Why Reading is the Best Workout for Your Brain

How many times do you have to reset a password for an online account because you couldn’t remember it? Or you feel stressed from the day and can’t sleep? It happens to the best of us! Reading is one way to help your mind stay strong, sharp, and healthy. It is the “workout” your brain needs to operate day-to-day life and do so for many years to come.

Here are all the reasons why reading is so crucial to maintaining healthy brain function.

Memory

Reading stimulates the mind and neural networks helping with memory loss and decay. When you read, you are doing more than looking at words on a page. Your vision, language centers, and associative learning all work together in unison. This exercise is excellent for the brain! For older adults, reading can actually slow the rate at which memory problems can occur.

Concentration

When a book has grabbed your attention, you don’t want to miss out on any of the details. One sentence in a book contains a lot of information, making it so that your mind has to work diligently in order to understand it fully. Maryanne Wolf, director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University says, “Typically, when you read, you have more time to think. Reading gives you a unique pause button for comprehension and insight. By and large, with oral language—when you watch a film or listen to a tape—you don’t press pause.” Concentrate and stay focused, you’ll never know when the plot will turn!

Brain Connectivity

When you read, you have to decode information in order to fully comprehend it. This takes the ultimate brain power to do so! More specifically, reading stimulates your temporal lobes which house the brain’s language and speech centers. Here the body creates pathways that help the brain function and allows the mind to intake information quicker. This is a skill that carries over to all activities in your day-to-day life.

Stress

When you escape into a book, your mind becomes distracted you from your daily stressors. A study by the University of Sussex found that reading can reduce stress by up to 68%. What you read also has an effect on stress levels. Pick up a page-turner that you will enjoy versus something dictated by the masses or is uninteresting to you. The most important thing is that whatever you’re reading captures your attention and takes you to a world far away from life.

Sleep

It is thought that 30% of adults experience insomnia. A drug-free way to help you fall asleep faster is to read. A study by the University of Sussex, Neurologist Dr. David Lewis found that reading reduced stress levels by 68%, helping them to fall asleep faster. Beware of e-readers. The blue light they emit can have an adverse effect, so you are better off reading a paperback before you hit the feathers.

The lesson here is to read a little bit each day for both enjoyment, and to protect the health of your mind. For an even extra brain boost, Iris Reading’s Advanced Comprehension & Memory Course will help improve your memory by teaching you useful strategies to comprehend your reading. After taking this course, you’ll be able to understand what you’re reading better and remember it longer. Contact us today for more information!