Reading before bed: make room for a few pages

Start with something you enjoy

NHS guidance includes enjoyable reading among several ways to relax before bed, alongside options such as calming music. Reading is an option, not a requirement. Pick an activity that fits your evening rather than collecting a long list of bedtime tasks. (NHS: relaxing before bed and not forcing sleep)

For example, you might choose a familiar novel, a short essay or a few pages of a library book. These are possibilities to consider, not a ranking of books by sleep benefits. There is no need to buy a special bedtime title, finish a chapter or become a different sort of reader.

What the reading trial measured

A trial published in December 2021 randomly assigned 991 adult volunteers to read in bed for 15–30 minutes before sleep or avoid bedtime reading for seven nights. Both groups received the same other routine instructions; electronic devices were permitted. (Finucane and colleagues: The Reading Trial)

Among participants who completed follow-up, 42% of readers (156/369) reported improved sleep quality, versus 28% of nonreaders (112/405). These were personal ratings, not measured sleep stages. The difference describes how many people improved, not extra sleep gained by each reader. (Finucane and colleagues: The Reading Trial)

Of those enrolled, 217 did not complete follow-up, with more dropping out of the reading group. Participants knew their assignment. The study was short and self-selected; readers also reported slightly more daytime sleepiness. (Finucane and colleagues: The Reading Trial)

Ireland's Health Research Board funded the trial; the authors declared no competing interests. (Finucane and colleagues: The Reading Trial)

Make a small space for it

Think about what would make reading easy to begin and easy to stop. Here is a simple planning example you can adapt to your preferences:

• Choose the book earlier, so the evening does not turn into a search for the perfect thing to read.
• Keep a bookmark handy. An unfinished page is allowed.
• Decide what reading will replace in your evening, rather than adding another task after everything else.
• If the book leaves you eager to keep going, consider saving it for another time and choosing a quieter activity tonight.

Those choices are about making the routine comfortable for you. A chapter count or a reading streak can be fun at another time; they do not need a job at bedtime. The bookmark can handle the unfinished business.

Reading before bed does not have to mean reading in bed

NHLBI includes reading in its examples of a relaxing wind-down. It also describes an insomnia treatment approach that reserves the bed for sleep and sex. If you already have a clinician's plan for insomnia, follow that plan; a general reading suggestion should not replace it. (NHLBI: wind-down habits and insomnia treatment)

You can choose a comfortable chair for your wind-down. If you are lying awake and struggling to sleep, NHS guidance suggests getting up for a relaxing activity and returning to bed when sleepy, rather than trying to force sleep. (NHS: relaxing before bed and not forcing sleep)

Keep the choice simple: somewhere comfortable, something enjoyable, and a stopping point that feels manageable. You are choosing how to spend the end of the evening, not trying to pass a reading test.

Let the routine stay small

Afterward, consider an ordinary question: did you enjoy that part of your evening? If it felt like a chore, you can choose another way to wind down. NHLBI also lists soothing music as an example. You do not need to keep an activity just because it appears on a sleep checklist. (NHLBI: wind-down habits and insomnia treatment)

If not getting enough sleep is affecting your daily activities, talk with a healthcare professional. That is a reason to seek help, not to keep adding more bedtime habits. (NHLBI: when sleep problems affect daily life)

For tonight, a book and a bookmark are plenty of equipment. Read if you want to, stop when you are ready, and leave the next page for another evening.