Don't make these mistakes reading before bed - Headspace

Reading before bed can be one of the most relaxing things to do — if we're doing it correctly. Learn how to develop better sleep habits with Headspace. PrevarticleDon’tmakethesemistakesreadingbeforebedWemightallbefamiliarwiththeabbreviationR&R,whichcommonlystandsfor"restandrelaxation."Butmaybeweshouldthinkofitas“readandrelax”instead.Atleast,wemighttryapplyingthisalternativemeaningtoourbedtimeroutines.That’sbecause,asmanyofusknow,curlingupwithagoodbookandreadingbeforebedcanbeoneofthemostrelaxingthingstodo—agreatwaytounwindthemindandpreparethebodyforqualityZzz’s.Ofcourse,thatdependsonifwe’redoingitcorrectly.Yes,thereisarightandwrongwaytoreadbeforebedtime.Ifwedoitincorrectly,oursleepmightsuffer.But,ifwe’redoingitright,wecanhelpourselvesde-stressandsleepbetter.Nextarticle Canreadingbeforebedimproveyoursleep?Keytakeaways:Wemayhavetounlearnreading-from-bedbadhabitstosleepbetterThen,wecanunlockthebenefitsofreadingbeforebedMeditationmighthelpuspreparethemindtoreadbeforesleepRelatedarticlesSleephygieneHowtosleepbetterUsingyourphonebeforebedBedtimestoriesforkidsandadults SleepandstressReadingbeforebedsoundsnice,doesn’tit?Butitcanbedifficulttopickupabookatnightandfullyimmerseourselvesinthestoryonthepageswhenwe’restressed.Stressmightnotonlydistractyoufromenjoyingabookatbedtime.Whetherwe’refeelingtensionfromathought,pain,pastevent,orfutureworry,stresscannegativelyimpactsleep,boththedurationandquality.Whensomeoneisstressed,theirnervoussystemreleasesadrenalineandcortisol,whichinturn,causestheheartratetoincrease.Thebodyisampedupandkicksinto“fightorflightmode,”astateofalertnessthat’shardlyconduciveforrelaxation,letalonedeep,restfulsleep.Andit’snotjustadultswhoexperiencethisrestlessness:manystudieshaveassociatedstressoranxietywithsleepdifficultiesininfantsandchildren,too.Ifthiscontinuestohappenoveraperiodofmanydaysandweeks,theresultinginsufficientsleepmaylikelyimpactourmentalandphysicalhealth:performancesuffers,theimmunesystemweakensanddoesn’tworkatfullcapacity,andwe'relessabletoenjoythemoment,amongotherthings.Whatcanhelp?Meditation.Infact,practicingbeforebed,liketryingawind-downmeditation*intheHeadspaceapp,canpreparethemindforsleepusingavarietyofproventechniques,likenotingandvisualization.Reachingfortherightthingtoreadbeforebedcanhelp,too. ReadingbeforebedcanreducestressThere’sanage-oldreasonwhyreadingabookinbedispartofsomanychildren’snighttimeroutines:readingputsusintherightheadspaceforagoodnight’ssleep.Similartohowphysicalexercisestrengthensthebody,cognitiveexercises—likereading—areimportanttostrengthenthemind.Strongcognitivefunctioncanhelpreducementalchatter,whichinturn,helpsusdropintoaquietstateofrelaxation.Readingabookoractivelylisteningtoastoryare2waystokeepthemindengaged.Whenreading,“youareforcedtoconstruct,toproducenarrative,andtoimagine,”saysMaryanneWolf,directoroftheCenterforReadingandLanguageResearchatTuftsUniversity.“Typically,whenyouread,youhavemoretimetothink,”Maryannesays.