The comfortable reading position is lying on your back on your bed (or long sofa) with a pillow under your head. You're looking upwards at the ceiling while holding the book upright on your belly.
There's even a clip-on version you can attach to existing prescription glasses.
So simple. Zero strain. You look absolutely dumb, of course, but it lets you read until your brain gets tired, not your neck or lower back or whatever.
If you want to go for truly infinite comfort, use an e-reader held upright by a stand sitting on a breakfast tray with legs placed over and around your belly, with a Bluetooth clicker for page turning. At that point, you basically might as well not even have a body...
> So simple. Zero strain. You look absolutely dumb, of course, but it lets you read until your brain gets tired, not your neck or lower back or whatever.
Having had a CPAP machine for nearly a decade, I'm used to looking absolutely dumb in bed. Thanks for the link!
Doesn't that feel weird? I am not into books much but I know that I can't watch TV or phone while lying flat if the screen was right above my eyes. It will feel wrong. I sometimes use phone while on my side such that phone is also sideways. I use it but it doesn't feel normal. I don't know how to explain it, its similar to not standing straight.
Doesn't feel weird to me. The book still looks like it's the normal distance away, similar to arm's-length. This doesn't make it feel like the book is right up against your face or anything.
I find that, when I lie down, my glasses slip back closer to my eyes just enough to make things go out of focus at reading distance. The weight of the prisms could make it worse. Have you figured out some solution for this? If you have, it could be a game changer for me!
I haven't tried it, but maybe some larger nose bridge pads with a bit of friction, that would maintain the distance?
Might require you to use a dedicated pair of glasses just with this, if you need some kind of spacing/padding element affixed that you don't need otherwise.
Kindle makes this easier. I read lying in bed, on my side, same as if I was sleeping, and prop the kindle against a second pillow.
This doesn't work with a paper book as you would have to flip between sides and keep holding it open.
The only thing I would like to improve is to have some small remote to flip pages, so my hands could be in more comfortable position and not have to touch the kindle.
I bought a goose neck kindle/phone holder (that clips to my night stand) and a remote page flipper so that I can read my kindle in bed while lying on my side up until the moment I fall asleep, arms at my side.
It looks funny but works well.
The only thing I would tweak is switching to an ereader with an amber backlight that has a dimmer setting. My gen1 paperwhite, like the iphone, is still too bright at its lowest setting.
I occasionally read or watch videos on my laptop by "lying in bed, on my side, same as if I was sleeping, and" propping the laptop on its side. The L shape ensures it remains stable even without a pillow.
I used to read comics on my laptop that way until there was an app they used to have on the iPhone that would enlarge the comic text blobs when you clicked on them. Can’t remember what it was called but it was fantastic.
Google "brancaster accent with swivel egg chair" and note the enclosing high-backed versions with wide winged tops.
With a matching footstool (search "brancaster egg chair footstool"), you can put your feet up, tilt back. The best reading experience I have ever found, by far. You can rest you hands and book on your thighs and read without any neck strain or posture effort.
The tilting and swiveling also enables continuous posture adjustment, which helps when reading as for sleeping.
Comfortable enough even for studying with highlighters. (Amazon, "Wood pen holder desk round walnut" square bottom, round top + "Mr. Pen- Aesthetic Highlighters". Such a great combo I have them in several rooms.)
I am sure I sound like an ad, but when you find combinations of basic things that each work "better", it is great.
I bought the chairs and respectively matching stools for their style (I have light leather and velvet Jack versions), and was surprised at how much of a practical upgrade they were.
I've heard stuff like this is much cheaper to come by used, auctioned by liquidated companies. Not necessarily the exact above mentioned models, but 'trendy' stuff like Herman Miller chairs, and similar. Let's say 500 bucks.
I read books on my phone while lying flat on my back in bed. I have a stand that holds the phone directly over my face, and a bluetooth page turner so I don't have to tap the screen. It looks ridiculous but I can read for hours like that.
