Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

Why is Reading Important?

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Books are everywhere. Libraries big and small and bookstores are splattered all over college campuses and larger cities. They are all filled with one of the most important things of all time—books. Those who read books appreciate the multiple places to find books. Those who aren’t fans of books, don’t understand what could make readers want to obsess over books. There is a reason for their obsession, though.

You hear it all the time: read every day. So why is reading important?

Reading is important because it not only develops our minds, but it gives us endless knowledge and lessons while keeping our minds active. Books can hold and keep all kinds of informatio­n, stories, thoughts and feelings unlike anything else in this world.

Can words, paragraphs, and fictional worlds be all that great for you and your health? It definitely can, and reading is a timeless form of entertainm­ent and informatio­n. In fact, for years reading was the only form of personal entertainm­ent, and perhaps this is why reading has been in the spotlight for such a long time. Reading has survived the years, and luckily, the benefits have survived right along with the books. So let’s talk about some reasons why reading is important.

Reading is a timeless form of enter-

Sharpens Your Mind

Reading is great fun for many people, but it also has many benefits for your mental health in the form of thinking and understand­ing. By concentrat­ing on the words and the storyline, it stimulates your brain. This particular stimulatio­n can help sharpen your mind, especially the part of the brain that is responsibl­e for concentrat­ion and critical analysis. Reading sharpens this part of the brain much like you would sharpen a knife. This sharpening of the mind will eventually heighten your focus when concentrat­ing on something important.

The Importance Of Books

How does reading sharpen your mind, though? It sharpens your mind through stimulatio­n of the brain. By causing you to focus intensely on the words, your brain takes in a significan­t amount of informatio­n, which can improve both your critical thinking and analyzatio­n skills as well. This stimu- tainment and informatio­n.

* We asked over 200 influencer­s what they think is the best self-help books and here are the results. *

How Reading Benefits Us

Though reading might seem like simple fun, it can be helping your body and mind without you even realising what is happening. For those who don’t enjoy reading, you might change your mind after hearing about the benefits. Can something so easy and fun as reading be so helpful in your life? Of course, it can! Reading can be a great benefit to you in many different ways—such as sharpening your mind, imaginatio­n, and writing skills. With so many great advantages, it should be an everyday occurrence to read at least a little something.

The benefits of reading range from improving mental health, to improving physical health, to creating healthy habits, and it’s no wonder that books and reading are so high up on the list of personal entertainm­ent. Though books have been around for an incredibly long time, they have not lost their importance throughout the years. Below are a few of the fantastic benefits of picking up a good book and immersing yourself in words.

lation is healthy for your mind and the sharpening your thought processes. Isn’t it amazing how a book can do that? Of course, some of the most successful people in the world read every day and they understand that knowledge is key. So it may be time to heed their advice if you want to be closer to your dream.

Reading doesn’t just help with your critical thinking, but it also improves your brain function. Consider what happens when you work a muscle every day. That muscle grows and becomes much stronger than before. Reading works much the same way for your mind. The constant stimulatio­n of the brain that reading provides is similar to the exercise required to work a muscle; it strengthen­s the separate parts of the brain that control your thinking and analysing skills.

Reading doesn’t just help with your critical thinking, but it also improves your brain function.

Decreases Your Depression

Reading, especially selfhelp books, can help ward off depressive occurrence­s. Just like with lowering your stress levels, reading stimulates the part of the brain that deals with depression as well. Self-help books, full of informatio­n about how to better yourself and your state of mind, can help ease depression. Reading books can be extremely beneficial for someone who might suffer from depressive tendencies but not enough to need medication.

You can find self-help books at any bookstore or online bookshop. They aren’t the only books that can help ease the depressive tendencies of some, however. Novels, short stories, magazine articles, and non-fiction books can also contribute to ease these tendencies. By reading, you are focusing, not

Improves Your Memory and Focus

Though it has been mentioned earlier about how reading can improve concentrat­ion and critical thinking, there is another part of mental health that reading helps to improve. This point is stated by NCU on their blog. Reading at least a little each day can improve your focus and your memory function. In this instance as well, reading stimulates the brain, particular­ly the part of the brain that helps with memory and attention. Just like with physical exercise, reading is a form of mental exercise that pushes your memory and focus to the limits.

Simple reading comprehens­ion improves your memory function. Remember the tests in elementary school where you were tested to see how much you retained while reading those short stories. Well, the reading

Strengthen­s Your Writing Abilities

Reading doesn’t just have health benefits; reading has benefits for other aspects of your life as well. These advantages help to make readers well-rounded individual­s. Those who write, know the importance of reading. Whether you write things for work or just for fun, heavy reading can improve your writing skills and abilities. There are several ways in which reading can help strengthen your writing skills, and each of these ways happens without you even realising it.

Why Is Reading And Writing Important?

Writers are often big readers as well because they seek the fulfilment of reading. By concentrat- on the things causing your depression, but things that can give you something else to consider. You are then no longer worried about your depressive state, but instead, you are focused on the story.

Decreasing depression might seem like an odd benefit of reading, but the stimulatio­n of the brain is extremely helpful when it comes to easing something of this nature. The feeling of happiness that also comes from reading can brighten your mood, helping your day turn from sad to happy. Of course, reading is not a permanent fix for a serious problem, but it can help ease the difficulti­es of depression. Reading literature works much like a pain reliever might relieve joint pain.

Reading literature works much like a pain reliever might relieve joint pain comprehens­ion as an adult works the same way. While reading, your brain is constantly retaining pieces of informatio­n about the story. Because the part of the brain that controls memory is stimulated, it acts like exercise for this part of the brain, resulting in improved memory.

How does your focus improve through reading? Your focus is strengthen­ed through reading because it requires focus to read. When sitting down to read a book or article, you will not understand what you are reading unless you’re focused. Consider what it is like when doing a math problem. To get it correct, you have to focus intently on that problem. The same goes for reading. Again, like the memory function in your brain, your focus is exercised, which helps to improve your overall focus. ing on the way novels and other books are set up and written, you can mimic these styles, thus improving your writing skills considerab­ly. Studying the writing of others is a great tool, especially if you enjoy writing. Even best- selling authors use this tool for studying writing styles and themes.

The best part about reading about how to improve your writing is there are various books written about the writing craft with informatio­n about all forms of writing. You can find these self-help books at any bookstore, both online or in store. If you are a serious writer, you can read both novels or these amazing books on writing. Any form of reading can improve your writing tremendous­ly.

Boosts Your Sleep

Did you know that reading can also help with your sleep? No, this doesn’t mean that reading helps you fall asleep, but it does contribute to improving your overall sleep pattern and restfulnes­s. Reading, since it enables you to relax and de- stress, can help pull you into a deep and peaceful sleep. That sounds like it might be too good to be true, but reading can, in fact, help you sleep.

Books are great company at night before you go to bed. Choosing a good book and settling down after dark is incredibly relaxing. If your day is busy, take a breath. By setting apart specific times for reading just before falling asleep at night, you can help yourself relax and wind down before falling asleep. The type of literature you read is your preference, but merely the fact that you are reading is the important part.

Reading before bed calms your body and mind, especially after a long and stressful day. Even if the reading is just a short amount—a chapter or two—the peacefulne­ss that reading induces can help slip you into a deep and restful sleep. The relaxation that books can bring is just one of the wonderful benefits of reading every night before bed.

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