What’s More Important: Sleeping or Reading?
Dear Literary Lady,
I know lots of people who read before bed. The problem is, whenever I read a good book before sleeping, I just stay up all night until I finish the whole thing. That leaves me cranky and tired in the morning. Any advice?
–V.O., Summerlin, NV
Dear V.O.,
I have the exact same problem. If I try to read a good book before bed, I just end up not sleeping at all. It’s just too hard to stop and catch some zzz’s when the temptation to keep turning the pages is so strong. That’s like asking someone to take a nap in the middle of a movie. Not gonna happen.
Reading at night is also the most relaxing time to do it. The day is done, it’s finally quiet, and you have this long, unbroken stretch of time where nobody can interrupt you. If you fall asleep, you have to wake up and do everything all over again. If you just luxuriate in literature, the whole night can be yours.
That said, apparently getting some shuteye is important for your health and well-being. Getting enough sleep might even be better for you than reading a book, or so I have been repeatedly told. So even though I still find sleeping the most boring pastime ever invented, I’ve had to hack away at my nocturnal reading habits to make time for it.
Here are a few steps I’ve taken to ensure I catch my forty winks:
1. Call for backup
You can’t do this alone, at least not at the start, so you’ll need someone who nags you to go to bed every day. Preferably someone who also has to wake you up in the morning, and can remind you of how unpleasant you are when you’re sleep-deprived. This person can be a parent, a significant other, a roommate, or even a very well-trained dog.
2. Avoid certain books
You know how some people avoid drinking coffee after 5 p.m.? Well, there are certain books you’ll have to avoid in the evenings, because you simply cannot put them down once you pick them up. Anything that is described as “riveting,” “high-octane,” or a “rollercoaster ride” will guarantee you’re up till dawn, rifling through the pages.
3. Keep it short
Keep anthologies and short story collections on your nightstand as your bedtime reading. This way, you can read until you come to a natural ending point, and it won’t be as difficult to put the book down. It’s like watching a television episode before bed, instead of, say, The Godfather trilogy.
4. Bookmark it beforehand
Before you start reading, stick the bookmark in the book 50 pages later, or at the start of the next chapter. When you get to the bookmark, put the book down and go to sleep.
5. Set a bedtime alarm
If you tend to lose track of time when reading, set a reminder on your phone or your clock to go to bed. Like Cinderella, the party is over for you when the clock strikes twelve and you have to get some beauty rest.
For a book nerd, it’s not easy to exercise this kind of book-depriving discipline. But hey, “sound body, sound mind” they say, so I’m giving it a shot.
Love and paperbacks,
Literary Lady