"There are only two things you can sleep with: one person and one book".
-Ray Bradbury-
More than a habit, it's a pleasure. Reading before bed frees us from a day of worry. This is a private moment where we immerse ourselves in a sea of letters, in a world of possibilities that takes us by the hand and takes the mind to exciting scenarios. This habit is one of the favorites of our brain because it likes to be nourished, stimulated, seduced every night.
Some people turn off the light on their nightstand or bedroom at the end of the last chapter of their book. They do it with this intoxicating pleasure when they perceive the weight of sleep on their eyelids and the tranquility in their minds that, perhaps, already creeps into the world of dreams. Others turn off the light late in the morning after watching many episodes of their favorite series. Some people drop on the pillow after spending a few hours between social networks, emails or WhatsApp groups.
Everyone has their habits, their customs and their way of life. However, like it or not, these routines before the night's rest determine in many cases our quality of life. If reading before sleep has always been an ancient and traditional tradition, now it is on the verge of extinction.
That this is so is not just real pain. It is also a way of neglecting our health and that of our brain. Let's see this in detail.
Read before sleep and its unsuspected benefits
Take a relaxing shower, put on comfortable clothes, prepare a good tea and then go to bed with a book. It is simple, economical and rewarding. More than that, it can even change our lives in many ways.
For those who think that we are exaggerating, it is enough to refer to what science tells us. Reading before going to sleep is ultimately a simple form of happiness that we should not abandon.
It's a very effective way of relaxation
A study by the organization "The Sleep Council" in the United Kingdom concluded with something very interesting. Namely, reading between half an hour or an hour before sleep significantly reduces our stress levels.
The mind is distracted and far from our daily pressures. We offer you a scenario where you can free yourself, feel safe and put it in perspective.
In the same way, it has been possible to demonstrate that our muscles also relax. Even more, our breathing slows down and becomes more rhythmic.
Reading is for experts the best alternative to television or electronic devices. They "cheat" the brain by making it believe that it is still daylight. All this is due to the blue light, which directly reduces the production of melatonin.
Improve our cognitive resistance
Although at present we still can not cure neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, there is an element in our favor. We have the ability to train our brain to make it stronger, stronger against cognitive decline.
One way to do this is to read. If, in addition, we have the habit of reading before going to sleep, we will optimize our brain processes even more. We will manage stress better. We will sleep better. We will stimulate our memory, our mental agility, our imagination ... It is worth taking into account.
Give our creativity a boost
A relaxed brain promotes a creative mind. A person who, night after night, feeds on stories, learning, stories, opportunities and fabulous discoveries, goes even further in inventiveness, originality and ability to create. Experts in reading psychology like Keith E. Stanovich of the University of Toronto also point out that few routines can be so beneficial for our children.
Reading before bed improves your culture, vocabulary and expressive skills. It also allows them to develop their abstract thinking.
Improve our empathy
Raymond Mar, a psychologist at the University of York in Canada, is one of the people who provided most of the work and studies to defend the premise that reading helps us be more empathetic. Novels and stories offer us a unique opportunity to develop this skill. We identify with the characters, we suffer with them, we laugh and we love them ...
All this leaves a mark. All this invites us to further improve our empathic capacity. In addition, and curious as it may seem, reading before bedtime improves this process. We are much more focused on our reading at this time. We are more focused on capturing emotions, making them more alive in our brains.
It allows us to enjoy a greater inner calm
Few things can be more negative than lying down in a bad mood. Annoyed by a complicated day of work. Embarrassed over some disagreement with our spouse. Concerned about the news, about what happened yesterday, about what we will have to do tomorrow.
We can "break" this cycle of worry through reading. Reading before bed is like taking a direct ticket to an island of peace. This allows us to be someone different, with other routines, other masks and other missions. We can, only for half an hour or two hours, allow us to connect with this parallel universe to rest from reality.
Doing so, offering us these moments of daily peace allows us to train our brains in the art of tranquility and relaxation. Do not hesitate to practice this exercise every night. Our health is worth it. Let's take a paper book (not electronic) and let us go wherever he wants.
