Ebooks: e-reading keeps you awake

Ereaders have given comfort to many a bookish parent, feeding or rocking an infant through the night. An ereader provides its own light source and can be held with one hand, while it’s possible to turn a page with the tiniest of gestures: a quick swipe with your thumb.

Readers won’t be getting much sleep with a newborn in the house, of course, which is just as well – new research cautions against reading digital books before going to sleep. Although sleep experts cite reading as a key bedtime ritual, reading on a light-emitting devices such as an ereader, smartphone or tablet can damage your sleep patterns.

A recent study by Harvard Medical School pitted print readers against their digital counterparts in a bid to compare the way in which new technologies are changing sleep patterns. Charting their subjects’ bedtime book habits over four weeks, the study found that those reading a light-emitting ebook took an average of 10 minutes longer to fall asleep. They also reported being less sleepy an hour before bedtime than those curling up with a paperback, a disruption of natural circadian rhythms.

Neurologically, those using digital devices also showed suppressed levels of melatonin, the sleep-promoting hormone, and less REM sleep than their print participants. The researchers also discovered significantly decreased alertness among the ereading subjects the following morning: a sort of digital hangover.

The ramifications of these side effects are more serious and extend to general health and wellbeing as well as to sleep. Extrapolating from their findings, the researchers cited “recent evidence linking chronic suppression of melatonin secretion by nocturnal light exposure with the increased risk of breast, colorectal and advanced prostate cancer associated with night-shift work”.

More relaxing read

So it might be too much to say that ebooks are bad for your health, but their effect on the way we read and the evolution of the human brain has yet to be revealed. And while a hardback may seem like a cumbersome companion in bed, it offers a more relaxing read than an ebook.

If you just can’t manage to tear yourself away from your e-reader, you can make a number of adjustments to ease the strain on your bedtime brain. The light is what plays havoc with your neurons, so dim the screen as much as is comfortable. Or, even better, reverse the colour palette, to a black background with white text.

What you read in bed also plays a determining role in the quality of your sleep. If technology is too stimulating, so too is genre fiction: a page-turner promotes brain activity as a piece of literary fiction or poetry does not. With this in mind, the idea of “slow reading” is becoming popular as an antidote to the quick-skim culture that digital texts often promote.

Scan and skip

Digital reading has fundamentally changed the way we read: rather than the left-to-right linear mode, when reading digital text our eyes scan and skip searching for keywords and information.

Digital reading is fast reading, and there are dozens of apps that enable you to read even faster. But slow reading is about savouring the word: studying language for nuance and meaning, rereading, enjoying complexity. Concentrated reading deepens empathy, focus and comprehension, but it offers more than mere understanding of text: it inspires the reader’s own thought processes and reduces stress. In short, it’s good for your health.

Slow-reading enthusiasts argue that people should prioritise slow reading in the same way they make space for exercise in their daily routine. The physicality of a paperback, they argue, is important as well: it can act as a concrete visual reminder to pick up a book and fulfil your daily duty.

Although reading is traditionally a solitary activity, the slow-reading movement has grown a social function, and slow-reading book clubs are popping up everywhere.

The first one was in New Zealand, where a group of readers came together with the idea of forming a book club based on sharing a space rather than a book. The agenda would be to adopt a mindful approach to reading without distraction.

Needless to say, phones are turned off at the beginning of the session, but readers are encouraged to adopt other slow-reading tactics: to pause, reflect and take notes. Just like in a traditional library setting, the shared goal ensures etiquette is obeyed.

It is entirely possible to use your ereader at the book club, but you must disable its other functions first. Luckily, there are plenty of apps to help you take care of that.