Why Reading Can Make You Feel Sleepy
It's late at night and you decide to curl up with a good book before bed. Within minutes your eyes grow heavy. The next thing you know it's morning and your book lays open on your chest where you left off the night before. Sound familiar? If so, you're not alone. Many avid readers have experienced feeling unexpectedly drowsy when reading. But why exactly can reading make you feel so sleepy?
The Relaxing Nature of Reading
For many people, reading is a calming and relaxing activity. When you read a book or article that interests you, it naturally captures your attention and takes your mind off other worries or stresses of the day. This allows both your body and mind to relax. But this sense of relaxation also signals your body that it's time to go into rest mode. The calmer you feel from reading, the sleepier you may become.
In particular, reading in a quiet environment removed from noise and distractions maximizes this calming effect. Sitting still in a cozy spot such as your bed while focusing on the pages in front of you can induce sleepiness. This reaction happens involuntarily even if you don't necessarily feel tired before picking up your book.
Eye Strain and Fatigue
Staring at small print for an extended period can also simply strain and fatigue your eyes. The longer you read without giving your eyes a break, the heavier and more strained they may begin to feel. This type of eye fatigue reduces energy and alertness in your whole body, making you feel drowsy.
In some cases, underlying vision problems may even come into play. For example, if you have undiagnosed nearsightedness, reading fine print will require extra effort and concentation from your eye muscles. Or if you need reading glasses but don't have them on, squinting at the pages puts more work on your eyes. Both scenarios can drain energy and make you feel sleepy.
Disruption of Circadian Rhythms
Our internal circadian clock governs times of wakefulness and sleepiness over a 24-hour cycle. Reading extensively in the evening around bedtime or late into the night can throw off these natural rhythms. Exposing your brain to additional stimulus from reading when your body expects to wind down and prepare for sleep fights against your hard-wired clock. This confusion between wakefulness and sleep can spur grogginess and doziness.
Similarly, reading soon after waking up in the morning before you feel fully alert also works against your circadian signals. Your body releases specific hormones upon waking to boost alertness and energy levels. Reading during this period makes it more challenging for those signals to take effect, keeping you in a foggy state.
Tips to Avoid Feeling Sleepy When Reading
While the reasons reading often leads to sleepiness are natural bodily responses, there are some simple ways to help counteract this effect when you want to remain awake and attentive:
Read in a Brightly Lit Room
Make sure wherever you are reading has optimal lighting conditions. Dim lighting exacerbates eye strain and natural melatonin production to spur tiredness. Bright overhead and natural lighting helps keep you alert.
Take Regular Breaks
Give your eyes frequent breaks by looking up from the page for a few minutes every 20-30 pages. Gaze at something in the distance or get up and move around to increase blood flow. This prevents eye strain from building up.
Remain Upright and Active
Avoid curling up in bed or too relaxed of a position which can make your body think it's bedtime. Remain upright in a chair and periodically tap your feet, stretch your legs, or get a drink of water.
Play Background Noise
A small amount of white noise from a fan, music, podcast, etc. creates stimulation to keep your brain engaged. The background noise also replicates the energizing hum of activity you experience out in public spaces reading.
Consume Caffeine in Moderation
A small cup of coffee or tea gives you a gentle caffeine boost to counter lulls of sleepiness as you read. But don't overdo it late at night or caffeine may interfere with your ability to fall asleep at bedtime.
Set a Reading Timer
As much as you want to get lost in the pages, forcing yourself to put the book down after a set time prevents entering prolonged periods of strain and fatigue. Aim to take a longer break from reading every 45-60 minutes.
The Benefits of Listening Versus Reading Before Bed
Since reading often leads to increased drowsiness due to eye strain and circadian disruption, consider switching formats when reading at night. Consuming books via audiobooks and podcasts reduces eye fatigue and may have less of a sleep-inducing effect.
In particular, studies show that listening triggers different regions of the brain than visually reading. Hearing a story unfold doesn't necessarily relax your mind and body to the same degree as sitting and looking at pages for continuous minutes on end. Therefore, you may able to get through more content without fighting waves of sleepiness.
Additionally, audio books and podcasts enable easy multitasking. You can continue prepping for bed, folding laundry, or tidying up while simultaneously enjoying the story. The activity and motion helps you resist growing sleepy compared to sitting motionless with book in hand.
Best Practices for Nighttime Listening
To optimize audiobooks and podcasts for evening reading, follow these tips:
- Set a sleep timer to shut off audio after a set duration
- Select productions with a single narrator rather than full dramatizations
- Play at low volume to promote relaxation without overstimulation
- Choose lighter non-fiction or funny fiction genres rather than intense thrillers
Summing It All Up
Feeling unexpectedly drowsy when sitting down to read is very common due to natural bodily responses. Eye strain, circadian disruption, and the inherently calming nature of reading all spur sleep cues that can be difficult to fight off.
But armed with the right strategies such as proper lighting, activity, and breaks, you can make it through more pages before fatigue sets in. Just be gentle with yourself knowing that becoming sleepy frequently occurs as a normal reaction to reading.
FAQs
Why do my eyes get tired when I read for a long time?
Staring at small print causes your eye muscles to strain. The longer you read without giving your eyes a break, the more fatigued your eyes become. Eye fatigue leads to overall drowsiness.
Why do I fall asleep more easily when reading in bed?
Being in a cozy, relaxing position makes your body think it's time to sleep. Reclining in bed when reading reinforces your brain’s signal that bed is for resting.
Is reading before bedtime the reason I can’t fall asleep?
Reading before bed can confuse your natural circadian rhythms. The stimulus of reading when your body expects to wind down and sleep can hinder your ability to fall asleep.
Should I switch to audiobooks if reading makes me sleepy?
Yes, listening to audiobooks reduces eye strain and may be less sleep-inducing than visual reading. Being active while listening also helps you remain alert.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
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