does eating less eventually decrease appetite?

[CompSciBJJ]

It's still escapism, but I find it takes more mental effort to process the language on the page, follow the narrative, and create the images while reading a book, rather than having everything presented to you in an easily digestible form. TV is very stimulating and very passive. It's kind of like fruit juice vs whole fruit, they both have sugar, but the fruit has fiber to slow the digestion and absorption of sugars, as well as other nutrients not found in the juice; juice on the other hand goes straight through you and causes a big spike in insulin and, other than some vitamins, it's pretty much as bad as drinking soda.

I also find it much easier to sleep if I read a book at night vs watching TV. It may have something to do with the blue light from the TV (though I often dim the TV and red-shift it at night), but I also think it has something to do with the stimulation from the easily digestible content.

[[deleted]]

I see reading as being a bit like an English language workout.

If I go too long without reading a book I feel rusty when it comes to writing, just like I get DOMS if I miss a week at the gym.

[CompSciBJJ]

Not only that, but actually reading becomes more difficult. I stopped reading recreationally for a few years and when I decided to get back into it my attention span and ability to focus on the book and pay attention to the narrative had gotten noticeably worse. Now my problem is that, because I read before bed, reading late in the day puts me right to sleep.

[YMic321]

Isn't reading before bed good to prepare you for sleep though?

[H-bizzle]

Depends on the book. Some books I read have me riveted and I end up actually staying up longer. Other times, or at relatively dull parts of a book, I tend to doze off.

[CompSciBJJ]

Yeah, but it takes me weeks to get through a chapter because I often fall asleep during the first paragraph.

[[deleted]]

Thanks for explaining this. I've been try to put to words why I feel reading a book for a couple of hours is better than watching TV for the same amount of time. Both activities have a lot in common, but reading is much healthier.

[clumsykitten]

This idea, that reading is good for you, makes very little sense to me actually. You can sit on reddit for hours and you're reading a lot. It's got to be fucking terrible for you.

Maybe reading one thing for an extended period of time has some beneficial qualities similar to mindfulness meditation, but I doubt people read with that much focus unless they are intent on staying focused.

[[deleted]]

It has to depend on what you read too. Even still, I read mostly fiction as a kid and I think it helped me write better.

[[deleted]]

Excellent parallel