How Could Reading Help You? – Miss Procter (CHS Librarian)

What can a book do? It turns out, quite a lot! 

Waking up your brain…

Using MRI Scans, research has confirmed that reading involves complex circuits and signals in your brain. As you get better at reading, these signals get stronger (Houston, 2014).

Another study showed that, during the time you are reading and in the days following, brain connectivity increased. (Berns, 2013).

In other words, the earlier you start reading regularly, the more you will benefit in the long run.

Research hasn’t concluded if reading can reduce the risk of diseases such as Alzheimer’s however, one study discovered that people who had engaged with mentally stimulating activities like reading or maths puzzles all their lives, were less likely to develop some of the physical brain changes associated with dementia (Wilson, 2013).

In a nutshell, reading can physically change what your brain is doing and ‘wake up’ your brain, for the better! 

Lowering stress levels…

Many mental health conditions can be (partially or wholly) triggered by stress.

As a result, stress can lead to scary physical changes like raised blood pressure, raised heart rate, weight gain/loss and more.

However the good news is that these physical changes can be lessened by reading!

The University of Sussex conducted their famous study on this in 2009. They compared reading a book to other ‘relaxing’ activities, such as taking a walk, listening to music, or having a cup of tea.

Moreover, they found that reading was the best way actively to lower heart rate and stress levels overall (by 68%, specifically), and the best part, is that it took a mere six minutes of reading to achieve this! 

We aren’t saying that reading will rid you of stress forever, but sitting down and immersing yourself in a book can be a tool to help you manage your stress levels and perhaps contribute to larger positive changes to your overall mental health.