The soporific power of books

July 2, 2006 4:14 AM

Why can't I stay awake when I read?

Every time I try to read a book, I fall asleep. It doesn't matter what the book is, I just cannot stay awake and concentrated on it. Whether it's last thing at night, first thing in the morning or in the afternoon, within about 10 minutes, my eyes are closed. I've tried reading sitting down, lying down, inside the house, outside in the garden and it doesn't make any difference. I've been trying to read my latest, really interesting, book for 3 weeks and have only managed 50 pages.

posted by TheDonF to Grab Bag (18 answers total)

It sounds like its the monotony of reading that's sending you snoozing. An audiobook, which would probably fix that, would still be a poor compromise.

Have you tried reading with some music playing in the background? You've mentioned reading outside in the garden, maybe try somewhere 'more outside' such as at a beach perhaps?
posted by Serial Killer Slumber Party at 4:57 AM on July 2, 2006

it's rather.

While I'm correcting myself, another suggestion: have you tried reading out loud? You may feel foolish at first, but that could get you in to the swing of things.
posted by Serial Killer Slumber Party at 4:58 AM on July 2, 2006

This used to happen to me a lot late in my freshman year of college. I think it was a combination of the heat (I was on the 3rd floor of a non-air-conditioned dorm in Atlanta in "spring") and the fact that I wasn't getting a lot of sleep otherwise.
posted by amtho at 5:52 AM on July 2, 2006

When this happens to me, it's usually because I'm not getting enough sleep.
posted by grouse at 5:55 AM on July 2, 2006

Yes, as a sleep-disordered person myself, I have to ask if you doze off or fight sleep when engaging in other monotonous tasks such as driving or doing the bills, etc.

You may not realize it, but from what you have said, it's pretty clear you are sleep-deprived. If you are taking enough time (8+hours) for sleep and still feel this way, you should probably consult with a doctor and ask for a referral to a sleep center. If you do have a sleep disorder, getting it properly treated can change your entire life.
posted by BigLankyBastard at 6:01 AM on July 2, 2006

You're probably suffering from two problems:

One, the sleep deprivation that everyone has mentioned.

Two, the years of conditioning of reading a book while tired/near bed.

Take you and your book, and get under some bright light. Read just 3 pages. Get up, walk around. Read another three.

(once you get decent sleep) You need to train your body that reading doesn't equal sleeping.
posted by filmgeek at 6:22 AM on July 2, 2006

Three, maybe your taste in books is not as exciting as you think. Are you reading Louis L'amour? Don't.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:16 AM on July 2, 2006

Reading while drinking coffee? Sitting somewhere not entirely comfortable? Public?
posted by Meatbomb at 7:34 AM on July 2, 2006

Do you often read in bed? If so, your mind has probably learned to associate reading with sleep.
posted by kindall at 7:59 AM on July 2, 2006

Response by poster: Y'know, maybe I don't get enough sleep. I usually trot off to bed at about midnight and get up at 6.30/7am. Maybe another hour or so would be better.

@Kirth - I'm currently trying to read Ambient Findability - when I actually get into it, I love it - it's right up my street.

@Filmgeek - I'm liking the ideas. After several years of this, I guess my brain maybe does kick into sleeping mode whenever I go near a book. Somehow I've got to train myself out of it.
posted by TheDonF at 7:59 AM on July 2, 2006

You might try reading in a public place, like a park bench or a coffeehouse. I suspect that you'd be less likely to fall asleep there than around your place.
posted by underwater at 8:18 AM on July 2, 2006

I second what filmgeek said about bright light when you read. If this is a 'hypnotic' phenomenon, where the the movement of your eyes back and forth over the black and white of the printed page causes brain inputs very similar to looking at a flashing light, a bright environment (not a spotlight on the page, in other words) will minimize this effect.
posted by jamjam at 8:58 AM on July 2, 2006

I'd like to suggest that whether or not lack of sleep is involved, you may have also slowly trained yourself to associate reading with sleeping. In that case, you'd want to train yourself out of it -- read until you feel yourself start getting sleepy, then stop reading, stand up, and walk around. Next day, do it again.
posted by Hildago at 9:07 AM on July 2, 2006

You might have your eyes checked. Eye fatigue from reading can contribute to reading making you nod off.
posted by nanojath at 9:24 AM on July 2, 2006

I often get sleepy when I read. One interesting way around it is to read eBooks. The light of a modern LCD screen on a high end handheld actually has the opposite effect of putting you to sleep: TVs, computer monitors, etc. make you stay awake. That's why they're contraindicated for insomniacs before bed time.

Something to think about. If only there were an easy way to "rip" a book, like you can a CD... Reading on a Palm TX is actually quite fine by me. I'd read all my books that way, if I could. (Not true with my ancient, monochrome Visor handheld: hated reading with that thing).

You can buy some eBooks onlnine. The selection is annoying shallow sometimes, and the swamp of competing DRM formats is annoying, but the actual eBook reading is not.
posted by teece at 10:38 AM on July 2, 2006

I second nanojath's suggestion. Do you wear glasses? When I was in my early 20's I developed an nasty astigmatism, didn't have or need glasses up to that point and wouldn't have gone to get the eyes checked if it were not for the fact that reading would tire me out after 10 to 15 minutes.
posted by rhymesinister at 2:23 PM on July 2, 2006

My wife can't stay awake while reading unless the book is something that really grabs her - true-life stories, usually of the "somebody has been dismembered and we can't find the killer" variety, those she reads. Anything else puts her right to sleep. It's not a bad thing, just the way her brain is wired. If it turns out not to be sleep-related, talk with an educational specialist - you might have a mild (undiagnosed) dyslexia, enough to make reading more mentally tiring than it normally is.
posted by caution live frogs at 8:46 PM on July 2, 2006

If you tell yourself you have to read somthing, you won't want to. Some French guy wrote a book about reader's rights. He talked about the right not to read, to not have to finish a book, to scan it, to pick and choice what you read. The less demand you put on anything the easier it is to do.
posted by zackdog at 1:17 AM on July 3, 2006