Is there a good way to prevent or ameliorate sleepiness when reading?  

I can read interesting books, yet I still get sleepy--even when I've
slept well over the past couple months.  Considering I'm studying for
my Master's degree, this is highly annoying because I need to complete
a lot of reading.

Also, are there tricks for concentrating so you can retain more when
reading?  Right now I need to use brute force to read through stuff
with discipline.  If I don't enforce that discipline, my mind wanders
to all sorts of things--even if I like the subject of the book!

I have found in one search that we get sleepy when reading because our
bodies start producing lactic acid when we're at rest which reduces
flow of oxygen to the brain.  However, not everyone I know has this
problem, so I'm also wondering if this is perhaps diet related to some
extent?  If so, what foods can I eat to help with these reading
issues?

Thanks much!

---

Request for Question Clarification by aht-ga on 13 Jan 2004 17:12 PST

brit_fan-ga:

In addition to my personal suggestions and opinion expressed in the
comment below, please take a look at these online resources:

-------------------------

Food: Do Certain Foods Help You Think?
http://www.ivillage.com/diet/features/herbs/qas/0,,165854_12435,00.html

TherapyWorld: Dr. Cohen's Mood Food
http://www.therapyworld.com/mood-foods.cfm

Dummies.com::Beating the Effects of Brain Fog
http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-1542.html

 (comment here: this is an excerpt from "Fibromyalgia For Dummies". Is
there any topic left that doesn't have a "...for Dummies" book?)

BBC - One Life - Education - Revision - Guest Chat:Revision Advice, Part 2
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/education/revision/transcript2.shtml

 (see last question and answer on page)

-------------------------

Can you advise me whether this is the sort of information you are
seeking? As far as "tricks for concentrating" go, the success rate
depends a lot on the individual, which is why I posted my suggestions
as a comment, originally. The food part of your question, is addressed
through the above links. I just want to make sure that you see value
in this before I post any of it as an Answer.

Looking forward to hearing back from you,

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher

---

Clarification of Question by brit_fan-ga on 13 Jan 2004 18:15 PST

Hi there aht-ga,

Yes this is along the lines of what I was looking for.  I always heard
that fish is "brain food", but I thought of it as an old wive's tale. 
It's good to know there's some value to that.  Please feel free to
post an official answer along those lines....

Thanks,
brit_fan-ga

brit_fan-ga:

Thank you for your Question regarding how to help improve your ability
to concentrate on reading.

I will summarize the information I provided in the comments and the
above clarification request:

-------------------------

To help stay awake while reading, you can consider reading while
performing some form of physical activity such as riding an exercise
bike or walking on a treadmill. Something that will help with this is:

Center Rack - for Reading while Exercising
http://www.bodytrends.com/savcentr.htm


-------------------------

You can also try avoiding foods that result in peaks (and therefore
valleys) in your energy levels. The following websites discuss this
better than I can:


-------------------------

Food: Do Certain Foods Help You Think?
http://www.ivillage.com/diet/features/herbs/qas/0,,165854_12435,00.html

TherapyWorld: Dr. Cohen's Mood Food
http://www.therapyworld.com/mood-foods.cfm

Dummies.com::Beating the Effects of Brain Fog
http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-1542.html

BBC - One Life - Education - Revision - Guest Chat:Revision Advice, Part 2
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/education/revision/transcript2.shtml

 (see last question and answer on page)

-------------------------

Additional measures you can try to help you focus while reading
include meditation, and isolation (ie. lack of distractions). I
suspect that the isolation approach would rapidly lead to a desire to
scream, so instead here are some links for simple meditation
exercises:

A Simple Meditation Technique
http://www.ananda.org/meditation/technique.html

Simple Meditation
http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/meditation/simple.asp

-------------------------

Your best bet may be simply to schedule in breaks outdoors, where you
go for a short, brisk walk to help clear the cobwebs periodically.

I hope that some of this helps! Please let me know if you need any clarification.

Thanks,

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher

Answered my question and gave me some good ideas!  Well done.

brit_fan-ga:

To the part of your Question regarding how to stay awake while
reading, have you tried combining some form of physical activity with
your reading? For example, reading while using an exercise bike (at a
low resistance setting so you don't tire out before you finish the
reading, of course!), or simply reading while walking about your home.

