Reading before bed is one of the most common learning rituals.
But for many people, it’s unfortunately also one of the most frustrating.
You pick up a book, get a few pages in, feel like something’s sinking in… and by morning, it’s gone.
I know the feeling. I’ve been there myself.
And I’ve worked with thousands of students around the world who’ve hit the same wall.
Fortunately, there’s a fix.
As someone who used memory techniques to complete a PhD, deliver a TEDx Talk from memory, and study multiple languages, I’ve tested what actually helps you remember what you read.
Especially at night, when your brain is supposed to be winding down.
In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to turn bedtime reading into a memory-strengthening habit, using tools backed by cognitive science, and more importantly, by lived experience.
One of those tools is surprisingly simple to use and was favored by the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence.
Ready to find out what it is?
Let’s dive in.
The Hidden Risks of Nighttime Reading (and How to Avoid Them)
These days, we all face dopamine issues and digital amnesia. We’re also way too exposed to the great rote learning machine that is the Internet.
Here’s what I mean:
All day long we’re exposed to countless ads. And because these ads track us all over the Internet, we wind up reading a lot of repetitive messages.
It’s not only cognitively draining. Rote repetition at such enormous scale can shred your critical thinking skills.
Just look around at what’s happening in the world today due to conflicts created by so much repetitive reading online.
By the time we get to reading in bed at night, no wonder we forget so much.
We’re drained.
That said, there are still benefits of reading before bed.
One of which is that snuggling up with a good book improves sleep quality.
According to these researchers, as long as you follow these criteria, you will almost certainly rest better:
- Do not eat food 1 hour before bed
- Do not drink anything caffeinated 1 hour before bed
- Establish a regular sleeping and waking routine
- Read for 30 minutes or longer before your planned sleeping time
The trick is that the book needs to be physical.
If you read from a digital device, you’re exposing yourself to the great interruption machine.
I know because I harmed my sleep for years by reading from a digital device and it wasn’t smart for one good reason: getting a good sleep improves your memory.
You will get a boost in both memory and quality of life just from making sure you have some substantial separation between yourself and your digital devices. I personally suggest you give yourselves two hours of “digital fasting” before bed.
What Not to Do Before Bed if You Want to Remember What You Read
Okay, we’ve just covered digital fasting.
But I didn’t mention why you shouldn’t scroll your phone before picking up your book.
In addition to the temptation to look things up fracturing focus, there’s another major problem:
The blue light messes with melatonin and fragments your focus. Researchers have shown you can suffer all kinds of hormonal imbalances too.
Another tip:
Avoid heavy meals or consuming caffeine too late.
Why?
Because your brain needs calm to consolidate memory.
Personally, this is a hard habit for me to maintain, but it’s been very helpful. I used to love to eat dark chocolate before bed.
But it became clear to me that it was harming my rest. That late at night, it also makes me a bit too alert while reading too.
That’s an important point because another tip is this:
Skip highly stimulating or distressing material unless you’re trying to remember it for rhetorical or emotional impact (and even then, use caution).
Instead, prime your brain for gentle, focused absorption.
But if you’re hopped up on caffeine while reading at night?
It can be difficult to avoid reacting emotionally to what you read.
For this reason, I typically read books about philosophy at night. Usually specifically about ontology.
The deep thinking about the nature of existence this requires is not at all controversial and calming.
But what do I do when I want to remember a main point or historical date I come across while in bed?
Here’s what my first strategy will immediately help you.
5 Ways to Improve Nighttime Reading Retention
What if I told you the first tool I’m about to give you was used by Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the Declaration of Independence?
It’s true. He used flashcards made of ivory.
Mine are always made out of paper so if they fall out of the bed, they won’t break. And I use them in a way that is generally influenced by the Zettelkasten technique, which you can learn in detail in this deep dive post.
This approach helps make sure that your cards interlink. Let’s look at this approach in deeper detail.
Here’s the simple and effective way this technique works.
One: The Memory-Optimized Index Card
As you can see in the image above, I have numbered a series of notes.
These are compressed, keyword-based statements that tell me the page number of where in the book I will later find the information I thought was worth reviewing.
When you use this strategy, the point is to locate the information for future use, not memorize it.
That way you can focus on reading in a relaxed manner and not worry about taxing your mind.
And this is what Jefferson used to do with his ivory cards. He would jot out the key points.
