‘The Hunger Games’ can help you sleep, believe it or not! 🛌
Right now, 10 of my students are reading The Hunger Games — some of them right before bed! And this made me think about something important: what we do before sleep really changes how well we sleep. 🌙
When you read a book before bed, your brain relaxes. The light from a book is soft, and your mind slowly gets tired as you follow the story. Reading The Hunger Games at night is actually a great choice — it’s exciting, but it doesn’t give you the same “shock” to your brain that a phone does. You finish a chapter, feel sleepy, and drift off naturally. 💤
Now compare that to watching YouTube, scrolling through social media, or “doom scrolling” (when you keep scrolling and scrolling, even when it makes you feel bad or anxious). Phone screens send out blue light, and blue light tells your brain, “Wake up! It’s still daytime!” This makes it harder to fall asleep. Also, social media often shows us fast, exciting, or stressful content, so instead of calming your mind, it keeps your brain active and alert. 📱⚡
Doom scrolling is especially bad. You tell yourself, “just five more minutes,” but suddenly an hour has passed, and your brain is full of information instead of ready for rest. 😩
So here’s my advice, especially for my Hunger Games readers: put the phone away, pick up the book, and read a chapter or two before bed. Your brain — and your sleep — will thank you. 😊