why does reading make me sleepy???

Question

Well I am a college Sophomore and everytime I begin to read abnything I get very sleepy! And even in class listening to my teachers lecture makes me sleepy. I sont thinm my classes or what I read is boring but somehow I get sleepy. How do I stop getting sleepy when I see anything school-related?? lol

oops typo I meant to write I DONT THINK my classes are boring lol

And no I dont party at all! lol Im mostly home

Answer 1

because your bored. and you look at school "stuff" boring.

Answer 2

Reading Makes Me Sleepy

Answer 3

i think it's part of our culture. People are used to activities that are more physical or visual and less cerebral... so your mind gets acustomed to constant stimulus unless you're going to sleep. When you're reading, all you're doing is looking at words. If you're in class, all you're doing is listening to some person talk. In our technological era, that's an uncanny lack of stimulus. There isn't any real quick solution... if you don't live a book-ish lifestyle, then it's bound to be more stressful when you try to do something bookish, just like some bookworm would get awfully tired trying to party or play a game or something. The best thing you can do is get plenty of sleep, have a coffee, and prepare for class a bit by reading over the syllabus and thinking about the subject a bit. That way, you're more prepared to take interest in what you'll be listening to or reading about. Think of questions about the lecture or chapter topic and go in there with the goal of satisfying your curiosities. If you're psyched about the subject or anxious to learn more, you will be more likely to stay alert. Good luck!

Answer 4

You have probably just developed poor reading habits. A lot of people read right before bedtime because they can't find any other time of the day to indulge. This conditions your body to expect that sleep will follow reading.

You should also get your eyes checked. You may need reading glasses. If you spend a lot of time reading or sitting at the computer, your eyes become conditioned to only focusing to a certain distance. When you start to get tired it may be simple eyestrain. Put the book down, close your eyes for a second (think of this as a reboot), then look out a window or around the room to allow your eyes a rest from book-distance focusing.

Answer 5

Try taking notes while you read. It will help you study and keep you awake. I know, no matter how much you like the class, sometimes you just get sleepy. Do make sure that you are well rested. Sit with friends in class who are also serious about school and nudge each other (surrepticiously!) when you start to nod off. If you're allowed to eat or drink in your classrooms, have a snack. Participate in class. Basically, make it a project to stay awake.

Answer 6

I have seen them phenomena before! How many hours of sleep do you get every night on average? Some people require more. My husband needs 9 hours of sleep a night to function at the maximum. If you're getting the American standard of 6-7 you very well might be over tired and no amount of "catch up" sleep is going to make up for it! You might want to make sure you're not drinking too much caffeine and are eating a well balanced diet. Of course if you're on any kind of medications or over the counter stuff you can ask your pharmacist if it's possible that it's making you sleepy.

Answer 7

I think that the reason why you are getting sleepy during lectures and class is because you aren't as interested in the material as some other things. Sometimes when you hear someones voice, it is soothing to your body, therefore you feel comfortable enough to sleep. Also, when your reading, i dont think that it is particularly you that is getting tired, but your eyes. I think its from your eyes moving around and staring at the page and your body just becomes relaxed and so you start to feel sleepy. It happens to me all the time :-)

Answer 8

Actually there has been studies within this problem, it's natural to feel the way you do, but the main reason behind getting sleepy when reading or lectures is because you don't find the subject your reading to be interrested.

If the subject doesn't catch your attention the only thing left to do is well.... get sleepy and ultimatly fall asleep

Answer 9

I am the same way. It's because we're not really interested in what the class is teaching. Sometimes it is because of the subject matter, sometimes it is the depth of the material being taught.

This has absolutely nothing to do with how intelligent you are. It is more about the reasons why we are in school. I'm guessing that you, like me, are not in college because of your "love of learning", but because of something more practical, like to get a good job afterwards.

This leads to the mind not really being stimulated when doing school work, and is akin to staring at a brick wall. If anyone had to stare at a brick wall for more than 5 minutes, I'm sure he or she would fall asleep quickly.

Of course, we all have to fight through this if we want to be successful in school. Get into the habit of studying, and you will be fine.

Answer 10

When I get sleepy while studying I do a few minutes of excercise. The exercise raises your heart rate and keeps you from falling asleep.

So, if you have a class where you'll be sitting for a long time, try going up and down a couple of flights of staris first.

Answer 11

First of all reading makes you focus on what your reading so your mind's not going a hundred miles an hour on other things. It obviously relaxes you too. When you become relaxed your breathing slows which causes you to breathe slower and more shallow. This causes less oxygen to get to your brain which causes you to be sleepy and start yawning.