As for your lack of concentration, short of you suffering from
attention-deficit disorder (ADD), it may well be a sign that you just
have a lot on your mind these days. For some people, reading is
actually their preferred therapy for this, but since reading is part
of your 'job' right now, you may want to try out some simple
meditation exercises before any major session of reading. Something as
simple as sitting comfortably, then concentrating on breathing in and
out, counting from one to five slowly with each intake and expel of
air. Do that for a few minutes (long enough such that you can no
longer remember how long you have been doing it for, that usually
works!), then pick up the book and read for a while.

Good luck,

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher

You might consider trying one of the so-called "smart drugs" to
maintain your alertness while reading. I have a friend who swears that
vinpocetine keeps him alert during boring lectures in school. It's not
a stimulant drug, but a "cerebral enhancer" (if the hype can be
believed).

Here's an answer to a GA question about "smart drugs" that will give
you an idea of what sorts of things are available:

http://www.answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=175459

Thanks a lot to the aht-ga and pinkfreud-ga.  You have given me some
good ideas!  I think, primarily, it's time for me to try eating the
right things, but I also appreciate the methods for clearing your mind
before a lot of reading.

Thanks a lot,
bri_fan-ga

When I was working on my MFA in Creative Writing a few years ago, I
had to do soooooooo much reading. I'd often have to stay up till all
hours finishing certain Great Works of Literature, or would spend
literally entire days just reading. I can really sympathize.

One thing that helped more than anything were meditation tapes from a
company called Brain Sync, particularly Deep Learning and High Focus.
There aren't any words, just sounds that help guide your brain into
proper states of alertness. I HIGHLY recommend them. (I've actually
become kind of a BrainSync junkie - I order a new CD from them
practically every other month. They've been very effective for me, in
every subject matter!) I hope this helps!

Thanks space_girl!  I'm checking that out, sounds interesting!

Have you had your vision checked recently?

A change in vision can certainly make you sleepy when reading.
phyre

1.
what we read is in a certain way "food" for our soul.
hence if we read what we need for professional or intellectual purpose
only - to meet a requirement by school or job - we may neglect the
need of our soul and innermost being.

literature of technical content for example may be hard to digest if
our inner being would love to get something that helps our holistic
wellbeing, love, family and partner skills.

as a result of reading "wrong" food for our soul - our soul withdraws
energy and we feel sleepy.

opposite to that - when reading some really inspiring ( from spiritual
point of view ) texts and topics that really bring us forward in life
- we may feel "flooded" by an ocean of life force keeping us awake for
hours and nights.

2. motivation is another factor.
if you see a real and powerful reason AND benefit from reading what
you want to read - benefits such as more pay, better jobs, easier
life, more free time, ... increase quality of life .. then you may
have plenty of natural motivation keeping you fully focused on your
goal and hence on your reading material - because you see and
understand the benefits that will result directly from completing your
study.

opposed to that - we often encounter reading assignments made by
schools, or as a result of job or professional needs, that simply need
to be done for no obvious reason except that we are told to do so or
expected to do so .. hence OUR true motivation form within is totally
missing or purely based on our intellect telling us to fulfill our
duties ..

3. when you need to study - even late night or when tired, try once
one or several of the following steps .. independent of time of day

a.
even or specially when tired - go on a walk, an easy stroll into
nature, if possible wild nature for 30-60 or more minutes, relax and
refresh your aura and energy field by absorbing as much or all
available natural resources offered by forest, parks, flowers and
herbs in nature.

b.
if you have the interest - you may do a daily hatha yoga exercise plan
- such as the home/selfstudy
Richard Hittleman's Yoga: 28 Day Exercise Plan, by Richard Hittleman.
while you may need for the first 28 days an hours or so per lesson at home
later on some 20 minutes after work will make you feel fresh again.
what it does is simply to rebalance in a scientific method as used by
hatha yoga since long - a set of particular exercises or slow
movements to balance your energy, to get blocked energy flowing and
hence to FLUSH your entire light body with fresh life force ( prana )

c.
if you have your own garden - go and water the garden - directly
amidst all the plants, bushes and trees, giving water to plants
increases their aura and lets you absorb some really refreshing
energy. you will see - most likely after a while "working" in the
garden you feel more refreshed than after a brief nap.

balancethe key pont is to balance our life again with a mixture of
activities between indoor and outdoor - spending more time amidst
nature to absorb what nature has to offer us and our health and
wellbeing

d. of course you may have it already - make sure you have plenty of
fresh air in the room you want to study or ready, avoid artificial
climate such as aircon rooms, .. and have as many different real (
life ) plants in the room as reasonably feasible to create a healthy
indoor atmosphere.

love and bliss

hans