The Health Benefits of Reading
Reading — it’s probably one of the oldest past times and has been around ever since we’ve learned to put a pen to paper. A good book is always great entertainment and is one way to spend time productively no matter where you are. Reading is a lot more than just another activity to add into your daily schedule. It’s one of the best ways you can improve your mental and overall health. Need some convincing? Look below at our list of the health benefits of reading and see just how important picking up a book is for health and wellness.
Prevents Cognitive Decline
One of the reasons why doctors encourage patients to read more, especially later in life, is because it does wonders for our cognitive health. According to the Fischer Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, reading, writing, and other mentally stimulating activities is one of the best ways to keep your thinking skills and memory healthy. This is because reading is a little bit like exercise for your brain. It helps improve your overall brain function, and can even lower beta-amyloid levels, which is a brain protein that plays a big role in developing Alzheimer’s. So, if you want to keep your mind strong 20, 30 years down the line, it’s time to do a bit more reading.
Relieves Stress
Previously, we wrote about ‘Common Ways of Dealing with Stress’, and how stress can lead to a number of health issues. Reading is one way you can lessen the stress in your life, as it can help slow down your heart rate, reduce muscle tension, and reduce overall stress levels by up to 68%. These positive effects can occur in as little as just six minutes of reading, which means reading can decrease stress faster than listening to music or drinking a relaxation tea! What you read is also very important. Certain books can help improve mindfulness and developing healthy mental habits. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a go-to book for many in this respect. Coelho’s fable about a shepherd searching for treasure is an international bestseller precisely because of its nuggets of wisdom about life, purpose, and philosophy. Consider choosing books that promote healthy habits, mindset, and enlightenment. If you are seeking relaxation and stress relief, a thriller horror book may not be the best choice.
Improves Sleep
Finding it hard to get to sleep lately? It might be time for you to pick up a book. Raman Malhotra, MD of the Washington University Sleep Center says that reading is one of the best ways to prime your body for sleep. As previously discussed, reading lowers heart rate and muscle tension, which are both physical changes that occur when someone goes to sleep. No wonder it’s effective in improving sleep! Reading before bed is also much more effective if you do it regularly. Establishing a regular bedtime reading routine is an effective way to ensure you are getting to sleep on time while also performing the perfect wind down activity. As you read, your heart rate slows down and you’re able to separate your ‘sleep time’ from the stressors and excitement of the day. If you are using an electronic device to read be aware that the blue light emitted from these devices can prevent you from producing melatonin, a hormone that plays a role in achieving good quality sleep. Knowing this, turn off blue light emitting devices at least two hours before bed and consider picking up a book.
Improves Intelligence
‘Bookish’ is often another word used to describe a scholarly person, and it’s not hard to understand why. Reading has long been proven to be an important factor in improving intelligence. Experts at Health line write that reading can strengthen problem-solving abilities and activate multiple areas of the brain over time. This improves cognitive connections and can even boost concentration. Reading is also the best way to improve your vocabulary and help you learn more information. Through reading books such as Sasha Sagan’s For Small Creatures Such as We, we learn a little bit more about the wonders of the world we live in. Books about different cultures help us improve our empathy, which is especially important in the multicultural, global world we live in today. Article contributed by Roanne John Exclusively for MD CONNECTED
