Reading is a great way to spend some downtime or to relax after a long day. It also has a lot of health benefits, from boosting cognitive function to reducing stress and anxiety. Taking advantage of a few minutes to read can be difficult, but with a tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK, you can have an entire library right inside your pocket or bag, at any time, day or night. Reading is just plain good for you, and here are five reasons why you should read more.
1. Boost Your Memory and Brain Function
Reading can have a positive affect on adults as well as children. Most people know that reading is good for kids and boosts their academic scores and confidence, but reading can have many benefits for adults as well. Any kind of reading can be beneficial, but long form works like novels help improve connectivity and idea correlation in the brain. Reading can also have a positive impact on memory, helping improve neurological pathways. Reading has even been shown to slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease, by keeping the brain stimulated. When you choose to read something for fun, you can increase your vocabulary and improve your social mobility, as well as retain information more accurately. With an entire library available on your tablet, take advantage of this brain-boosting activity.
2. Get a Better Night’s Sleep
Many sleep centers and experts recommend a relaxing ritual as a way to help you fall asleep and then sleep more soundly. Reading can be a great way to do this. A good story can help you unwind and forget about anything stressful during the day, and to get your body ready for sleep. Reading can help you relax by disengaging your mind from the events of the day, and adding it to your nighttime routine can help you fall asleep more easily. Having your book available day or night is possible thanks to the easy portability of a tablet. Turn the brightness of the screen down to have the least impact on your eyes and you can read until it’s time to get ready for bed.
3. Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Reading can reduce your stress and anxiety levels. Studies show that as little as six minutes a day can help calm your body and mind, forcing your brain to concentrate on something other than whatever is causing you stress. Increased stress and anxiety levels bring a host of health problems, so finding a way to combat it is important. With a smaller tablet, you can have a book ready to go at any time so you can take a few minutes and connect with something entirely separate, concentrating on characters and story that are away from the stress trigger. Not only will this help you relax, but it will engage you mind in a way that simply taking a walk or drinking a cup of tea will not do. Keep your tablet with you as a stress relief tool.
4. Improve Your Empathy Toward Others
Another benefit of reading is that it increases people’s empathy toward one another. A story can help you understand what it is like to be in another person’s shoes, and to experience their life without leaving the comfort of your own home. Increased empathy helps people engage with one another in more positive ways, both at work and in leisure setting, and reduces instances of negative interactions. People who are empathetic are more likely to do well personally and professionally because they can understand other people, giving them good leadership skills and interpersonal advantages. All of this is improved by reading, and having a wide selection of choices available on your tablet can diversify your reading options.
5. Reading Benefits Your Health
Reading is also good for your body. Studies show that strong readers are more likely to be in better health, perhaps because they can research and read about health problems and solutions. Learning to read well from a young age is important, but it is a skill that adults can gain with practice, too. Staying healthy can have a myriad of other benefits, from saving you money in healthcare costs to being better able to keep up with your children or job. Being in good shape extends your lifespan and improves your quality of life. With your tablet as your source for health guides and books on healthy eating, you can improve your body and your life. Reducing stress and sleeping well add to your healthy lifestyle, so that reading is an all-around positive. Thanks to the portability of tablets like the NOOK, you can always have a book with you, no matter where you go.
