ReadingHacks poll: Does reading make you sleepy?

by jonathan on August 1, 2008

I was thinking about reading habits today. It is my job afterall. In particular, I was thinking about the fact that when I read in bed at night it tends to make me sleepy and I often struggle to get through more than a handful of pages. My wife on the other hand may start a book in the evening, and depending on the book, it is quite possible that she will find herself unable to sleep until she has finished it.

This may just be a function of whether you are a night owl or and early-to-bed type person. I’m not really sure.

What about you? Is reading more likely to put you to sleep, or wake you up.

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

1 gizo August 3, 2008 at 10:14 pm

Historically, reading keeps me awake. But the stimulus/response of the bed and the low lights is too powerful these days.

2 jonathan August 4, 2008 at 8:10 am

gizo – I wonder if that is age or parenthood?

3 vetti August 5, 2008 at 9:41 pm

i’m a night owl, but reading has never made me sleepy – in or out of bed.

4 Elana Bowman September 26, 2008 at 1:53 pm

That’s interesting! I think generally speaking most people read books to their children from a very young age before bedtime. So we associate books with bedtime, when you’re tired and generally some children fall asleep mid reading.

Even at school/kindergarten we had books read to us before nap time. So I think adults carried this on by reading when they are tired just before go to sleep.

I think that maybe I’ll read to my children one day in the mornings or something just to test this out. Funnily enough I only read in bed when I am really tired and need to sleep but prefer reading every where else and when i am wide awake instead

5 jonathan September 26, 2008 at 7:52 pm

Funny. It never occurred to me that it might be connected to bedtime stories as a child.

Our toddler has regular bedtime stories, but also regular stories right through the day. While I’m off work at the moment, she’s also taken to asking for a book before she even gets out of bed in the morning.

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