Why cant i take in what i read?

longwalks1

ive bought 5 or 6 books over the last year on things i really want to read about, but just cant seem to concentrate for much longer than a page or 2, and even then i forget most of what ive read within a day or 2. i can read, and am pretty bright (in my opinion), i just cant seem to take in what i read anymore?

Any suggestions please, as its quite frustrating at times

FBaby

How long since you last read a book? It does take some practice to get back on the flow. A bit like a language you might speak fluently, you still can feel a bit rusty if you haven't spoken it for a while, but it doesn't take long for it to be natural again.

I had that issue for a couple of nights when I switch from books to kindle which almost made me give it up, but it suddenly felt just like reading a hard copy book and now struggle to go back to them.

Keep it up, preferably when you are most relaxed. I enjoy reading best in the evening, just before going to sleep when I've switched the day off.

Fosterdog

What sort of books are you reading? Try a few short stories to get you back in the habit before moving onto books you need to concentrate on more

fluffnutter

Either you've screwed your attention span with too much screen time, or you've got undiagnosed ADHD.

Prothet_of_Doom

fluffnutter wrote: »

Either you've screwed your attention span with too much screen time, or you've got undiagnosed ADHD.

When I was a student, I had no TV, and would sit for hours, working on course work and revision, with the radio in the back ground, and the concentration was so great, that I never actually heard the radio.
I'm finding now 20+ years later that in order to concentrate at work, I need to book a meeting room, and have a meeting with myself, and in order to do any work or reading at home, I need to lie down in a dark room for 30 mins first. Call it meditation, but I think my brain is frazelled.

HPoirot

britishboy wrote: »

ive bought 5 or 6 books over the last year on things i really want to read about, but just cant seem to concentrate for much longer than a page or 2, and even then i forget most of what ive read within a day or 2. i can read, and am pretty bright (in my opinion), i just cant seem to take in what i read anymore?

Any suggestions please, as its quite frustrating at times

I'm having similar problems since I had to give up work. Now I want to get back into the thick of things I just cannot concentrate. What can I say, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again"!!!

nlj1520

Stress or depression can make it difficult to concentrate, is it possible either of those are affecting you?
At my age (54) my memory is shot to hell, but I can still concentrate and get lost in a book. I just don't remember the character's names!

tyllwyd

Assuming that there isn't a physical or mental health problem (are you stressed / well rested / well hydrated / generally in good health / no eyesight problems?), maybe you need something to help you get back into the habit of concentrating. When you try to read, are you in a quiet room with no distractions (or maybe quiet background music, whatever helps you to relax)? Have you tried setting an alarm - say for 20 minutes - and try to concentrate for that period of time without checking your phone etc etc. It might take a bit of training to get yourself back in the habit, but unless there is another issue, you should be able to do it if you want to.

claire16c

britishboy wrote: »

ive bought 5 or 6 books over the last year on things i really want to read about, but just cant seem to concentrate for much longer than a page or 2, and even then i forget most of what ive read within a day or 2. i can read, and am pretty bright (in my opinion), i just cant seem to take in what i read anymore?

Any suggestions please, as its quite frustrating at times

Are you trying to learn facts?

When I did psychology at school we learnt about revision methods and I think just reading something was a recall percentage of 10%.

Whereas if you read it out loud it goes up a bit, and if you teach it to someone else it's more like 80-90%. Which could just be you speaking outloud in your bedroom pretending someone is there and explaining everything you've learnt - not just reading out lines.

But if you mean you're just reading fictional stories I'm not sure what to suggest.

aliama

Could be they're just boring books. Even if the subject matter is something you're interested in, if the text is dry and dull it's not going to go in.

Maybe try reading something fun, and see if your concentration is any better.

If learning facts is important, maybe try making notes. When I NEED to learn something, that's what I do. Simply reading the text helps me get an overall view of things, such as an idea of what happened and why in a historical period, but it won't necessarily help with learning specifics such as dates, etc.

CH27

Try rereading an old favourite to get back into the routine of reading again.

My brain is so frazzled at times I can't cope with a new book but rereading an oldie gets me back in the reading zone & ready for new books.