Does anyone else get sleepy when they read?

[Pete]

I swear sometimes I can't read for more than 30 minutes without having to take a break. It's so frustrating to be engrossed in a novel, but can't keep my eyes open. I suppose it doesn't help that I read in the late evening -- I typically start reading at about 9:00 pm and try to get 2-3 hours in, but it's usually hopeless. When I stop reading then I'm fine.

Any advice?

[RB]

I only have that issue when I read while laying down - the time of day has little influence. I guess I make myself a little bit too comfortable ;-)

[Huw]

I always read at bedtime, as a way of removing the stresses of the day. As a result I have been woken by a forceful nudge after I have fallen asleep, glasses on and book in hand. I sleep much better if I read even a paragraph before sleep.
If I read after lunch, there is a significant risk of my falling asleep then; this just allows me to read more at bedtime.

[Tajma]

I'm basically an insomniac and the only upside to that is I can read for hours at night without getting groggy.

[Shannon]

I always read before going to bed but it rarely makes me sleepy. I'll say "Oh, I'm just going to read a chapter to relax me." The next thing I know 3 hours have passed and I'm thinking about how I will pay for the lack of sleep in the morning. I do have some rare occasions where I'll start seeing double and have to put the book down and sleep.

[Ellen]

Very frustrating-I think it's old age! Lately, whenever I start reading, I fall asleep. :(

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ]

Only when reading shit I can't stand. lol Like military regulations, etc.

[Tracey]

Lately I've been falling asleep in the middle of action/fight/battle scenes. Which either says something about me or about the authors ...

[sonya]

i use reading at night to help me get to sleep

[Barry]

yes! 10 minutes, book I am eager to read, out like a light. scary.

[Huw]

Bad night last night; woke at 0300 for whatever reason. Resolved it by coming downstairs, making a tisane and reading until I was sleepy again. Fell asleep on the sofa at 0530 having acheived >100 pages of A Dance With Dragons. There is some compensation for loss of dreamtime.

[Neko]

Yes! I get this way when the book I'm not totally enjoying (but want to read) will make me sleepy as anything. Or I'll find I keep reading but I'm not actually taking in anything I read.

[Thom]

I only have this problem when reading for work. I think Ellie has hit the nail on the head when she says it probably has to do with age (the language that I read also has an influence). I compensate this by reading work documents first thing in the morning and keep my fun reading for evenings.

[Beth]

Sonya wrote: "i use reading at night to help me get to sleep"

Me, too. I read all hours of the day, but I certainly read every night in bed until I fall asleep. A few times a week, I'll wake around 3 or 4 am, and I will have to read or else I'll toss and turn for hours. I keep a book and a booklight in bed with me just for the purpose of getting myself back to sleep.

[Tee27]

Definitely....I especially feel sleepy when reading in my classroom, which has no windows. Reading there makes me feel dizzy, even. I can read aloud, while standing and moving, without much of a problem. That's why favorite time to read is in my bedroom early in the morning on weekends.

[Alondra]

Tajma wrote: "I'm basically an insomniac and the only upside to that is I can read for hours at night without getting groggy."

Same here; Books are an Insomniacs found treasure.... I do find I will get a sleepy moment, and if no one bothers me; then i can go right to sleep. If hubby, kids or cat are vying for attention or making noise then it's over and the insomnia is full on... ggrrr

[Vikki]

I'd only really get sleepy reading if I've had a long day or haven't been sleeping great and tiredness is catching up on me.

[Jay]

If I read in bed at bedtime, I usually go fast, unless it's a thriller. Real fast if it's non-fiction. Otherwise, if I'm tired anyway, I sometimes will get sleepy when reading.

[Ellen]

With both television and reading, I know I'll get sleepy if it's something I really, really want to see/watch. Although I'm tempted into some cosmic cynicism about this, I suspect it's the result of my more-intense-than-usual concentration which frees me from all other concerns & thus allows me to fall asleep.

Although sometimes with book this strategy backfires & I find myself so involved that I end up staying awake all night. :/

[Joanne]

I like to read in bed, but it has to be light reading, literally. The thump of a heavy book landing on my face, is a rude awakening.

[Beth]

Joanne wrote: "I like to read in bed, but it has to be light reading, literally. The thump of a heavy book landing on my face, is a rude awakening."

LOL That's why I only read paperback in bed!

[Tiffany]

There are times when I do fall asleep when reading. But there are times when I just can't put the book down. I maintain it is when I have had a loooooooong day at work and need some reading/down time, but then I fall asleep and have to reread.

[Gioia]

I only have that issue if the book i am reading it's really boring. If it happens once usually i try to get back to the book, but if it happens again, i just plain stop reading it...

[Denise]

I've just reached the stage when I need glasses to read, and having a problem with really dry eyes. I was told I blink less when I read, which makes me FEEL tired when I read.

[sonya]

deenise, how about eye drops?

[Laurie (barksbooks)]

This happens to me every time I try to read, doesn't really matter what time of day it is but I'm pretty over-stressed. It sounds like we're all a little sleep deprived.

[Christine]

I always fall asleep when I read. I can't help it and it's sooo annoying, I think it's because I get so relaxed. But then I'm upset because I have wasted valuable reading time.

[Batsap]

BarkLessWagMore wrote: "It sounds like we're all a little sleep deprived."

I know I'd rather go without some sleep in order to read more. I usually read at night, so I get sleepy. But I'm fine when I read during the day.

[Christina]

I tend to do a lot of my reading at night so I do get sleepy while reading. Of course, reading while lying in bed doesn't help :P haha!

[Kori]

I always read before bed, so that probably explains why I'm catching zzz's soon after starting. And sometimes it's frustrating because I get to a good part and I'm just too zonked out to finish :)

[Jay]

Don't you hate when you're trying to finish a paragraph and you keep dozing off and have to read the same line 3 or 4 times. I just want to get to the end of the paragraph, not even finish the chapter!

[Janet]

I have had this problem for several years now. I was so frustrated with never making any progress that I've started going to bed early and getting up very early to read. Once I've had my morning coffee, I'm wide awake and don't nod off while reading. I also listen to audiobooks in the car but if that starts making me drowsy I switch it off.

[Jay]

Janet wrote: "I also listen to audiobooks in the car but if that starts making me drowsy I switch it off."

That's probably a really good idea.

[Aoibhínn]

I find it depends on the book. If the story is very slow paced I will find myself getting drowsy. But more often than not, when I read late at night and the novel I'm reading is very captivating, I find myself looking at the clock and wondering where all the time as gone. This one time when I was going to bed, I decided to read a "chapter" of my book before I went to asleep, but I got stuck into the story and couldn't put the book down, I ended up glancing at the clock during the night and realising it was 5am and I was supposed to be up for work at 8am that morning... whoops! :P