After retiring, aging adults get a lot of free time to explore new hobbies, especially adults living maintenance-free life in a retirement community. Whether fiction or nonfiction, reading is one of the best engaging and stimulating hobbies for all ages, especially aging adults. Reading as a hobby in retirement is not only fun but also very beneficial to one’s health. The benefits of reading for aging retirees include the following:
Improves Analytic Skill
Many aging retirees struggle to make the best decisions when faced with making one that affects their daily needs and activities. Reading is an engaging activity that can help to improve brain function and analytical reasoning. This can help to improve the decision-making abilities of older adults as reading challenges their brains. Reading actively allows you to view a story from different perspectives, ask questions and link the patterns and this can help an adult analyze a situation properly to make a better decision.
Can Reduce Stress and Tension
Stress is one of the most common issues that many adults face as they age which can be caused by different reasons and quite difficult to overcome. Reading a comic book especially can help to reduce stress levels quickly as laughter is known to help produce happy chemicals in the brain and reduce stress hormones. Reading increases blood flow and circulation, which can help to lower heart rate and relax the muscles.
Reduces Feelings of Depression
Other common issues most aging adults struggle with are depression and loneliness which can happen due to several factors, including living away from family members, limited mobility, Alzheimer’s disease, or other cognitive concerns. Reading can help aging adults relax when they focus on what they are reading. The book serves as a direction to help them stop thinking of the problem that is making them feel depressed.
Increased Social Interactions
Those who have a keen interest in reading are always eager to share their views with like-minded people. As such, adults in a retirement community get the chance to talk about the books they are reading or have read with other residents in a book club. Being in a book club will give adults opportunities to make new friends who share the same views and values.
Improved Sleeping Pattern
Many aging retirees struggle with insomnia and other sleeping disorders that can take a toll on their health. Engaging in a relaxing activity at night such as reading can help to improve an adult’s quality of sleep. Reading at night before bed can help to send a signal to the brain that it’s time to relax and that can help aging adults fall asleep easily and prevent insomnia.
Can Prevent Memory Loss
Many aging retirees are in memory care now due to cognitive issues and memory problems that are common among aging adults. Reading is a good way to prevent or delay the development of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or other cognitive concerns. As we read regularly, our ability to remember the things we imagined while reading increases. This will help to stimulate the brain and prevent memory loss in aging retirees.
Improved Brain Activity
Reading can help to improve an aging adult’s mental health by challenging the brain to increase its function. This is achieved through the imagination an adult gets while a story unfolds.
