World Book Day

World Book Day founder Baroness Gail Rebuck, said “We wanted to do something to reposition reading and our message is the same today as it was then – that reading is fun, relevant, accessible, exciting, and has the power to transform lives.”

In the UK since 1997, World Book Day has continued to encourage children and young people to read for pleasure. Working with authors, illustrators, bookshops and libraries, World Book Day’s partnership with schools all over the country now distributes more than 15 million £1 World Book Day book tokens to children and young people (that’s almost one for every child/young person under 18 in the UK and Ireland).

Reading, for most, is done at bedtime as a way to relax and help get to sleep. But did you know that certain books help you sleep better than others? It is generally recommended that reading fiction books in bed will help you to get a better sleep. With fiction, you’re not having to use much brainpower and is more relaxing. Non-fiction books can be more introspective and can make you more alert to your surroundings.

The health benefits of a good night’s sleep are well known, but what about the health benefits of reading before going to sleep?

1.     Improved Sleep Quality

Let’s get this out of the way first as it’s the obvious one. Reading is an activity that works your brain without active physical stimulation, because you can read while lying down. It slowly relaxes your body and mind into falling asleep.

This improves your sleep quality because it relaxes you into sleep rather than artificially trying to make yourself fall asleep. This often makes you feel more well-rested when you wake up. ‌

2.     Stress Relief

The actual activity of reading has been found to reduce stress up to 68%. In addition, it has been found to be even more effective than other well-known de-stressors like drinking tea or listening to music. Often, people cite how reading's ability to transport you to a life that is not your own is a significant reason for its relaxing properties.‌

3.     Reduction of screen time

Looking at screens for nearly 2 hours before bed reduces the amount of melatonin released into your body. Using devices when in bed also stimulates your brain activity making it much harder to “switch off.” Looking at something that is not emitting bright lights is a bit of no-brainer when trying to get to sleep!

4.     Long term benefits

A 2013 study on the effects of reading on the brain found that reading improved the brain’s ability to understand stories, and critically think about them was a significant short-term benefit of reading. ‌It cannot be denied that reading as a hobby exposes you to new ways of thinking, lets you view new perspectives, and challenges you to understand concepts you would otherwise not encounter. In general, this forces you to use creativity and mental agility. More studies need to be conducted on the long-term effects of reading on your brain connectivity to say whether they exist or not.

If you spend a lot of time reading in a position that puts a strain on your neck or lower body, it can be bad for your back. Stiffness and soreness can be prevented if you keep your spine in a neutral position and avoid poor posture, which compresses the spine.

• Prevent your legs from locking up and losing circulation by placing a pillow underneath your knees.
• Place a Dormeo Pillows on your lap or leg area so that you have a resting place for your arms. This also allows the book to be at eye level without having to hold it up.
• A pillow propped up against your low back will protect the lumbar region.
• If you’re sitting up or angled in bed, add another pillow behind your neck to prevent it from straining to stay up.

A comfortable place to sleep should be at the top of anyone's list when trying to get better sleep, and the perfect foundation for a good night's sleep is your mattress. Here at Dormeo, we pride ourselves on how hard we work to help everyone get a better night's sleep. Be it a new mattress or a mattress topper, Dormeo will help you get a better night's sleep.