Active and Engaged: 9 Tips for Staying Awake While Reading

Active and Engaged: 9 Tips for Staying Awake While Reading

This is a guest article submitted by Lena Paul, a medical school graduate. See the author’s bio below.

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We all lead busy, often stressful lives that can leave us feeling fatigued and sleepy. This can be a problem for a lot of activities, but especially ones that are not active, such as reading. Whether you are reading for business or for pleasure, it is important that you are not falling asleep while you are reading, or you will not get anything out of it! Here are some tips for keeping yourself engaged with your reading material to get the most benefit possible:

1. Ask questions. 

Part of being actively engaged with your reading material is asking questions as you go along. Make predictions. What is going to happen next? What is the meaning of the events that have already transpired? Why did the author choose certain words or phrases? What is the greater significance of the event in terms of the overall theme? Keeping your mind constantly working in this way will help to stave off any unwanted thoughts of sleep while keeping your brain awake and working.

2. Do not read in bed. 

In order to get a good night’s sleep, your brain should associate your bed with sleep and not much else. Reading in bed confuses this association and either makes it more difficult to fall asleep or makes it easier to fall asleep while reading. Find somewhere else comfortable to read.

3. Read sitting up. 

It is a lot easier to fall asleep while lying down than it is while sitting up. Sitting up indicates to your body that it is still time to be awake.

4. Train your brain to associate reading with activity and energy. 

This also relates to tip numbers one and two. If you read in bed or while lying down, you are creating an association in your brain that says that falling asleep is what should happen when you are reading. You need to associate reading with more active and energetic things so that your brain knows to wake up when it is time to read. Taking a break and doing some jumping jacks can help make this association, or simply do your reading when your brain is the most awake and alert.

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5. Read at the right time. 

We all have different times of day when we are most alert. Some people are early birds, and some people are night owls. Know yourself. Know when you have the most energy and when you tend to hit a wall. If you know that you do your best work in the morning, try to reserve that time for reading more difficult material that requires more comprehension and engagement from your brain. If you are reading for pleasure and only have time to read when you are sapped and done for the day, think about reading books that are less intellectually draining.

6. Read material that challenges you. 

Reading challenging books can act as a stimulant for the brain. Having to put in the extra effort to comprehend difficult material can be very helpful when it comes to staying awake. Experiment a bit. Try a book that is a bit more challenging for you, and see if it makes you feel more or less tired while you are reading. If you respond well and it keeps you more focused and engaged, then continue trying to read more challenging material. If it does the opposite, then follow number five and save the more labor-intensive reading for the time of day when you are at your most effective.

7. Actively engage with the book. 

Make notes on what you are reading. Take note of passages that intrigue, confuse, or delight you. Underline important phrases. key terms or events. Reading in this way encourages you to read closely and will keep boredom from setting in.

8. Read on a backlit device. 

There is evidence that says that reading on a backlit device such as an iPad or other tablet can interfere with falling asleep. Perhaps reading on one of these devices will help you stay awake.

9. Get enough sleep to begin with. 

Make sleeping a priority. We all need to get enough sleep to be able to function properly, especially intellectually. If you are not getting enough sleep and are constantly dozing off while reading, try to get more sleep and then see how the reading goes.

Reading is an enjoyable and sometimes necessary pastime, and you should be able to participate in it without worrying about falling asleep. You can also use energy and wakefulness supplements from websites like https://kratomystic.com/ to get an edge on your reading. Employ some of these tactics, and you will be getting through more reading material in no time!

Author Bio: 

Lena Paul is a medical school graduate who is an enthusiastic blogger and holds an editorial position at Prepgenie, a test prep provider that offers exam preparation courses for GAMSAT, PCAT, LNAT, UKCAT, and UMAT.