Why does continuous reading, put us to sleep?

OOh I have the exact opposite problem actually. I can start reading a book and find that I'm reading and reading and don't feel sleepy but want to carry on reading till the book is finished be it 2am or 5am. This is why I try not to read at bedtime when I have work the next day as I get so involved in my book that I can't sleep! LOL

hi there.. maybe its because our eyes gets tired.. our eyes gets sleepy lol.. Thats it I cant think of any other reasons.. :D

It will tire your eyes. I sometimes experience it when I read a novel from early in the morning and never stop until evening, it tires my eyelids and makes me sleepy even if it’s still afternoon. That’s why when I want to get some sleep at night, I just read.

hey vinzen, u started a good thread.. and one that requires scientific reasoning.. Well, what happens when u train hard in a gym.. your body muscles burn a lot of glucose and energy is spent.. (its an exothermic reaction, but lets not bifurcate).. As a result your muscles get tired and need to be rested.. A neurotransmitter sends this signal to the brain and it reacts by causing a sleep. Haven't u observed, u sleep soundly after a sweat in your gym.. Much in the same way, when u read longer, glucose is spent by your brain tissue and u start to feel drowsy ( due to spent-up glucose).. Not only while reading, you also feel sleepy after a nice afternoon lunch.. coz blood goes to ur tummy muscles to help digest the food..in the process glucose levels drop in the brain tissue and u feel like takin' a nap.. This is the mechanism and humanbody is a wonderful machine that self-regulates... God is gr8.. isn't it? aaright, does this help? Best, Mike

I think it's because you get into the story, forget about your problems and your body totally relaxes and induces sleep. But reading even if it makes you sleepy is such a brillant way to relax, and learn all at one time.

I think it is making your eyes tired. Im a night-owl though, i read pretty much all night (well, 'til my girlfriend starts screaming in madness and hitting me^^)

Reading, like any other activity, uses energy, and if you use enough energy you will need to sleep eventually. Even though you may not be moving, your bain is in action when you read, so you get tired, from using the energy it takes to read.

I think if you are getting sleepy when you read, you must not like the book very much. I often read at bedtime, and then find that I am so engrossed in the story that I can't put the book down and go to bed. I keep telling myself, just one more chapter, and the next thing you know, I've stayed up 2 hours longer.