How To Read In Bed Without Disturbing Your Partner

lauren hall 1
written by sleep expert Lauren Hall

How To Read In Bed Without Disturbing Your Partner:

There are so many benefits of reading before bed; reading for as little as 6 minutes before bed can reduce stress levels by around 68%! This helps you fall asleep faster and spend those most enriching and restoring stages of sleep, so you wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day.

But is it possible to read in bed without disturbing your partner?

Absolutely! I have a few top tips for how to read comfortably in bed without disturbing your partner at night. So your partner can start to doze off into those deep sleep stages while you focus on delving into a good book– grab a warm cup of tea or hot cocoa while you’re there too!

Whether you’re delving into a psychological thriller or feeling all warm and fuzzy after reading a good ol’ classic romantic, you shouldn’t have to stop reading in bed because your partner is sleeping. There are a few good pointers to keep both you and your partner happy at night.

So let’s delve in!

read in bed without disturbing partner

Top Tips For Reading In Bed Without Disturbing Your Partner:

So here are my best tips for reading in bed without disturbing your partner; they’re all fairly straightforward too! You don’t need to bend over backward to implement these tips into your life, don’t worry. Just a few bits and bobs you need so you can read comfortably.

Invest In A Reading Light/ Book Light:

So my first tip is to invest in a good book light for reading in bed; they’re pretty handy to have, especially if you’re an avid reader.

One of the best uses for a book light is being able to read at night without disturbing your partner. Reading lights are brilliant as they keep the light on the book without shining into your partner’s eyes. It helps you see the book easier in the dark too.

Most book lights will clip onto the back of your book, bedside table, or wear around your neck. Personally, the best ones for not disturbing your partner will be a clip-on book light to your book directly as it only shines a light on the page where you are reading and keeps the rest of the room in darkness.

A reading light is popular for this very reason as it keeps the illumination only on your book and leaves everything else in shadows or darkness. You can adjust a reading light in any direction so you can highlight the book easily. 

Unlike reading with a bedside light on, using a book light is a better option as it doesn’t light up the whole room, only the pages you are reading so you can read with confidence that you are not disturbing your snoozing partner next to you. 

Get A Eye Mask For Your Partner:

If your partner cannot sleep in a room with any light, then it might be best to get them a sleep mask while you read in bed. This is so you can use your book light or turn on the lamp while reading. A sleep mask will block out all light, even if you’re using a book light, so your partner can rest easily.

This should also help your partner fall asleep much faster, which is ideal if you’re an avid reader like myself who likes to delve into a good book for hours on end. You can also get your partner to use earplugs is a great option if they also need complete silence when sleeping.

You can get yourself a pair, too, if you sleep with a snoring partner and want complete silence.

However, there are some drawbacks of sleeping with a sleep mask on circadian rhythms, telling your body to stop your body from producing melatonin and start producing melatonin in the morning when your eyes are exposed to daylight.

Use An E-Book:

Using an e-book is another brilliant alternative for reading at night. Many e-readers come with a night mode where the brightness is dimmed so you can read at night with minimal disturbance. Most e-books give off very little light, so it’s unlikely to disturb your partner or spouse.

Plus, since you’re reading online, it shouldn’t generate too much noise as you don’t need to flip the pages like you would a regular book.

However, the only issue with many e-readers is that they cause eyestrain because of the strong backlight. Some e-readers even emit blue light, which can mess with your body’s circadian rhythms and suppress the production of melatonin which defeats the object of reading before bed.

Many people who use e-books in the dark found that it made their eyes hurt after a bit because of the strong backlight, as well as them being barely readable. However, some of the e-readers like the Kindle Paperwhite do not have a “backlight” as they are lit from the front, so they don’t strain the eyes.

So cheap e-readers may cause eyestrain which is another reason to invest in a kindle if you’re thinking of buying an e-book.

Final Thoughts:

So there you have it the best ways to read a book without disturbing your partner. Whether you’re an avid reader or looking to reap the benefits of reading before bed and you sleep with a partner then these handy hacks will benefit both you and your partner.

So while your partner is catching some serious Zzzs you can delve into the fantasy or thrilling stories of your latest book!

Related Post: Best Book Lights For Reading In Bed [Review]