Reading Routine: A Simple Road to well-being

Many of us engage in some or the other form of reading daily apart from school or college textbooks or reading for work purposes. Be it fiction, non-fiction, romance or thriller, the content you read affects your mind in a variety of emotional and cognitive ways. It is not just a leisure activity. Apart from improving vocabulary and increasing your general knowledge.

Read More: Top 8 benefits of Reading Books

Here are Some of How Reading Benefits your Mind

1. De-stressing

Reading can help you unwind. After all, many of us love the idea of forgetting about all other thoughts for a while and losing ourselves in the world of stories. Reading can be therapeutic and relaxing for the mind. A study conducted in 2009 at the University of Sussex and reported by The Telegraph (2009) found that reading can reduce stress by up to 68% and can work faster than most of the other relaxation techniques like listening to music, having a cup of tea, or going for a walk. Rizzolo et al. (2009) observed a significant decrease in stress levels among students who were exposed to reading intervention for 30 minutes several times over 3 weeks, alongside yoga and humour interventions.

2. Memory

Reading has been proven to increase memory, strengthen brain muscles and prevent Dementia by slowing down the rate of mental decline. A study published in the JAMA Psychiatry journal and conducted in Hong Kong showed that participation in intellectual activities like reading or playing a board game lowered the risk of dementia among older adults.

According to the authors, engaging in these activities lowered the risk of dementia several years down the line (Lee et al., 2018). Similarly, Chang, Wu and Hsiung (2020) in a longitudinal study found that reading may prevent cognitive decline among frequent readers over long periods, in their follow-ups over 14 years. Greater frequency and regularity of engagement in reading and other hobbies are also seen to lower the risk of dementia (Hughes et. al, 2010).

3. Empathy

The Reading Agency reported that according to research carried out for them, reading for pleasure can increase empathy, improve relationships, and reduce symptoms of depression. In a research article authors Bal and Veltkamp (2013) reported findings that showed that reading fiction influences the empathy of the reader but only when he/she is emotionally transported into the story. 

Stanfield and Bunce (2014) also found fiction to be associated with cognitive empathy and its ability to transport the reader to another reality with experiences of affective empathy. Roza and Guimaraes (2020) reviewed studies exploring the relationship between empathy and reading. Reading fiction can help one take a break and disconnect from everyday life by transporting them into another reality.

4. Better sleep and relaxation

Reading a few chapters before going to bed can help you fall asleep and keep you off your mobile screens which lower your quality of sleep and increase the time it takes for you to fall asleep. Reading will help you will help you get a good night’s rest (and probably some interesting dreams). A calming activity such as reading can be a good way to wind down your body and be inculcated as a part of your bedtime routine. Apart from that reading is also a mindful experience where one is rooted in the present and it engages one’s concentration for sustained periods.

Read More: What are the Psychological Benefits of Daily Reading?

E-reading or the traditional paperback?

E-reading is highly preferred these days, given its convenience and the large amount of reading material available for accessing online. However, E-reading on a device such as a phone, tablet or laptop for long durations can cause fatigue and eye strain much faster than it would from reading off paper. Using anti-glare e-ink-based e-readers is a much better option since they are designed specifically to protect one’s eyes from blue light.

Exposure to blue light emitted from electronic screens also negatively impacts sleep, delaying the amount of time taken to fall asleep. Sustained exposure suppresses melatonin and causes changes in your circadian rhythm, thus affecting the quality and duration of sleep.

Read More: The Therapeutic Benefits of Reading Fiction

Creating a reading routine – how do I get myself into it? Which is the right book for me?

Reading does not have to be time-consuming. It does not matter what kind of literature you wish to read; you will derive some benefit from it. Anything and everything from a fictional novel to self-help non-fiction books, even an article on the internet counts as reading. However, the reading regime should be quite frequent for these effects to manifest. To create a reading routine, here are some suggestions that might be helpful:

• Start with what makes you curious. Find reading material on topics of your interest such as art, sports, automobiles etc. or genres that interest you such as romance, fantasy-fiction, and thriller.
• Read short stories, articles, standalone novels, magazines, and comics to begin with.
• See if you can fit in reading time with an existing routine activity such as commuting.
• Dedicate some specific time of the day for reading, such as before bedtime.
• Set small reading goals such as one chapter a day or a few pages a day.
• Join a book club or start a small one with your friends/family. You may be motivated to read while looking forward to discussing the content with them. Book references are great conversation starters!