Why does looking at kanji make me SO sleepy? I mean... I can be totally rested and fine but after a few pages of reading something in Japanese I just want to take a nap. My eyes get so tired and heavy.

Why is this? I love learning kanji and studying Japanese. It's not that I'm BORED. It's more a weird physical reaction. Obviously I would like to get through a reading without falling asleep.

Does anyone else have this problem? If so, what do you do about it? Is there any ... uhmmm.. eye excercise or something I could do to improve?

The fact that reading is a passive activity, reading can make you sleepy. I suggest every now and then, get up and grab a drink of water.

[Zgarbas]

I got that too, at first. Just seeing a page in Japanese (no matter how simple) would instantly tire my eyes out. Don't worry about it, it'll go away in time. For now, just try to actively blank out the rest of the page and focus on individual sentences*. As you read more and more, you'll get accustomed to them and it will no longer be a problem =).

*note that this in itself can also be tiring; no safe way out, I guess.

(just think of it as running. If you're out of shape and instantly start running for half an hour it will get pretty nasty. Start slowly, run an extra minute every day, and soon enough running for half an hour starts feeling easy).

Zgarbas Wrote:I got that too, at first. Just seeing a page in Japanese (no matter how simple) would instantly tire my eyes out. Don't worry about it, it'll go away in time. For now, just try to actively blank out the rest of the page and focus on individual sentences*. As you read more and more, you'll get accustomed to them and it will no longer be a problem =).

*note that this in itself can also be tiring; no safe way out, I guess.

(just think of it as running. If you're out of shape and instantly start running for half an hour it will get pretty nasty. Start slowly, run an extra minute every day, and soon enough running for half an hour starts feeling easy).

Oh I hope you're right! Can't wait to really be able to sit down and read something without dozing off. How long did it take for you to overcome this problem? How much did you read before it went away?

DevvaR Wrote:The fact that reading is a passive activity, reading can make you sleepy. I suggest every now and then, get up and grab a drink of water.

That's a really good idea. I guess being cozy in bed also doesn't help. I mean it's one thing if I'm in bed reading something in English or Swedish (native tongue) ... but Japanese ... I guess needs more focus at the time being. xD

I know the feeling. Try to read stuff that's really interesting to you. If you're dying to know what happens next, it's hard to feel sleepy

chillimuffin Wrote:I know the feeling. Try to read stuff that's really interesting to you. If you're dying to know what happens next, it's hard to feel sleepy

I normally agree with this (it's a method that turned me into a book-lover once again after not having read much for nearly 10 years). But I feel like ... I don't even get far enough to know whats going on. Even if something is interesting, physically, I can't keep my energy levels up.

Small amounts, several times per day. And try reading slightly easier material.

After many years of reading long texts in Japanese, I still feel like 20 or 30 minutes is the most I can manage without a sense that my brain is uncomfortably full. (I can happily read for an hour in English).

I have the same problem i just watch a tv show/movie or listen to music when i study that helps me and taking a break to stretch and getting something to drink or eat helps too.

sleep more at night? drink coffee? read when you 1st wake up instead of at night?

Do your reviews standing up. If you can manage it, try doing them while pacing around too.

Hashiriya Wrote:sleep more at night? drink coffee? read when you 1st wake up instead of at night?

I've experienced the same thing as the OP, and those things don't stop you from getting drowsy from reading difficult (for one's own level) Japanese. However... if I'm well rested and caffeinated I can just close my eyes and drowse for a couple minutes every few pages and then keep going. If I have any -actual- sleepiness going on, the reading-induced drowse can easily accidentally turn into a nap (or even a night's sleep if it's late enough and I'm reading in bed...). It helps to read at a desk too, it's harder to go from 'resting my eyes' to 'asleep' if you're sitting up. I'm pretty sure the drowsiness is related to all the new connections your brain is trying to form ... though I have no real evidence of that, it's just a feeling.

vix86 Wrote:Do your reviews standing up. If you can manage it, try doing them while pacing around too.

What a great idea! I'm gonna try it today.

Psyclone Wrote:I have the same problem i just watch a tv show/movie or listen to music when i study that helps me and taking a break to stretch and getting something to drink or eat helps too.

I'm thinking about preparing a snack-pack (japanese snacks) and a cup of strong coffee. And short breaks with awesome music. What do you think about that?

Fillanzea Wrote:Small amounts, several times per day. And try reading slightly easier material.

After many years of reading long texts in Japanese, I still feel like 20 or 30 minutes is the most I can manage without a sense that my brain is uncomfortably full. (I can happily read for an hour in English).

I took your advice and went with something slighly easier. Hopefully it will yield better results soon.

Do you guys think it partly has to do with the fact that I am not used to reading from top to bottom (versus left to right) and without spacing between words?

Should I spend some time just looking at the texts without actually trying to "decipher"? Just let my eyes follow the letters?

It could also be due to humidity or the atmosphere in your room.
Also, studying in bed magically induces sleep or yawning for me.

Try to find a room that keeps you awake.
I know that sounds weird. But there are certain rooms that keep awake.

Also, there was a scientific study that showed that blue light excites
specific photoreceptors that wakes people up. It has a stronger effect
than caffeine. No one knows if you can overdose on blue light.

But the bulb needs to be at least 17000K. It's not something you'll find at Home Depot though. Maybe it's the kind you see at the aquarium.

Research Study:
http://lighting.com/blue-light-key-to-circadian/

Study that mentions 17000K:
http://realdoctorstu.com/2011/05/23/blue...an-coffee/

Onara Wrote:Why does looking at kanji make me SO sleepy? I mean... I can be totally rested and fine but after a few pages of reading something in Japanese I just want to take a nap. My eyes get so tired and heavy.

Why is this? I love learning kanji and studying Japanese. It's not that I'm BORED. It's more a weird physical reaction. Obviously I would like to get through a reading without falling asleep.

Does anyone else have this problem? If so, what do you do about it? Is there any ... uhmmm.. eye excercise or something I could do to improve?

Well, it's the same eye exercise as for every other time your eyes get tired: find a distant object (out the window), and focus on it for 20-30 seconds.

Onara Wrote:Do you guys think it partly has to do with the fact that I am not used to reading from top to bottom (versus left to right) and without spacing between words?

Should I spend some time just looking at the texts without actually trying to "decipher"? Just let my eyes follow the letters?

This happens to me, less so now than when I first started reading novel, newspapers, websites etc in Japanese. I also get headaches after a while (compared to English when I can read non-stop for a few hours). For me I think it is just eye-strain of looking at small kanji and Japanese script. I am a fast reader when I read English, but with Japanese I have to go a bit slower simply because it's not English and my eyes have more to take in with kanji (ie. distinguishing similar radicals). It will take time and perserverance by eventually it becomes easier.

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Low-tech solution:
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I would say it's because it's just an intense mental activity. Reading, in English, is a good method of falling asleep at night. In Japanese, it's just much more tiring mentally, but it gets better with time.