10 Benefits of Reading and Why you should Read Everyday

10 Benefits of Reading and Why you should Read Everyday

1 …. reduces stress

2 …..improves your ability to connect with others

3….. increases vocabulary and comprehension

4…  improves your brain connectivity

5…. aids sleep readiness

6…  fights depressive symptoms

7…. lowers blood pressure and heart rate

8 … it is an enjoyable entertainment

9 … improves your memory

10.. improves your focus

Why read everyday?

An obvious advantage of reading everyday is that you gain knowledge. The more knowledge you have the better equipped you are for any challenge you face.

That knowledge can never be taken away from you. I’ve always found it is great to keep an open mind.

In our fast changing world and as we learn so many remarkable insights about our world, keeping an open mind, allows you the space for curiosity. That way you can stay up to date with your knowledge.

Books can change your habits.

I recently read two books. One on morning rituals, the other about getting up early.  I now get up at 5:00am and read an inspiring book as part of my morning ritual.

Just like any other muscle in your body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy.

In fact, many of our operations in our human world, including machinery, do not do so well if they are not used.

The same applies to your brain.

Doing puzzles, playing chess or any other games have been found to be helpful in keeping the brain stimulated and preventing it from losing its power. Reading everyday keeps the brain connectivity in good shape.

Losing yourself in a great story can let the everyday tensions wash away.

Wherever the stress comes from, you can be transported to another beautiful place and this is where you can relax.

If you prefer to hear the story, in other words have the story read to you, there are digital platforms, like Audible.

The choice of genres has never been greater.

There is something for everyone out there.

If it is a well written book, it will soothe the tensions away, leaving you feeling uplifted.

The more you read, the more words you gain and are exposed to.

This adds to your self- confidence, which can be an enormous boost to your self -esteem.

Being articulate is of great help in any profession. It doesn’t matter which accent you have.

Reading improves your memory.

Amazingly, every new memory you create, forgesnew synapses (brain pathways) and strengthens the existing ones. How wonderful is that.

Whether you read the top 100 best sellers, reference books or steamy paperbacks, you are giving your brain a workout every page you turn.

There are many distractions in this crazy world and our attention and focus are drawn in a million different directions. This causes us to take on multitasking. But this behaviour has been shown to increase our stress levels and doesn’t increase our productivity levels.

When you read a book, all of your attention is focused on the story.

The rest of the world just falls away and you can immerse yourself in every fine detail you’re absorbing.

Try reading for 15 to 20 minutes before work on your morning commute maybe and you’ll be surprised how much more focused you are once you get to the office.

Relaxation accompanies reading a good book

Books can immerse you into peace and tranquillity.

Reading spiritual texts can lower blood pressure and bring about an immense sense of calm.

Self-help books have been shown to help people suffering from certain depressive symptoms and mild mental diseases.

Physical Books

Many of us who like to buy physical books, so we can annotate them and note pages for future reference, know it can be quite pricey.

Kindle and other e-readers offer an amazing compact way of reading, if you prefer.

For low budget entertainment, you can visit your local library and bask in the glory of countless companions available for free.

Libraries have books on every subject.

Since they rotate their stock and constantly get new books, you will never run out of material.

Most libraries have their books available in PDF or epub format. There are many sources online where you can download free ebooks.

Hunting for something new to read has never been easier!

There’s a reading genre for every person on the planet, whether your taste is classical, religious, poetry, fashion magazines, biographies, young adult books, self-help or manslaughter novels. There’s something out there to capture your curiosity and your imagination.

Step away from your computer, crack open a book and replenish your soul for a while.

Studies

Learning to read physically changes your brain’s form and function.

One study looked at 31 adults who started reading at an early age, 22 individuals who learned to read as adults, and ten people who were illiterate. The scientists used functional magnetic resonance imaging scans to measure and compare brain function of the participants as they responded to oral language, written language, and visual tasks.

In readers, the occipital lobe, the visual processing cenre of the brain, was more developed. This means that the readers could process visual information more efficiently. This brain trait could translate into enhanced imagination and creativity skills as well as being able to visualize the future better for decision-making and planning. The readers’ parietal lobes were also strengthened. The parietal lobe turns letters into words and words into thoughts. It’s essential to writing and reading comprehension.

Reading helps people’s brains process information both visually and verbally more effectively. Brains that can’t read might also struggle to process verbal information which could be why a slow reader may lag in other academic areas. Reading improves every aspect of a person’s communication skills.

Another study found that reading improved communication between areas of the brain. One hundred hours of intensive reading instruction increased the quantity of compromised white matter in children’s’ brains to normal levels. The article,

How Reading Increases Your Emotional Intelligence & Brain Function: The Findings of Recent Scientific Studies, explains:

‘Humans have been reading and writing for only about 5000 years—too short for major evolutionary changes,’ writes Greg Miller in Science. We got by well enough for tens of thousands of years before written language. But neuroscientists theorize that reading ‘rewires’ areas of the brain responsible for both vision and spoken language. Even adults who learn to read late in life can experience these effects, increasing ‘functional connectivity with the visual cortex,’ some researchers have found, which may be ‘the brain’s way of filtering and fine-tuning the flood of visual information that calls for our attention’ in the modern world.”

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