Coinciding with the celebration of Book Day , the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN) has released a list of benefits that the habit of reading implies for our brain. These are the main ones.
Neural connections. According to Guillermo García Ribas, Coordinator of the Behavior and Dementia Study Group of the Spanish Neurology Society (SEN), “reading is one of the most beneficial activities for health, since it has been shown to stimulate brain activity and strengthen neural connections ”. An active brain not only performs its functions better, but also increases the speed of response. While we read, we force our brain to think, to organize ideas, to interrelate concepts, to exercise memory and to imagine, which allows us to improve our intellectual capacity by stimulating our neurons.
Cognitive reserve. But also, in recent years, there have been many studies that have linked the level of reading and writing with an increase in cognitive reserve. “From the point of view of neurology, the concept of cognitive reserve has become very important, not only because it has been seen that there is a direct relationship between it and the good cognitive and executive functioning of our brain when we age, but also because it has been shown to be a protective factor against the clinical symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases, ”says García Ribas. “It has been proven that the greater the cognitive reserve an individual has, the greater the capacity of his brain to compensate for the brain damage generated by certain pathologies.” Due to the progressive aging of the population, in the coming years, the number of people affected by dementia, mainly Alzheimer’s, will grow exponentially. “Reading delays and prevents memory loss, so it would delay the appearance of these diseases and reduce the number of cases,” concludes Guillermo García-Ribas.
Anti-stress. Reading, especially fictional stories, can help reduce the level of stress, which is the origin or worsening factor of many neurological ailments such as headaches, epilepsies or sleep disorders. Also, reading a little before going to sleep can help you develop good sleep hygiene routines.
