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.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Historically, reading keeps me awake. But the stimulus/response of the bed and the low lights is too powerful these days.
gizo – I wonder if that is age or parenthood?
i’m a night owl, but reading has never made me sleepy – in or out of bed.
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
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.