Reading a few pages before bed can be a pleasant way to end the day. Research offers some reasons to try it, from what reading asks of the brain to how it fits into a calmer evening.

What happens when you read

Reading draws on language, attention and imagination. Those processes are part of what makes it so absorbing.

A 2013 Emory University study followed participants with resting-state fMRI scans over 19 days, including nine evenings of assigned novel reading. The researchers observed changes in connectivity around the reading period, with some persisting during the subsequent days. The design tracked the same people over time, rather than comparing habitual bedtime readers with a television-watching group.

What happens when you watch TV

Television supplies images and sound, while reading asks you to interpret written language. Both can involve attention, emotion and inference. Calling television “brain off” oversimplifies the comparison.

A 2024 analysis of screen use, reading and brain development examined early adolescents using observational data and statistical causal-inference methods. It focused on young people rather than adults winding down at night, so it is a limited guide to bedtime choices.

The sleep equation

Light exposure and stimulating content may affect a bedtime routine. The Sleep Foundation discusses how electronics can affect sleep, but effects vary with brightness, timing, duration and the person using the device.

Its overview of reading before bed describes research suggesting that the habit can help some people sleep. That is a reason to try it and see whether it works for you.

What the brain study cannot tell us

Nine evenings of reading is a short window. The Emory study cannot tell us what decades of the habit do to the brain, or whether bedtime readers end up with better empathy, attention or memory than people who watch television.

A useful bedtime routine does not need that kind of proof behind it. You can choose reading because you enjoy it, because it helps you wind down, or because you prefer it to your current routine.

Finding a relaxing activity

A book can be absorbing, but it can also be suspenseful or difficult. Television can be stimulating, but it can also feel restful. Your response depends on the content and the circumstances.

What this means in practice

Keep a book you enjoy beside the bed and try a short reading period. Notice whether you feel more settled and whether the routine suits you. Treat it as a personal experiment.

If late-night screen use keeps you awake, try changing the timing, brightness or content, or putting the screen aside. The practical aim is a routine that works for you.

Correction — 4 October 2026: The earlier headline and body extrapolated short-term findings into fundamental long-term brain differences between readers and television watchers. The article now separates the study’s actual design from those unsupported comparisons and qualifies related sleep claims.