The Health Benefits of Daily Reading by Mollie Wen (G7) The Health Benefits of Daily Reading By Mollie Wen Grade 7 Someone opens up a book and dives into the enchanting world of Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone, or Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. They start to relax and focus on the book instead of their worries, like someone focusing on ways to reach a goal instead of worrying about the obstacles. Many, like them, may enjoy reading and feel relaxed by it, but the secret benefits of reading, such as how reading can improve sleep, slow down cognitive or memory decline, and reduce stress, may be unknown to them. First, reading improves sleep. According to the article “7 Health Benefits of Reading Every Day,” reading “promotes physical relaxation, where the heart slows and muscles become less tense, allowing the body to relax. Reading also calms the mind and reduces stress, improving sleep quality and potentially extending sleep duration.” Less tense muscles and a slower heart rate show that reading is associated with relaxation in the human body, which is essential for sleep, important to refresh and renew someone’s mind and body after a long day. Moreover, reading helps slow down cognitive decline, or a reduced ability to remember, learn, and pay attention as a person ages. For example, a 2013 study by researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago showed reading helps slow or prevent cognitive disease. In the study, 294 adults around the age of 90 completed memory and thinking tests every year for approximately six years before their death. After analyzing their brains after the participants’ deaths, researchers found that the participants who read the most or had done mental exercises the most in their lives were the least likely to show any physical signs of cognitive decline. This study proved that reading could reduce cognitive decline, as the participants who read the most had healthier brains. Turns out, reading helps reduce cognitive decline or slow it down. Finally, reading reduces stress. In 2009, researchers at the University of Sussex in the UK conducted a study related to reading and stress. Many participants were interviewed, and those who read just 6 minutes per day said they experienced a slower heart rate and a reduced amount of muscle tension, a sign of relaxation and stress relief. By studying reading and interviewing these participants, researchers found that reading could reduce stress by 68%, more than any other stress-coping skill. This highlights the significance of reading in everyday life, as just a bit of reading can reduce stress by a significant amount, which can be harmful if unmanageable. In conclusion, reading has lots of benefits that may be unknown to others. These benefits include sleep being improved, cognitive decline being slowed down, and stress levels being reduced. If someone starts reading today as a daily habit, there will be some positive outcomes.
