Reading reduces stress
Stress is believed to contribute to around 60 percent of all human illness and disease; it can raise the risks of stroke and heart disease by 50 percent and 40 percent, respectively.
Of course, day-to-day life makes it impossible to eliminate stress completely, but there are things we can do to reduce stress and stop it from becoming a serious health issue. One strategy is reading.
According to a 2009 study conducted by the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, reading can reduce stress levels by as much as 68 percent, even more than listening to music or going for a walk.
Study co-author Dr. David Lewis, a neuropsychologist at Mindlab International at Sussex, and colleagues found that participants who engaged in just 6 minutes of reading – whether a newspaper or a book – experienced a slowed heart rate and reduced muscle tension.
“It really doesn’t matter what book you read, by losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book, you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world and spend a while exploring the domain of the author’s imagination. This is more than merely a distraction but an active engaging of the imagination, as the words on the printed page stimulate your creativity and cause you to enter what is essentially an altered state of consciousness.” – Dr. David Lewis
These findings are unlikely to come as a surprise to the bookworms out there; a study conducted by researchers from the University of Liverpool in the U.K. found that 38% of adults class reading as their “ultimate stress remedy.”
“Whilst the cumulative societal benefits of reading have been widely acknowledged, it’s important also to recognize the gains to be had from reading on our personal health and well-being,” notes study researcher Dr. Josie Billington.
The research compared reading to other common relaxation methods:
Reading: 68% stress reduction
Listening to Music: 61% reduction
Drinking Tea or Coffee: 54% reduction
Taking a Walk: 42% reduction
Playing Video Games: 21% reduction
How It Works
Physiological Impact: Participants who read for just six minutes experienced a slower heart rate and reduced muscle tension.
Mental Escape: Dr. Lewis noted that reading is more than a simple distraction; it involves an “active engaging of the imagination” that allows the mind to enter an “altered state of consciousness” and detach from daily worries.
Genre Flexibility: The study suggests that the genre does not matter, provided the reader is fully immersed in the material.
Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/5070874/Reading-can-help-reduce-stress.html
Reading Kingdom is an online K-3 reading program that uses a new “phonics-plus” model to teach students to read and write at a 3rd grade level with comprehension. Sign up for a complimentary Reading Kingdom trial (or any of our other products) here.
We also have a program for students on the autism spectrum and others who face unique learning challenges called ASD Reading. Sign up for a complimentary trial of ASD Reading.
State & Charter school funding is available! Look for your program and begin using your education funds today!
Want to help a child in need learn to read? Try shopping at our Amazon affiliate store where a portion of every sale goes towards teaching kids the life-changing skill of reading.
