Today I am very honored to share with my readers a guest post by Paula Headly in which she talks about the benifits of daily reading. I hope a few of my readers will contribute their own ideas with us.
Paula Headley is a young mother of one lovely daughter and successful freelance writer help-with-homework.com. In addition, she is writing, reading, and healthy lifestyle addicted. She always keeps herself busy with challenging tasks and really enjoys conducting researches in order to provide readers with fascinating articles. Paula writes about effective parenting, writing tips, reading, and numerous other topics. She is an avid book reader as well. You are welcome to follow her on Facebook.
Train Your Brain: 10 Benefits of Everyday Reading
By Paula Headley
It’s no secret that picking up a book will engage your mind, but what else does reading do for you? Reading can provide a plethora of benefits. Have a look below to see exactly how daily reading can positively affect you.
1. Mental Stimulation
Several studies have shown that reading daily can significantly slow the progress of Dementia and Alzheimer’s- and it can even prevent these diseases altogether. This is due to the fact that your brain is kept active and engaged when it is reading. Just like the physical body, the brain needs exercise as well to fully function.
So keep your brain healthy and strong by picking up a novel and start reading!
2. Reduces Stress
When you are turning the pages to a great work of fiction or find yourself captivated by a love story, you will find that your worries have melted away. Reading is a great way to unwind and keep your mind off of negative things.
Stress levels are significantly reduced when you are an avid reader. Your mind becomes distracted from the everyday stressors through a good book or article.
3. The More You Read, The More You Learn
There is a saying ‘Knowledge is Power’, and this is very true for those who are active readers. When you read a book, you are exercising your brain as well as learning. Each time you read something your mind will absorb the words like a sponge and store the information for future use, which can come in handy.
One of the greatest things about knowledge is that it can never be taken from you. Needless to say reading provides a knowledgeable experience that truly belongs to you.
4. Expanding Vocabulary
Another great thing about daily reading is the fact that you are constantly coming across new words. Whether you know their meaning the minute you read them, or you have to do a bit of research to find the true meaning and proper use, the words that you read will become a part of your day to day vocabulary.
When you apply the words you’ve read to your daily life you will soon notice you are well spoken and articulate. Both of these skills are important for any profession and you will have the tools to seek to better understand those around you.
Not to mention, reading is also an essential tool when it comes to learning new languages. Non-native speakers learn faster through context and reading is the best way to do so.
5. Improves Your Memory
Since your brain is getting all sorts of engagement and ‘exercise’ when you read, your memory and cognitive functions will greatly improve. Whenever you are reading a book, you have to keep track of the characters (main and side), plots, sub-plots, and a variety of arcs the story may have. While it might seem like a lot to remember, when you are reading your brain has no trouble in placing all the details in the right place.
As a matter of fact, whenever you are reading you are creating a new memory. Each time a new memory is created within your brain, there are new synapses (or brain pathways) formed. While there are new ones forming all the time, old ones are also strengthened. Both of these aidin the function of your short-term memory as well as stabilizing your mood.
6. Improves Your Concentration and Focus
Whenever you are reading a book, your concentration and focus is on just that- the story in front of you. Try reading ten to twenty minutes a day before you head into work. You will quickly notice how focused you are throughout the day and how easy it is to maintain concentration.
7. Gives You a Sense of Tranquility
Reading will offer you a relaxing and unwinding experience. If you are looking to push these feelings a step further, read a book or text on self-healing, meditation, or spiritual texts. These published works can leave you with a peaceful and tranquil feeling. Not to mention those who read these types of literature have lowered blood pressure from the sense of calm as well as have uplifted moods.
8. Provides Free Entertainment
Who says entertaining yourself has to be expensive? While there are several bookstores online or in your community, there is a place you can access a whole world of books- the library. Having a library card will give you free access to all sorts of texts and publications allowing you to train your brain, stay relaxed, or simply become engaged in a story.
If you do not have access to a local library, there are several online sources that offer e-books or magazines for downloading for free. Either way, books or e-books are an excellent way to entertain yourself at little to no cost.
9. Enhances Your Writing Skills
Enhanced writing skills goes hand in hand with an enhanced vocabulary. Reading allows writers to find inspiration from other works as well as become exposed to technical styles, use of grammar, and flow of words.
Similar to the way artists and musicians find inspiration from the greats, writers can fine tune their own prose by following similar examples of published works.
10. Strengthens Your Analytical Thinking Skills
When you are reading a mystery novel or thriller, your brain is hunting for clues to solve the mystery before you finish the last page. If you have ever had an experience where you guessed the killer in a mystery novel before it was actually revealed, this is your own analytical thinking skills at work.
Being able to place clues or fit together puzzle pieces from your story will enhance your critical and analytical thinking skills. Especially if the story is well written and has a well-developed plot, you will find yourself searching for clues and trying to solve the mystery as soon as you can. This is also another great way you can exercise your brain.
So what are you waiting for? Pick up a book today and start training and exercising your brain with the simple task of reading.
End of Guest Post.
I hope you found this post as interesting as I did.
Please share with us your thoughts on the benifits of daily reading.
I hope Paula will contribute more posts to The Reading Life.
I think her web page would be very valuable to college students and high school students throughout the world.
Mel u
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