I'm reading books on my TV by mirroring my mobile device, I found no position more confortable than sitting on the couch and reading instead of mindlessly watching shows. It gives a new meaning to watching TV.
Weirdly true. A year ago, I bought perhaps the most comfortable chair I've ever sat in specifically for the purpose of reading. And it really is incredibly comfortable to sit in. Yet ... it doesn't solve either of the two central problems of actually reading: having to hold the book/ereader and the head/neck/shoulder angle. The only solution I can imagine is an "overhead" mounted ereader with voice control, and I don't actually want that.
My Apple Vision Pro is perfect for this, especially with the dual knit band. It really helps me just focus on reading as well, unlike a laptop or something where alt-tabbing is super easy and the (enlarged) book isn't taking up most of my FOV. It's an expensive solution, though, and not for everyone (for example my wife's neck is way slimmer than mine and it would injure her over time).
(And the pinch the page to turn it like a real page is the most fun thing in the Apple Books app).
Tablet/kindle on an arm mount (the kind with springs like a microphone or architecture lamp stand works best, goosenecks fail pretty quick), and the wearmouse app on an android watch to turn pages works pretty well.
I've never understood the common media trope of a teen on their bed reading a magazine on their stomach prompted up by their elbows. Never in my life has that been a comfortable position.
Kids dont get fatigue or aches. I remember 12 year old me joining Karate after a sedentary year, exercising till my heartbeat hurt my eardrums and the instructor remind me to not skip classes when I ache.
My previous house had hammock hooks installed by a previous owner. I'm sure you've got somewhere that could work. Or enough floorspace somewhere for a metal hammock stand.
Readit News
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=prism+glasses
The comfortable reading position is lying on your back on your bed (or long sofa) with a pillow under your head. You're looking upwards at the ceiling while holding the book upright on your belly.
There's even a clip-on version you can attach to existing prescription glasses.
So simple. Zero strain. You look absolutely dumb, of course, but it lets you read until your brain gets tired, not your neck or lower back or whatever.
If you want to go for truly infinite comfort, use an e-reader held upright by a stand sitting on a breakfast tray with legs placed over and around your belly, with a Bluetooth clicker for page turning. At that point, you basically might as well not even have a body...
Having had a CPAP machine for nearly a decade, I'm used to looking absolutely dumb in bed. Thanks for the link!
Might require you to use a dedicated pair of glasses just with this, if you need some kind of spacing/padding element affixed that you don't need otherwise.
This doesn't work with a paper book as you would have to flip between sides and keep holding it open.
The only thing I would like to improve is to have some small remote to flip pages, so my hands could be in more comfortable position and not have to touch the kindle.
It looks funny but works well.
The only thing I would tweak is switching to an ereader with an amber backlight that has a dimmer setting. My gen1 paperwhite, like the iphone, is still too bright at its lowest setting.
Google "brancaster accent with swivel egg chair" and note the enclosing high-backed versions with wide winged tops.
With a matching footstool (search "brancaster egg chair footstool"), you can put your feet up, tilt back. The best reading experience I have ever found, by far. You can rest you hands and book on your thighs and read without any neck strain or posture effort.
The tilting and swiveling also enables continuous posture adjustment, which helps when reading as for sleeping.
Comfortable enough even for studying with highlighters. (Amazon, "Wood pen holder desk round walnut" square bottom, round top + "Mr. Pen- Aesthetic Highlighters". Such a great combo I have them in several rooms.)
I am sure I sound like an ad, but when you find combinations of basic things that each work "better", it is great.
I bought the chairs and respectively matching stools for their style (I have light leather and velvet Jack versions), and was surprised at how much of a practical upgrade they were.
and a page-turner for the Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVWZWX56?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_...
Maybe good to pair with a thriller or horror book for the extra jolt of adrenaline if it shifts slightly.
(And the pinch the page to turn it like a real page is the most fun thing in the Apple Books app).
Unfortunately that just moves the goalposts to "there's no place to install a hammock in my house".
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Jokes apart there are free-standing hammocks. They take up slightly more space so that may not work.