As a student, reading is almost always an important part of your studies - reading for research purposes, to expand your knowledge in certain areas, or in order to complete assignments. But how much time do you spend curling up with a good book or just reading for pleasure? Is it something you make time for when time is scarce or precious?

A great deal of research has been done that highlights the mental, physical and other benefits of reading for pleasure. And there are lots of them. Did you know....

Reading for pleasure can improve your relationships with others by helping facilitate increased empathy and being more open to other people’s perspectives.

Reading also has significant physical health benefits. It can reduce the symptoms and the risk of depression and dementia, can lower blood pressure, and reduces stress which translates to improved overall well being.

But in addition to this, reading for pleasure also increases one’s sense of achievement, overall confidence, self-esteem and self-awareness. It also widens your horizons. Plus, you can do it anywhere – on the bus, while waiting for a class to start, before bed ( much healthier than looking at your phone which incidentally can disrupt sleep patterns) or anywhere!.

Conversely, reading can also help you learn better by improving your literacy and writing skills, and providing inspiration for enhancing your written assignments and improving your creative problem solving skills. Plus, it makes for a nice break in between study sessions which helps make you more productive.

So, what are you waiting for? Why not put the kettle on, and curl up with a good book. We’ve got a few suggestions on where to start…