Exhaustion from Reading

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I find that even when I am reading something for fun, the more I try to actually comprehend what I'm reading, the more exhausting it becomes. I know many of us are visual and not verbal learners, yet many of us are also in university and have gone on to higher education.

I am trying to make it through college but lately, because of having to do massive amounts of reading, I feel that my ability to really grasp what I am doing is declining, so I am getting much poorer at showing my real understanding and academic ability because readings are rushed and I need extra "thinking time" to actually consolidate in my head what I'm reading. This applies to lectures, too - listening is extremely difficult and exhausting somehow. I try to study in the evenings, but it's extremely unproductive and slow. Sleeping doesn't always work and I just crash sometimes, lie there, and waste time that should be spent studying. Then I get behind again because I'm so slow at reading (I read 6-7 pages per hour) and have to lose out on sleeping, eating, etc. in the long run. I am a naturally kinesthetic/visual learner.

Does anyone else here have the same problem and do you have any strategies for coping with this?

I've noticed many people on this forum are highly educated and enjoy learning. I love learning and the topics we're studying but just not through reading, it seems. I want to figure out how to progress at the same speed as my peers and I want to be able to find a job and support myself ASAP, so slowing down and being a drain of other people's money as a student is not an option. Again, I know some Aspies who went through the regular 4-year degree with excellent grades.

What are you studying?

Hello, I am in college also and I have the same problems you do. It takes me a long time to read my textbooks and the reading makes me tired. It is hard for me to comprehend. I read at roughly the same pace as you do. I asked the college reading tutor what I should do and she said that the amount of time I spend on reading is normal and that I should be spending that long if not slightly longer on my reading.

Ah yeah, I loved learning. For me it was college that I was physically struggling with reading, righting and comprehension ability. Even to the point it was suggested that I am dyslexic dye to the way I'm processing information, mistakes, reading speed and a lot of things.

Exhausting to the point of physical weakness, migraines and other things. The thing I found is that to use my Logical, Intrapersonal and visual/spatial learning style and transform the written learning material to something more understandable. This meant visualising the written work more logically by placing the material into real life scenarios, how other people are meant to interact with it and more vocationally by means of being physically more hands on and repetitively repeating it.

I found that when it comes to just words, I don't have the memory or ability to understand or recall facts and figured just by memorising it. But put it in a different way by transforming it into something more real, logical - a common sense approach of its concept, I am a literal information sponge. It a shame that school never catered or fully understood different types of learning beyond reading and I naturally fell behind and lost interest in school.

It was in my favour in college with my Computing subjects and abstract concepts don't work for me though. I could give an example, my systems subject was all written. To put the subject matter into a logical situation, is to put it into the real life, how it would work in real life, intrapersonally by seeing how others would use it and visually by physically building it with software, design tools and testing, much of which not part of the course, but it gave me that window of understanding into that concept.

Through my course, I had to manage work and rest. Good time management to allow enough time to recuperate. I got into the habit of scheduling everything based on the workload and free time against deadlines, devided by all the subjects and self enforced breaks using video games.

With jobs, I can't function at due speed. There's usually jobs out there that caters to more methodological approaches to doing work as opposed to just full speed ahead. I'm considered limited capable of working and cannot be expected to do any job, not without significant physical and mental health problems. I found Autism advocacy groups that cater me in finding work being on the spectrum.

Huh... It's weird sometimes as with my own set of health problems, I would be more of a drain in work on minimum wage on the public purse as I would be out of work as disibility prevents a lot of work related skills can be learnt. Plus its a huge fincinal gamble to employers taking me on, health and safety incurance wise, reasonable adjustments and such.

It would mean I need a highly paid professional job in my subject matter, be professionally trained long term, a job that's requires more thinking hands on approach, minimal communication, away from sensory overload and migraine triggers, minimal stress and assessable work that caters for balancing and other neurological conditions. I'd say I'm still waiting for that call from advocates that have found what I need.

I have a terrible time trying to read for anything beyond a few paragraphs. Really gets under my skin. My nerves can even end up shot, and it takes a lot out of me. Odd thing is I used to be able to do a lot more reading when I was younger. I dunno. Kids have higher energy levels or something?

I take fish oil before I read a lot of text just because I want to be able to concentrate for longer and have a better processing ability. I love and learn and to read but it does take away a lot of my mental and physical energy. I was just reading a few pages of a Marvel Fact Fie magazine and felt like having a snooze. Instead, I just started playing games on my iPad.

I never usually read on an empty stomach and need to be sure I feel rested enough (i.e not about to fall asleep on my bed) before I start. I have short 10 minute breaks in between my daily tasks and if I read a lot at one part of the day I won't continue until the next day.

Yes I have the same problem

One thing I've noticed about my reading skills is that just like a marathon runner. You have to learn to PACE YOURSELF. There that sweet spot that you have to find. I found with me is that if I try to read too slow. I get board and drift off to lalaland. If I read too fast. Then I start losing comprehension and forgetting about what I've read. BTW: I have very bad short-term memory. Also, It's important to know when to take breaks in between paragraphs so you have time to think about what you've read and have time to digest everything before going on to the next.

Mathgirl, are you sure it's not an eye problem? It sounds like maybe this has been a lifelong problem for you, so that may not be the issue - but if you haven't had your eyes checked lately, you should consider it. I was having trouble at work a while back, my boss kept screaming at me because I was missing things in his documents. I was shocked to find out that I needed a major prescription change. You'd think stuff would have been looking blurry to me, but I never saw it that way. In fact I would miss edits that were written very large and see some that were smaller. Maybe because of how the autistic brain processes information, poor eyesight affects us differently. Maybe it causes overall comprehension problems, instead of just what we can't see. Anyway, as soon as I got the new glasses, I went back to my old self with the document editing.

I recently did a degree in psychology - I can sympathize with where you are! I hope you enjoy your college life!

I often read while I'm exercising on a treadmill or stationary bike to cut down on fatigue.

When I find something I read particularly challenging, I often get an audiobook of it, and listen repeatedly until I completely absorb it.

If you can't get it on audio, try recording yourself reading your notes, and listen to them on your Ipod.

I like reading myself. I got my undergrad degree though it took me 8 years instead of four. I couldn't handle a fulltime course load so I took part time courses, maybe dropping down the number of courses could help. Personally I have a pretty big vocabulary so reading is not a big deal, it was the lectures that would make me anxious because so many people and stimuli, and also exams. I got involved with the center for students with disabilities at my school and they let me write exams in a room with smaller amount of people and that helped. I also got time and a half on exams I hardly ever used the extra time but I found it would calm my anxiety knowing I had the extra time.

There is a program called Kurweil where you scan your textbooks into it and it reads it to you. I have done that a few times but found I didn't need it but I know other people who struggle with reading that use that and find it really helpful. Also some people will tape the lectures so they can play it back.

I can't read at all.

I mean, I can read, but not read read. I just can't keep focused, it doesn't interest me in the least, and I don't gather information.

I drive semi trucks for a living and I find I'm able to stay actively engaged with audiobooks, I listened to a full 3 hour long debate and got most of the information. If you ride a bus or train often, or walk a lot, anything of that sort, it's worth a shot.