Reading a good book in bed is one of the most enjoyable activities to end a day, the body rests while the mind imagines and travels. Care should be taken, however, for the position assumed to avoid tremendous awakening pains, especially if physical activity is not pursued and you are no longer young. The biggest risk is that page after page your neck, shoulders and back become sore. Here are some ways to avoid discomfort and some good literary advice for next fall.

THE KAMASUTRA OF READING

If you are happy to lie down on your side, consider that if you have some problems with osteoarthritis, this position can cause severe shoulder pain and a sense of indolence in the hip. When you lie down, swirl the pelvis slightly so that you have part of the belly in contact with the mattress. Hold the leg on which you are lying down and bend the other slightly so that the calf is supported. It is good to use a cushion about ten inches long so you will not take any unnatural positions that would force you to strike the sight.

If, on the other hand, you want to lie on the mattress, remember that reading in this position will cause inevitable pain in the lumbar region because you will force the spine to remain arched. It also keeps the muscles in the neck and shoulders tensed, resulting in a muscle-tense headache crisis. To keep reading in your favorite position, put a roller cushion under the breast, support the chin to the pillow, and read without being too close to the pages of the book and not altering the curvature of the neck.

The best position, however, is to read supine, as long as your back stays straight. If you tend to fall into the bed, you may suffer from cervical an lumbar pain, so as not to slide down, put a pillow up to about ten inches in support of the back, from the shoulder blades to the lumbar region; or use a resting system that includes a lifting head net, either automated or manual (see Marion Plutone and Nettuno nets).

THE BENEFITS OF READING BEFORE SLEEPING

A good book in bed allows the mind to relax, in fact as we read the levels of stress lower and the heartbeat slows down conciliating sleep. This does not mean that the book is bad, indeed, you have chosen the best way to fall asleep. It will be much easier for you to forget the daily burdens, after a "no" day, returning home, lying down and resuming the story where you left the bookmark can be a great antidote. If you live alone, afraid of darkness and do not love silence, reading defeats loneliness and makes you feel safer as you take refuge in your imaginary world. Finally, reading in the evening awakens fantasy and stimulates dream activity, or dreams. A fantasy, a love story or a fascinating novel can make us dream of a reality in which we are heroes, we get great successes, or crown emotional stories. On the other hand, however, reading a yellow, a thriller or a horror can cause us serious nightmares. Choose your reading carefully!

3 BOOKS TO READ THIS FALL

Abandon beach books, cold requires stronger readings to warm up mind and heart. The Italian publishing market, like the international one, is turning out a wide selection of quality titles these weeks, we have selected only three.

1) Felici Tutti i Giorni of Laurie Colwin (BigSur). A book about the most difficult challenge of life: to be happy every day. The two juicy young Guido and Vincent want to conquer the women of their dreams Holly and Misty , but they will be overwhelmed by the energy and pragmatism of the two. Lightweight without being banal, the novel exalts the daily comfort of being together, a goal gained day by day, among a myriad of stunning figures populating the streets of the metropolis.

2) La colonna di fuoco di Ken Follett (Mondadori). After the extraordinary success of Earth and Endless Pillars, the Kingsbridge saga that has inspired millions of readers in the world continues with this magnificent fifteenth-century spell romance, in which the author mentally recounts great history through intrigues , the love and the revenge of dozens of unforgettable characters, from England and Scotland to France, Spain and the Netherlands. Set in one of the most turbulent and revolutionary periods of all time, it is an epic novel about freedom, with a strong appeal to today's present.

3) The new book by Nicholas Sparks, La vita in due (Sperling & Kupfer). At thirty-four, Russell Green has it all: a fantastic wife, an adorable five year old girl, a well-established career and an elegant home. Apparently a dream is happening, but under the perfect surface something begins to crumble. Within a few months, Russ loses everything and finds himself with a reality to reinvent. The initial fear is replaced by the wonder of finding within itself the resources that serve to make the world's toughest job, being a parent. As its protagonist, Nicholas Sparks also takes a challenge and wins the game, in fact, in the novel he has been able to tell not only the love story between a man and a woman, but the truth of such a delicate and deep feeling that binds a father to a daughter.