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Bill Gates Always Reads Before Bed. Science Suggests You Should Too

Jessica Stillman
3 min readAug 3, 2021

In these tragic and remarkable times, tearing yourself away from the news, quieting your mind, and actually getting to bed at a reasonable hour can be a challenge. You can’t make the world any less crazy, but according to Bill Gates and science there is a simple solution to help you get better sleep — put down your phone and pick up a book.

Not only does the billionaire bookaholic swear by a bedtime reading, studies suggest drifting off with a book can make you less stressed, more well rested and empathetic, and maybe even richer.

Smarter, less stressed, and better rested.

“I read an hour almost every night. It’s part of falling asleep,” Gates told The Seattle Times way back in 1990. Presumably, he’s been a bit too busy to keep up with this habit a few times since then, but judging by the constant stream of book recommendations coming from Gates, he’s still a dedicated bedtime reader. Plenty of other icons and CEOs also swear by the practice.

Obviously, dedicating an hour an evening to a book helps you be a more informed person, but science suggests there are plenty of reasons beyond just exercising your brain to keep a stack of books on your nightstand:

  • You’ll probably sleep better. When mattress…

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Jessica Stillman
Jessica Stillman

Written by Jessica Stillman

Top Inc.com columnist/ Editor/ Ghostwriter. Book lover. Travel fiend. Nap enthusiast. https://jessicastillman.com/

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