Then later, in journals dedicated to more expansive note-taking and reflective thinking, he would develop the material.
It’s a multi-step process, but the first stage already starts layering in the memories you want to establish.
As an alternative, you can build a personal index on the first blank pages of any book you’re reading.
I sometimes use this approach. Here’s how it looks:
The next day, or at the end of the book, I’ll transfer the most important points into a Memory Palace using a variety of mnemonic devices.
In case you don’t know what a Memory Palace is, here’s a quick definition:
It’s a mental space built from a familiar location that helps you store and retrieve information more effectively. Typically, people start with their homes, but you have lots of options. Learn more in my full Memory Palace guide.
Either way, this kind of note taking in bed only works only when you take my next recommendation seriously.
At least, it would be much harder to juggle with a mobile device because using the book itself to write in or an index card is much easier when you have a solid surface to write on.
Two: Read Physical Books Only
Although the study I cited above does allow Ereaders and other devices in bed, I avoid having them near me myself.
And for good reason.
Scientists have clearly shown that too much screen time leads to negative mental states, especially amongst younger people. I’m no longer young, but if I’m on the computer too much, it leads me to feel negatively too.
As mentioned, blue light has also been shown to significantly disrupt sleep.
In the past, I would sometimes listen to audiobooks as I fell alseep. But I found the narrator would wake me up later. And when YouTube started shoving ads into everything every five minutes (or more often), the volume changes would yank me awake.
By reading physical books only, all of these issues are completely sidestepped.
If you’re worried about falling asleep in bed while reading, the only issue I’ve ever faced is that one or two of my books have fallen on the floor.
Frankly, the minor dents and scuffs only gives them character. I don’t mind it happening.
At least… not much.
Three: Walk Backwards Daily
I know that this might sound hard to believe, but scientists have shown that walking backwards helps improve memory.
Personally, I first learned to do this as part of my Qigong practice. It also helps your knees, which as an aside is an important point.
If you want to be more comfortable in bed while reading, reducing inflammation and pain will increase your focus. And that will also improve your attention so you can remember more.
Four: Summarize Before You Close the Covers
Either in a few written sentences, or just silently in your mind, think through what you’ve read in your own words.
As this study shows, the effects of paraphrasing develop your memory in a novel way.
To mentally explain to yourself what you’ve read, you need to focus on your comprehension.
You literally identify gaps and this process forms memories better of what you did understand as it creates awareness of what you still need to learn.
Speaking of the gaps you’ll discover while summarizing, the next suggestion will come in very handy.
Five: Read Strategically
This suggestion is totally optional, but I highly recommend it.
See, I rarely read books randomly. Sure, sometimes I’ll come across a recommendation and gobble down a book that’s “off the plan.” Being able to read fast is useful for that.
But to maximize productivity, even while resting, I read within carefully defined learning projects.
For example, I write detective novels that center on characters who use mnemonic strategies.
So I read books that help me think through the themes of these books.
Or I will strategically re-read books. That, or I will read books that are related to topics I’m already familiar with from my daytime reading projects.
That way, I’m still learning, but it’s lighter learning. It’s more like patching up a brick wall with new mortar than building one from scratch.
Final Thoughts: Bedtime Can Be Memory Time (If You Use It Right)
As you’ve seen, the research shows that reading before you sleep can be good for you.
But one final highlight of a key theme I’ve already mentioned
Although I do read for my many projects, I stay away from material that gets me excited as much as possible.
And although I love memorizing using Memory Palaces, I prefer to take notes at night using the two methods described above.
That way, I can enjoy reading and reflecting and save the memory process for when my energy is high the following day.
I hope you have found these suggestion from my years of reading for scholarly and professional purposes useful and that you’ll give them a try.
If you’d like to know more about the memory techniques I ultimately use to memorize the details I revisit during the day, sign up for my free course:
You’ll get four video tutorials and three worksheets that take you through everything you need to know.
And chances are that if you follow the tips I’ve shared today, you’ll slip easily into sleep each and every night.
Even better:
You’ll wake up deeply refreshed with a solid plan for what you’re going to commit to memory the next day along with applying active reading strategies best used while the sun is shining.
And since you’ve put the focus on resting, chances are you’ll remember more automatically without using memory techniques.
So what do you say? Are you ready to start reading at night with renewed confidence?
Make it happen!
