Losing yourself in a great book is the ultimate form of escapism, especially if you struggle with a stressed-out mind. The ability of words to transport your brain to another world entirely is magical - and more than that, it could be the key to regulating your parasympathetic nervous system.
Nowadays, there's plenty of chatter online about the vagus nerve, a nerve described as "the longest nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system, running from the brainstem through the neck, chest, and abdomen" by Dr. David Traster, Chief Clinical Officer of the Neurologic Wellness Institute, and a confusing amount of advice on how to stimulate it to trigger the body's "rest and digest" response.
As a self-confessed chronic worrier, I've tried all the TikTok hacks and Instagram tips on how to regulate my triggered vagus nerve, including joining a choir and diving into freezing cold ponds on Hampstead Heath.
However, it turns out my answer to a steady heart rate may have been right under my nose the entire time. Instead of plunging into sub-zero temperatures, it appears all I really needed to do was turn the page.
But why does reading relax your brain so much, and how can we replicate this feeling elsewhere in our lives? HELLO! asked the experts…
Why is reading so calming?
We can all picture the scene - a roaring fire, a steaming cup of tea, a snug, inviting couch that's calling your name and 300-plus pages of a fantastic story to lose yourself in. There really is nothing more relaxing than curling up with a book, but why? Why is it such bliss, and how does the action of reading affect our brains?
Research carried out in 2009 by Dr David Lewis at Mindlab International, a private consultancy based at the University of Sussex Innovation Centre, found that just six minutes of silent reading could lower stress levels by 68 per cent, outperforming other common techniques like listening to music or taking a walk.
Attempting to explain this is Patrick Regan OBE, bestselling author of Small Steps for Big Change and mental health advocate who has been running 'Meet the Author' sessions in prisons for the past year and using the power of words to connect people.
He told HELLO! why he believes reading a book is so calming: "Reading for me is the only thing I do that I feel is truly mindful. We spend so much time regretting the past or worrying about the future, instead of being in the present.
"Reading allows me to slow down and be fully present in the moment. It improves emotional intelligence, empathy, connectivity, and reduces stress."
Dr Anne-Laure Le Cunff, neuroscientist at King’s College London, revealed: "Reading is a low-intensity, focused activity. It gently redirects attention away from internal 'worry loops' and constant external stimuli like notifications and to-do lists, toward a single structured stream of information: the text in front of us.
"That shift in focus can help calm the nervous system. Physiologically, relaxing with a book tends to slow breathing and heart rate and release muscle tension. This suggests that reading can be good at nudging the body from a 'fight-or-flight' state towards the 'rest-and-digest' side of the nervous system. As a neuroscientist, I see reading as one of the simplest everyday ways we can give our brains a structured, soothing break."
What happens to our brains when we read?
Aside from it being an enjoyable pastime, reading a story actually alters a lot more of your brain chemistry than you might realise. Opening a book and scanning paragraphs releases neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and other helpful endorphins that activate neural pathways for pleasure and focus.
More crucially, getting lost in a fantasy world or gripping story can help to lower levels of cortisol in your bloodstream, the so-called stress hormone. The act of reading creates a distraction and pulls your brain's focus from worries or other stresses, resulting in a slower heart rate and calming of the brain's fear centre. Think of reading like a mini-meditation!
Patrick expanded on this and said: "Many of us think we can multitask, we can’t. Our brain flicks very quickly from one thing to another that wants our attention, leaving us exhausted."
He continued: "Reading allows a focus that many other things don’t, improving cognitive function, neuroplasticity, memory, and it enhances communication between the two brain hemispheres, helping us to learn faster and process things better."
Dr Anne-Laure shared the science behind the idea: "When we read, we’re not just decoding symbols on a page – we’re running a simulation inside the brain. The visual system recognises the shapes of letters and words, then the language network maps them to meanings.
"At the same time, areas involved in attention help us stay with the narrative and memory systems integrate what we’re reading with what we already know. It’s an astonishing cognitive feat! What’s even more remarkable is that reading is a very recent cultural invention, so the brain didn’t evolve dedicated circuitry for it.
"Instead, we 'recycle' neural systems that originally helped our ancestors interpret the visual world and repurpose them to recognise written language. We’re reading books the same way our ancestors were reading cues in nature."
How can we use reading as a calming mechanism in stressful situations?
Now that we have a better understanding of how and why reading affects the brain positively, we need to learn how to incorporate it into daily routines to keep the vagus nerve perpetually calm.
Like any mindfulness technique, practice makes perfect, so reading whenever you can is the first step towards making it a habit. What got me reading more was always packing a book in my work bag and whipping it out on the tube to distract my mind from the chaos of the busy carriage.
If you are not a natural reader or you don't enjoy books, start slowly and opt for easy beach reads that will ease you into heavier, more meaty novels. Read what you want and what you like; it's not about completing a list but more about allowing your brain time and space away from reality.
Patrick concluded: "The simple answer is do it regularly. Like any change you wish to bring into your life, start small and do it consistently, even a page a day or a chapter a day can make a huge difference.
"Instead of scrolling on your phone, find a book that sparks your interest and go for it. I guarantee you will not regret it!"