“Readinggivesyouauniquepausebuttonforcomprehensionandinsight.”Theactofengagingourimaginationswithapaperbackallowsustoenteranalteredstateofconsciousness.Whileourmindisquiteliterallylostinthewords,ourbodygetsthechancetorestandrelax.Andwhenthebodyismorerelaxed,itbecomeseasierforustowinddownanddriftoff. HownottoreadbeforebedWheresleepisconcerned,howwereadisveryimportant—namely,avoidingreadingonscreens.Electronicscreentimebeforebedcandoanumberonoursleep.Butit’simportanttounderstandthatscreensthemselvesaren’ttheproblem.Rather,it’stheshort-wavebluelighttheyemit.So,ifwe’repartofthe90%ofAmericansusingyourphonebeforebed—toskimthenews,browsestatusupdates,orevenreadanovel—we’renotnecessarilysettingourselvesupforagoodnight’ssleep.Researchshowsthatbluelightfromscreensnotonlyshortensoverallsleeptime,butitcanalsointerferewiththeproductionofmelatonin,ahormonethat’skeyinregulatingourcircadianrhythm(alsoknownasourbodyclock,whichregulatesbetweenourwakeandsleepcycle).Whenmelatoninproductionisthrownoff,we’relikelytoexperiencerestlesssleep.Atopsleephygienetiptoavoidbluelightfromscreensistounpluganhourbeforebedtime.Or,ifreadingonyourphoneiscrucialtoone’snighttimeroutine,it’srecommendedtoavoidbluelightforatleast30minutesbeforedozingoff.Evenmoreeffective:considerdimmingthelights,sinceartificiallightcanmessupahealthysleep-wakecycle.It’sonesimpleexampleofhowsleephygienecanhelpussettheconditionsforamoresoundsleep.Fortunately,varioussettingsonmostdevicesandappscanreduceproblematicbluelightbyreplacingitwithweakredlight,afeaturethatcanbeenabledtoshiftgraduallyasthesungoesdown.Thissimplesettingsswitch,especiallywhenboostedbydaytimeblue-lightblockerslikeprotectivescreens,specialtylightbulbs,ortintedglasses,reducesthedamagetothesuppressionofmelatonin.Thisgivesthebrainaclearsignaltoputthemindtobed. MeditationandreadingbeforebedWe’veputawayourbluelight-emittingdevices,there’sapaperbackinourhands,we’reseatedcomfortablyatthetopofourbedwithlegsunderneaththecoversandalampbeamingasoftlightontobookpages.There’sjustonedistraction:themindiscluttered,ourfocusisfoggy,andtheurgetograbourphoneistestingourpatience.Formany,pickingupabookisnotenoughtoescapetheworriesandstressoftheworld.Ifwecan’tcalmanoveractivemind,immersingourselvesinastorymightfeellikeatoughfeat.However,ifwecanreducethemindwandering,wecanimproveourabilitytofocusonaspecifictask.Meditationisapractice,likereading,thatcanhelpstrengthenthemind.Justlikerepetitionsofpush-upsovertimecanmakeusstronger,repetitionsofmindfulnessexercisescanimprovecognitivefunction,abilitytofocus,andproductivity.Infact,overa4-weekspan,mindfulnesscontentontheHeadspaceapphasbeenshowntoimprovefocusby14%.Anotherstudyfoundthat15minutesofmindfulnessmeditationhadahighlysignificantimpactontheabilitytoreducemindwandering.Inalessdistractedandmoremindfulstate,alongwithtimeandrepetition,thechoicetodiveintoagoodbookbeforebedmaybecomeeasier.Butwhatifwetodropintoagoodstorywithoutactuallyturningapage?WithHeadspace’ssleepcasts*,wecanhaveastoryreadtous.Sleepcastsareanovelwayofstorytellingdesignedtohelplullusintorestfulsleep.Differentnarratives,toldinanon-linearway,usethepowerofstorytotransportthemindtodreamylandscapes,allwhileallowingthebodytorelaxandsettle.Whetherit’sastorywerelyonormeditationitself,thekeytoimprovingoursleeprestsontheabilitytocalmthemind.Andifwecalmthemind,thebodywillfollow,allowingustofeelrechargedandrefreshedwhenyouwake.*availableonlytoHeadspaceusersSleepmadesimpleFindyourperfectbedtimeroutinewithhoursofrelaxingmusic,sounds,andstoriestochoosefromGetmorerestfulsleepwithourSleepHealthcourse:exercisesdevelopedwithleadingsleepscientistsFeelyourbestfrommorningtobedtimewithaccesstohundredsofstress-relievingmeditationsSimilararticlesSleepSleephygieneSleepHowtosleepbetterSleepUsingyourphonebeforebedSleepBedtimestoriesforkidsandadults©2022HeadspaceInc.Terms&conditionsPrivacypolicyCookiepolicyCCPAnoticeSecuritySitemapEnglishDeutschEnglishEspañolFrançaisPortuguês