Benefits of Reading Books | Athulya Assisted Living

Benefits of Reading Books

Ever been into a reader’s paradise? If you have, there is no other blissful experience. The images of fantasy, war, family, flowers, scenery, and many more flash by in our mind’s eye while we read. If you have been there once, revisit the pleasant universe. Delve into different realms. Experience the author’s mind. The best part about reading books, even if you have had a gap of many years, you can always get back without any intimidation. As if visiting an old friend.

If you are new to it. Do not ponder. Be mindless about it. Do not be overawed.

Select a genre or an author recommended by friends. If not, go by the cover picture.

Select the cover that touches your heart and kindles interest in you. Do not look upon it as a task. Take your time reading. But first, let us all look into why one should read. Or rather, how the activity of reading helps all of us.

The Activity – Reading Books Reading books may seem insignificant in terms of self-development. But that is not the case. It is the same as practising a sport or fostering any other talent. Taking time out to practise growth will always have desirable outcomes. The benefits mentioned are not limited to the following alone. The scope of the activity embraces more good. Dive into it yourself, experience it. There are many books for seniors to read. But there is no need to limit reading only to those books.

• A positive deviation - Life comes with ups and downs. We need to hold on to something to keep our cool. Books offer such an avenue for us. A small, temporary getaway.

• Memory enhancer – Reading helps keep our neural network of the brain active. Thus, reading improves memory.

• Alzheimer or dementia delayer – The onset of dementia and related issues are a result of decreased neural activity and cognitive power. Reading maintains neural activity, delaying such cognitive evils.

• Better sleep – Gadgets rule the roost these days. Age is no bar. But they come with their own limitations. We all get sleep-deprived by often staying on our browsers or WhatsApp or video streaming apps. Books can help change this scene.

• Conversation starter – Books can be a non-controversial and universal topic to strike a conversation with people. Age and time does not matter. Books and treasures found in them transcend generations and age differences.

• Loneliness buster – When we long for companionship during tough times, and the good souls in our life may not be able to spare good time with us, we

can turn to our companions – books. Relating with the characters, the experiences and authors will be worth the experience.

• Personal development – Reading books expand not only our horizon of thoughts and knowledge. It also increases our analytical abilities and evokes a sense of empathy.