Growing up, I used to squirrel away my allowance, birthday money, and Christmas money to buy lots of books. I have no clue why my obsession with reading has lasted an entire lifetime. I recollect nothing from my childhood about being read to, but I’m told I was. However, I DO remember seeing my parents read. It never mattered how busy they were, they always made time to read. Monkey see, monkey do, I suppose. Although, it isn’t always like that, as my daughter is a veracious reader, my son seems to be allergic to it, even though I was always reading to them, with them, and in front of them. In any event, since I was always an avid reader, I never thought about the benefits of reading. It was always important to me and because of this, I just benefitted from reading without realizing it.

Benefits of Reading

Unfortunately, over the last year, I had been so busy and was dealing with nasty headaches, and hadn’t been reading the tall stack of books in my possession. And I realized just how “off” my brain had been – and it made me wonder: is it just perimenopause and menopause causing the issues, or could there be more to this????? Truth be told, my shitty sleep, diminished focus, and my stress was the worst it had been in years. Yes, menopause had a lot to do with it, but even after making dramatic changes in my diet, supplements, and daily physical activity, I was still “off” with my sleep, stress, and focus.

Once January rolled around, I decided to commit to reading twenty minutes a day before “lights out” at night…. and after a month or so of being consistent with it, I noticed my sleep increased. Then, my stress-level went down a bit, which people noticed because I was laughing a bit more. And then…. I was able to focus more at work, which, again, was noticed by co-workers.

How Reading Benefits Your Health

When you read, even for twenty minutes each day, it dramatically improves your health and well-being. But in what ways does reading enhance your life? Let’s find out!

Reduces Stress

When you read, you tend to relax a bit and stress melts away. You aren’t tensed up, your shoulders relax and then you slowly release stress throughout your body. Great, so what, right? Well, reduced stress means lower cortisol levels, and that helps improve your immune system and decreases the inflammation throughout your body.

Improves Sleep

When you’re relaxed, it’s much easier to fall into a deeper sleep that lasts longer. It also helps get you off of your digital devices and that annoying bright light that just penetrates your eyeballs and keeps you wide awake. That’s not great right before trying to fall asleep. Reading is the perfect “before bedtime” habit that’ll enhance your health!

Enhances Memory

One of the best benefits of reading is its ability to enhance your memory. When I first started on the perimenopause journey, I thought I had Alzheimers symptoms. I’d forget words, why I walked into a room, or where I put my keys (I still have a few pieces of jewelry I can’t find, because I can’t remember where I put them and I hope my reading habit helps me remember where they are).

When my doctor said brain fog and memory issues were common in perimenopause and menopause. He mentioned it would be a good idea to not just make the diet changes, and improving sleep quality, but also to engage my brain in more activities like reading, and puzzles. I rolled my eyes – but, I kind of wish NOW that I hadn’t dismissed his suggestion. Reading has definitely helped my memory issues since January, but I still have a long way to go. The science behind it has something to do with reinforcing memory pathways.

Improves Focus

Focus is my downfall. I’m not a fan of the word multi-tasking, because it’s really not something a brain can do. Your brain requires time to adjust from one thing to another, so multi-tasking is a myth shoved down our throats by the people we work for so they can pile tons of work on employees. However, during my younger years, I could quickly move from one task to another, and my focus was strong. I rarely got flustered, and I could zone in on what was in front of me.

Once I hit 45, my focus was not as good. When I stopped reading regularly, my focus was legitimately non-existent. I wasn’t able to follow simple conversations, and I was reading short paragraphs 10 times because my brain would start to drift after the first sentence. Yeah, clearly not great for me. Since January, my focus has improved. Is it where I need it to be? NOPE. But, it’s much better, that’s for damn sure. It’s something about reading strengthening white brain matter.

Other benefits of reading:

• Maintains Brain Function
• Enhances Knowledge
• Increases Empathy
• Builds Vocabulary
• Expands Imagination
• Improves Writing Skills
• Improves Analytical Skills

How Can You Make Time to Read

Time is precious, and unfortunately, I realized I was wasting a lot of it scrolling through my phone, or watching television. Once I wrapped my mind around how far off course I had strayed from my regular reading habit, there were simple things I did to get back on course.

• Carry books with you, and be okay with reading a few at the same time.
  • Toss one in a bag you tote with you during your day-to-day tasks in case you find a few minutes when you have to wait (instead of scrolling through your phone to pass time).
  • Have one in your desk at work for lunch breaks!
  • Find a spot in your car for one so you can read a few pages when waiting for your kids during pick-ups.
• Turn Off the Television
  • Take advantage of those DVRs (or whatever the newest thing is to watch your favorite shows after they have aired) so you can free up weekday time for reading.
• Attach it to Habits You’ve Already Established
  • Set small reading goals to well-established habits: while making dinner, there’s often times your boiling or simmering, read a page from your book.
• Listen to Audiobooks. 

However you make time for reading and enjoying the benefits of reading, you’ll notice quickly how reading assists in creating your best life! Most importantly, never get down on yourself if you miss a day. Get right back into it the following day so the one missed day doesn’t spiral into a full year of not reading!