l0rd Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Does anyone else often feel overwhelmingly tired when reading a book you aren't completely engrossed in? Recently, I've been trying to mow my way through some books I am assigned to read this summer for my school, but when I'm not the one who picked out the book, and the book is not all that interesting (and even when it is, often), I get so sleepy that I have to do push-ups or take a nap just to shake it all off. Aside from stimulants, how do I keep myself awake long enough to read a book that I'm not all that interested in for an hour or more. Heck, my whole life, even after reading a book of my choosing for an extended period of time, I'll get sleepy. I am getting enough sleep at night, but if I wanted to I could probably pick up one of my mother's books and end up sleeping for 20 hours in a day: reading then sleeping, reading then sleeping, etc. Does anyone else have this problem, or have any advice on the matter? Should I be in a certain posture, pinch myself every five minutes, or what? [iNSERT "I R EATIN TEH SHIX ATM" BILL COSBY SIGNATURE GIF HERE, LOL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul191600 Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Strange, usually when I read a book I don't enjoy, I just forget everything I read in it. Not sure a solution to your problem, try reading outside in the sun maybe? The sour dough of the epitmous pie hungers for another's sweet lips to be dulled into a state of most irreverant humblenessTUBULAR BELLS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obfuscator Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I have this problem, though not to the degree that it seems you do. What I would recommend is: - Sit in a very uncomfortable chair - Get up and stretch every chapter, 10 pages, or whatever. - Make sure it isn't too warm in the room. And good luck :) "It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giordano Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 That was my English class all last year. I can't say what you can do, I'll just stop reading and do something else tbh. Screw the book. "The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you never hear it you'll never know what justice is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyM Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I have the same problem, I just set a goal like by 2:30 i'll read 40 pages. Then, once i'm done, I have the best nap ever :D [Admin Edit: Attempting to publicly humiliate a user in your signature is inappropriate] Quit Runescape... Dec 2001 - Jan 2008 on and off... mostly off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElkNight Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Get the book on cd, and listen to it when your in the car or something. 8,180WONGTONG IS THE BEST AND IS MORE SUPERIOR THAN ME#1 Wongtong stalker.Im looking for some No Limit soldiers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wongtong Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I get tired when I read too, try sitting upright instead of lying down and reading while you're alert. 8,180WONGTONG IS THE BEST AND IS MORE SUPERIOR THAN ME#1 Wongtong stalker.Im looking for some No Limit soldiers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evil_mumm_ra Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 That was my English class all last year. I can't say what you can do, I'll just stop reading and do something else tbh. Screw the book. don't really do this. you'll have to pay a fine and everything and it's just not a good idea. [hide=WOO TEXT! updated Jan 19, 2009 (last quote)] And Evil you mad bastard. You are definately bringing TET back up to it's glory. No doubt about it. Keep it going champ.24,485th to 99 defence on 7-23-08I always forget you're 20 too. I always think you're 25 or something. o.oYa think that I'm insane, Its not sane... its not saneobligitory devart link: http://evil-mumm-ra.deviantart.com/Pogonophobia is the fear of beards.She isn't naked so it's legal.I'm a porn star.[/hide] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star_Fox Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 my suggestion: eat (most important), get enough sleep, and do something else that doesn't require attention. also DON'T read when its (getting) dark, when you just got back from doing something physical or entertaining, and after having a long conversation with someone. if you don't really understand the book, you can always use sparknotes. >.> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Have a bucket of ice water. Dunk your head in it every 20 minutes. It'll wake you right up. For added awareness, throw leeches in said bucket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sohkmj1 Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 When I read a book I don't really find an interest in at the start, I skip pages, first to the few pages before the ending (climax, if you must), then I flip a few pages back, to find out what happened leading up to the climax. Slowly I develop an interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l0rd Posted July 12, 2009 Author Share Posted July 12, 2009 During the summer, much of my waking hours are after sunset, so reading only when it's light out isn't a practical option. But thanks for the opinions, I guess there isn't a panacea or hack for this kind of problem. Although I did encounter some sort of unproved cognitive