asleep all night and there are all kinds of fixes to help, but if the melatonin or lavender essential oil isn’t working for you, new research suggests reading might help.
A new small survey of 250 adults finds that those who identify as bedtime readers get an extra 25 minutes of sleep compared to those who don’t read before bed. And people who read to help them fall asleep consider it an effective sleep aid. It’s worth mentioning that the survey was conducted by Penguin Random House, a book publisher, but experts agree that reading is a healthy way to help you catch some ZZZs.
“Reading before bed is a great way to promote relaxation and wind down from your day, without blue light from electronics interrupting your sleep cycles,” explains sleep psychologist Dr. Joshua Tal. And if you’re going to read, go with a book and not a device because he says they can bypass and interrupt the “relaxation mechanism” that helps us fall asleep.
Source: Well and Good
