Getting Sleepy while reading books

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I do not know why, but when I read whats on my monitor I am just fine,
but when I try to read a book or any thing else of that
kind I cant help but get so vary sleepy,
I am so sick of that.
anyone have any ideas why this happens?
what couses it?
how it can be fixed?

Last edited by aspergian_mutant on 18 Jan 2008, 11:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I have this very same problem..it drives me insane....I thought part of it had to do with eye fatigue....but it happens with or without my glasses (not that the glasses perfectly correct my vision)....it is one of the reasons it takes me forever to read anything.

probably depends on what you're reading..
Some stuff puts me to sleep, other stuff stays with me.

I think reading puts you in Theta wavelength which is closer to sleeping wavelengths than waking wavelengths.

A more common explanation is that the repetitive eye movements used to read back and forth in a book plus the fact most people sit back in their fave chair or in bed and that causes the body to relax. And if you are sleep deprived or have worked hard that day the minute you do something relaxing you will get sleepy.

I don't know how old you are but I was told by my dad and his friend that the older you get the more likely you will go to sleep the minute you sit down to read or watch tv. I noticed I started doing that in mid-30's so I think he was right.

I have this problem too, but it's because I find reading boring. =/

It's normally the other way around, people get drowsy in front of a computer screen after long periods of time.

What?? Reading totally hypes me up. I just can't stand the thought of putting my book down and going to bed. Anyone else?

I really really wish...I was more like that when I was young...I would go on endless reading binges cut off from the rest of the world for hours and hours....reading one book after the other.....Now it seems I am too distracted...

Not exactly. I get incredibly tired while reading, but I can't stand the thought of putting my book down. So I don't...most of the time. Sometimes I do have to sleep, I have to remind myself that the book will still be there when I wake up. haha

Reading makes me tired too, it takes me a few weeks to read a book which is annoying (especially when I was studying English and had a huge reading list). If it's a really good book that I don't want to put down I have to stand up and shake my head about to wake myself up. Lots of head shaking went on with the Harry Potters
Same as you I can read on the computer for hours.

I find that the kind of font and the brightness of the paper are significant factors. My mother thinks my eyes are bad because I have my face very close to the book I'm reading, but that's only because I am engrossed in whatever it is that I'm reading. I like fonts that are darker, and I think I read giant print better than I do regular print. Regular print, depending on the font, tends to put me in a sleepy state faster, especially if the print is too light. Giant print, with a darker and bolder font, tends to keep me awake while reading. I also tend to read a book more if the paper in a book isn't so damn bright. So much of the paper used in books is too bright, which is why I prefer darker yellow/gold-colored paper.
You might try seeing if the font, the boldness of the print, and the color of the page might not be factors, apergian_mutant. Also, your interest in the reading material is important. If it doesn't interest me, I don't bother.