Can Reading Too Much Make You Crazy?

Whenever you do the same activity too much you’ll ultimately feel overwhelmed and wish to take a break from it.

The same goes for reading. Some times you spend too much time on a book and feel overwhelmed with all the information you’ve consumed.

I had a funny discussion earlier on this week with a friend of mine. He posed a question asking whether too much reading could actually drive you nuts…

I therefore thought this was a great question that deserved to be addressed in a full article. Therefore I’ll discuss this to give you some context and guidance toward this.

With that said, can reading too much make you crazy?

Well, you won’t go crazy from reading too much but doing so can lead to information overload which can make comprehension difficult . Reading too much is not a great idea because your brain can only take in so much but it’s a big enough organ that can withstand a lot, so don’t worry about going crazy because it’s just not going to happen.

Can reading too much cause madness?

We all want to maintain our sanity because it is the only way we can maintain a sober relationship with the world.

Anything that we subject our brains to has an impact on it and it is important to both know and understand this.

Too much reading will make an impact on your brain and you’ll most likely notice it. Taking in too much information will make comprehension and retention quite difficult due to the fact that a lot of things are being thrown at the brain.

Of course to much information can strain the brain but not enough to cause madness.

Is reading too much bad for your mental health?

Mental health is something that has to be taken seriously.

Your mental health has a huge impact on your day-to-day life therefore paying attention and understanding what can cause mental health problems is key.

Reading too much can be bad for your mental health when it starts to cause problems for you mentally.

For example, when you read too much and end up feeling depressed…or in times where your anxiety is triggered due to reading too much of a book.

Therefore it is wise to understand the state of your mental health and stay away from things that can easily have you triggered.

If you find out that reading is causing mental health problems such as depression, it’s only wise that you take a step back away from reading.

Is reading bad for your brain?

Reading is an excellent brain activity that allows it to make new neural connections that can improve its overall function.

Therefore reading is certainly good for your brain because it can allow you to improve memory, cognitive function and other things.

Reading in excess can cause stress but a good and well managed reading habit can make a huge impact in your life.

Habits of a Good reader

Below are some habits of good readers that you can adopt in your own reading strategy to read better.

It’s not always a good idea to read too much… it’s better to develop good reading habits …so here they’re.

Timing

Good reading is a result of good time management. You want to ensure that you allocate time for reading depending on how your daily schedule is.

Good readers know that it is pointless not to have a plan when reading.

This is why they implement good timing into reading so they can read more effectively.

Imagination and visualization

Reading is one of those activities that calls upon your power of imagination.

When you read books you have to put your imagination at work. Your brain automatically does that when you develop the habit of reading.

This is why good habitual readers can easily summon their powers of imagination and visualisation.

Which are two important things useful in creativity.

Most readers are surface level readers that do not use their imagination to grasp the author’s intentions.

Every author tries their best to be expressive but if you as the reader cannot grasp and visualize what is being said, you’ll most likely miss the point.

Good comprehension

When we read books especially self help or any other books from which we derive knowledge, our goal is to always understand what is being conveyed to us through words.

Of course comprehension is not something that you can easily summon.

It takes a certain level of discipline to comprehend and understand what is being read.

Therefore good readers develop a habit of understanding how to comprehend information.

This way they take advantage of any information knowing that they can make good use of it.

Comprehension is something you have to cultivate if you want to become an effective reader.

Connecting parts

Every book is made up of words… words that form sentences… sentences that form paragraphs…paragraphs that make up whole pages…

My point is that every piece and part of a book is important.. Think of every word as a cog in a machine

Words may seem like simple fragments with little relevance but in reality they are part and parcel of the whole idea that authors try to express.

Therefore good readers are those that are able to connect every chapter in a book and develop a working understanding of the authors intent.

If every chapter can be connected the whole book becomes easy to comprehend.

Determining importance

Every book serves a specific role and function. I say this with regard to non-fiction books.

Fiction novels are pretty much movies expressed in words so they don’t really have much relevance here.

However non fiction books are written for specific reasons which are usually to address something… it could be an idea, a problem, a solution etc…

One of the habits of good readers and people that read at a high level is their ability to understand the implications of the book as well as the importance of it in the real physical world or sense.

Using old knowledge

Everyday life provides knowledge as well as a  source of information.

Reading is not always about gaining new knowledge sometimes it is simply about understanding old knowledge better.

You can only learn to do this when you become a more effective reader.

Good readers use their knowledge and experience to verify and understand whatever is being read at the moment.

This provides context and gives the reader a deeper understanding of concepts and ideas.

Therefore, to become an effective reader use your existing knowledge as a foundation on which you can receive and decode information.

Application

This is one of the most important aspects of reading.

Anyone can read a book and anyone can get a partial understanding of what is being conveyed to them by the author.

But what makes the actual difference is how much of an impact reading makes in your life.

Therefore good readers use everything they read in their everyday life.

That’s the only way knowledge can effectively improve your life.

Therefore the next time you read and learn from a book, Try and use that knowledge by applying it in your life.

It’s not always easy to do but if you focus hard enough on the key concepts you can figure out a way to translate it in your everyday life.

Related Articles You Should Read

Can I Read 2 Books At Once?

Can Reading Be Addictive?

Is It Okay To Read All Day?

Is Reading Too Much Bad?

ADDITIONAL USEFUL LINKS

10 Dreadful Things That Will Happen If You Read Too Much – Paper Fury

On the Dangers of Reading – ebsco

Can reading too much make me run mad? – Sciendo

Is Reading Too Much Bad? | illogicalscript.com

Mental Illness Can Make It Hard to Read. Here’s Why – Healthline

Negative Effects of Reading – The Book Buff