Here's Exactly Why You'll Want To Start Reading Before Bed

Doom-scrolling before bed may seem like a sure way to unwind, but it could be doing more harm than good. Screen time before bed can feel like the perfect escape from your long day, but it has significant side effects.

Side Effects of Screen Time Before Bed

Whether it’s a cell phone, laptop or another screen, it emits blue light. You might wonder, what is blue light, and how harmful is it? According to EyeSafe, “Blue light, also known as high-energy visible (HEV) light, is a color in the visible light spectrum that can be seen by human eyes…Unlike other forms of light, the eyes cannot effectively filter blue light, so more can pass through the eye to the retina.” It is harmful because it disrupts your body's production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. Though staying on your phone or binge-watching a series can feel like the ultimate lullaby, it’s actually interrupting your sleep schedule. 

A New Night Routine

If you want to improve your quality of sleep, consider changing your night routine by limiting your exposure to blue light. If you still crave being entertained before bed by getting lost in another world, discovering new characters, or getting lost in a story, reading before bed might be the best alternative. Believe it or not, reading before bed is good for you!

The Benefits of Reading Before Bed

Across the web, there are numerous articles discussing and providing research-based results on the benefits of reading. Here are lazy &Lit.’s top 3 benefits of reading before bed:

1. Better Sleep Quality - An online study done in 2021 asked nearly 500 participants, Group A, to read a book before bed for a week and another 500, Group B, to not read a book before bed. Results showed that 42% of the participants in Group A reported an improvement in their sleep quality, while Group B had only 12% of the participants report an improvement.
2. Relaxes and Eases Stress - Because blue light stimulates the brain, reading before bed has been proven to physically relax a person by slowing the heart rate and allowing the body to release muscle tension.
3. Improves Mental Health- Did you know reading for 6 minutes daily can reduce your stress by 68%? Adding reading to your night routine provides you with the opportunity to de-stress. 

Books To Read At Night

Experts recommend avoiding any book that could elevate your heart rate or cause distress, so maybe mystery, thriller and horror should be avoided. Consider genres like historical fiction, poetry, romance or fantasy. If you’re looking for recommendations, find your next book in, Captivating Books Written By Black Girls. 

Sources

Raypole, C. (2022, February 24). Reading before bed: How it can improve your sleep. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/reading-before-bed#benefits 

Reading before bed. Sleep Foundation. (2024, January 5). https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/reading-before-bed

Contributor: Billyne

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