conditioning for things like this. Supposedly you're supposed to cut up an onion and put it in a jar, and whenever sleep begins to overtake you, simply take a whiff of the jar. You will tear up, but eventually, supposedly, your mind will be trained to not get sleepy after excessive optic nerve use and concentration. [iNSERT "I R EATIN TEH SHIX ATM" BILL COSBY SIGNATURE GIF HERE, LOL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plugpoint Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Drink coffee :thumbsup: Maxed 15/06/13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Have a bucket of ice water. Dunk your head in it every 20 minutes. It'll wake you right up. For added awareness, throw leeches in said bucket. You sir, could be president one day. 2257AD.TUMBLR.COM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seraphi Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I used to have a problem a lot like that, I solved it by focusing on something on the other side of the room for ten seconds or so at regular intervals. It helped me no end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champion Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 This is how I get to sleep every night. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariusman Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 The same thing happens to me, and I just go with it. Read for 10 minutes, close your eyes and rest for 10 minutes. Feels wonderful, especially since it lets what I just read sink in even more. There's no such thing as regret. A regret means you are unhappy with the person you are now,and if you're unhappy with the person you are, you change yourself. Thatregret will no longer be a regret, because it will help to form the new,better you. So really, a regret isn't a regret. It's experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyPandy Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Energt drinks. I know you said apart from energy drinks, but from my local tescos I can get a litre of Kick (cheap red bull, works as well) for 89p. Keeps me up for hours. So don't let anyone tell you you're not worth the earth, These streets are your streets, this turf is your turf, Don't let anyone tell you that you've got to give in, Cos you can make a difference, you can change everything, Just let your dreams be your pilot, your imagination your fuel, Tear up the book and write your own damn rules, Use all that heart, hope and soul that you've got, And the love and the rage that you feel in your gut, And realise that the other world that you're always looking for, Lies right here in front of us, just outside this door, And it's up to you to go out there and paint the canvas, After all, you were put on the earth to do this, So shine your light so bright that all can see, Take pride in being whoever the [bleep] you want to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sbrideau Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Energt drinks. I know you said apart from energy drinks, but from my local tescos I can get a litre of Kick (cheap red bull, works as well) for 89p. Keeps me up for hours. Coffee perhaps instead of the energy drink? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l0rd Posted July 12, 2009 Author Share Posted July 12, 2009 As I said, stimulants are not an option. I am hypersensitive to caffeine, and after the affect goes away I get sick. Even if they were an option, that isn't a solution, just a prolonged, temporary, circumstantial "fix" [iNSERT "I R EATIN TEH SHIX ATM" BILL COSBY SIGNATURE GIF HERE, LOL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lateralus Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Make sure you're in a chair and not sitting in bed. Open your windows up nice and wide. The combination of the fresh air and heat escaping should help a lot. I always fall asleep when I get too warm and comfortable. La lune ne garde aucune rancune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l0rd Posted July 12, 2009 Author Share Posted July 12, 2009 Make sure you're in a chair and not sitting in bed. Open your windows up nice and wide. The combination of the fresh air and heat escaping should help a lot. I always fall asleep when I get too warm and comfortable. Lateralus has spoken, this reading thread is now complete. :mrgreen: Thanks, I'll try this along with Ross's suggestion of diverting the eyes every few minutes. [iNSERT "I R EATIN TEH SHIX ATM" BILL COSBY SIGNATURE GIF HERE, LOL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbjdude91 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Whenever I get sleepy reading a book, and it has happened (I hated Angela's Ashes), what I try to do is concentrate on the book and the lessons it's trying to teach. I find that if I try to find a lesson in the story, it's a lot easier to at least pay attention to it, you don't need to be entertained by it. Just try to realize what your teacher, or professor, is trying to get you to realize through reading the book. But whenever I can't find a moral or lesson (like in Angela's Ashes -.- ), the book gets incredibly dull, and I don't absorb anything from it. Also, never read laying down. Stay upright when you read, even if you're in your bed. That's my experience, I can't read laying down on the couch or in my bed. This is my original signature. You can't touch this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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