Why do we fall asleep when we read?

There are times when, after settling into an armchair, in bed or even sitting at the desk, ready to read, we end up defeated by sleep, a frustrating situation that prevents us from moving forward in the book that interests us basically because the body does not allow us to do so, but why does that happen?

Harold Bloom, in his book “How to read and why”, mentions that “there is no way to read well, although there is a primary reason why we should read.”

“The best way to exercise good reading is to take it as an implicit discipline; ultimately, there is no method other than your own, when you have shaped yourself thoroughly,” Bloom writes.

On many occasions, people or your friends will give you recommendations on how and where to read, because maybe it was easy for them to solve the problem, trying each of the spaces in their home, but not for one, because in this case everyone must know the space and position in order to read without any problem.

“The way we read today, when we are alone against ourselves, keeps considerable continuity with the past, whatever path the academies adopt,” Bloom says.

In addition to the speed at which we read and the reading comprehension that each one achieves when entering a novel or research article, there is also the avoidance of falling asleep, which is why many people may become frustrated and stop reading.

On many occasions we are simply overcome by fatigue as a result of the rhythm of life we lead. Lack of concentration, stress, overwork or even not getting a good night's rest affect our ability to read, but there are some recommendations that can help overcome these difficulties.

concentration

Lack of concentration is difficult and if we don't have it, you probably don't understand what the book is talking about, so in the book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles van Doren, entitled How to Read a Book (Debate) it gives the option of using the hand as a markup or another resource since “it tends not only to increase the pace of reading, but also to improve concentration on what is being read”.

“While following the movement of the hand, it is much more difficult to fall asleep, fantasize or not worry about reading.”

Pre-reading or extensive reading

At this point, the authors advise that we read quickly, in order to know “if the book we have in our hands deserves to be read carefully, something that we will find out precisely with a pre-reading”.

Sleep hours

It is best to read at a time when you don't have a fatigue. It is also important to be able to sleep more than six hours so that the person is not nodding at the time of reading. Moreover, the break between pages is essential for reading.

It is recommended that we read 25 minutes and rest for five minutes, in order to pay attention, in addition to being able to get up from the place and go for a glass of water. This is the “Pomodoro Technique”, created by the Italian Francesco Cirillo in the eighties.

Position

If you are in bed, where you normally sleep, it is very easy for your body to relax and instead of going into the story of the book, you go into your dreams. Well, it's a very easy way to fall asleep because your body already recognizes that place as a moment of relaxation and rest.

The best thing to read is to sit down, have a table in front, have a proper angle to see the book and so you won't have problems concentrating.

Lighting

The person who reads should not only be well accommodated, but also have good lighting. It is very important to have a dim light and that it does not hurt the eyes, if it is too dark it can affect our vision and that makes it difficult for us to have a greater concentration.

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