[00:00:00] Dr. Renee White: Knowledge is power, and we are all about empowering the mamas of the world. In each episode, we will unravel and interpret the latest research and evidence based practices for pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood. As mums and researchers ourselves, we have experienced firsthand the overwhelming complexity of information, myths, and those classic old wives tales.

[00:00:27] I'm Dr. Renee White, and this is The Science of Motherhood. Hello and welcome to episode 163 of the Science of Motherhood. I am your host, Dr. Renee White. Thank you so much for joining me today. We have got another one of our Check In Tuesday episodes today, which I am going to be sharing something that is very near and dear to my heart.

[00:00:50] And it was, it was kind of, Mmm, a catalyst from a 40th birthday present that I received from my lovely girlfriends, uh, this year. And you know me, I'm a complete and utter science nerd, so I will make everything into something to do with science. And also It makes it guilt free as well. If you follow us on Instagram, you will know that I went on an amazing book retreat for my 40th, uh, as a gift from my two bestest friends here in Tasmania.

[00:01:30] But before we dive into that, I just wanted to To let you know that this episode is proudly sponsored by Our Cow. They have provided an amazing discount code for our listeners here. And for all those playing at home, if you don't know who Our Cow is, they are an amazing, butcher, online butcher, they distribute all across Australia.

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[00:03:23] Now let's dive into today's episode. As I was saying, it was my 40th birthday. Two of my bestest friends decided that we were going to go on a book retreat because our most favorite book series, the Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros, people might have heard of Fourth Wing, Iron Flame. Well, book three, Onyx Storm, was coming out the week of my birthday.

[00:03:48] And they decided to rent an Airbnb here in this gorgeous location in Penna, on right, um, right around Midway Point, just out of Hobart. And we had this gorgeous house. One of the residents is actually a artist. So like every wall was covered in art and we were right out on the water and there was no one else around and we had this gorgeous deck out the back which looked out to the water and we had these giant bean bags and we literally sat out there for hours on beanbags with our little cheese platter and our g and t's and our kindles and we all read the new onyx storm book and it was absolutely amazing we were there for three nights and it was so restorative it was just like a dream come true and so of course I want to talk about the science of it because I know a lot of people and I was one of those people who used to read and then had babies and then didn't read because I didn't have time.

[00:05:01] And also you're just like completely and utterly maxed out in terms of your mental bandwidth. So many people I've spoken to, they're like, I just I pick up the book and I'll read a paragraph and then I'll fall asleep or like, you know, I'll get called mum, I'm hungry. Whatever that looks like. But when you kind of get back into it, and I want to give you some real hard evidence here when it comes to reading and why why you should prioritise it and how you can make time for it as well, right?

[00:05:32] Because that is the ultimate. So what I want to reiterate is that when you grab a book, it isn't just an escape. It is legitimately a hormonal hack for your mental health. Like, it is so good for your mental health to start reading. So. Let's dive in the science stuff. Let's talk about that first. So what reading does to your hormones?

[00:06:00] Now, when you crack open a good book, your body isn't just chilling out. It's actually practically hosting a hormonal dance party. Let me tell you how first hormone we've got straight off the bat. Oxytocin. So you know the love hormone that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. Well it turns out that reading emotionally engaging stories can give you a hit of oxytocin.

[00:06:24] Which, you know, we kind of can gather that because like we keep going, oh my god this is so good. Obviously, this is the same hormone that, you know, bonds you to your baby. So honestly, if you are ugly crying over a character's heartbreak, your brain's just out here saying more of that, please. All right. So we've got oxytocin in the mix.

[00:06:47] The next one we have is cortisol. Now this structure stress hormone is, it's basically your body's alarm system. You know, it's really great in emergencies. It's not so great when it's you know, in overdrive because, you know, motherhood, not good. But here's the kicker. Research shows that six minutes of reading can slash your cortisol levels by a whopping 68%.

[00:07:17] So that's six minutes less time it takes to reheat your coffee for the first, uh, third time. You know, like, let's be honest about that. So quick shout out as a reference, there was, that was from a 2009 study from the University of Sussex. So thank you very much for making us feel less guilty about reading books.

[00:07:39] So even if you nail six minutes, bang, Awesome. Okay. Oxytocin cortisol. Let's talk about dopamine. Oh yes. My friend dopamine. It's that feel good, like reward molecule, um, gets a boost when you're totally hooked on like that juicy, um, plot twist, or you're trying to like solve that murder mystery. Shout out to my good friend, Carly, who loves a good murder mystery.

[00:08:04] Um, you know, think of it as your little brain high that makes you feel less bleh and like a bit like, yes, I love that. And of course we've got endorphins, you know, same with exercise. So you know how you feel after a good laugh or like, you know, when you've had a hard workout, maybe like pre pre pre child, you know, if you're in your early postpartum days, so lighthearted books or comedic scenes can really kickstart those natural painkillers, which gives you a pick me up, you know, that you didn't think that you needed, but you absolutely do need it.

[00:08:45] So why, why is this, you know, why do we need this? Why do we need all this hormone magic as I like to call it? Well, let's face it. You know, motherhood can be a ridiculous amount of pressure to be on all the time, and one of the things that I love about reading books is that escapism. It's that escapism of like diving into a book, and it sounds very selfish, but it is an opportunity for you to just have that time for yourself.

[00:09:16] You can't really sit there and read the book all day. alongside anyone else. So it's that opportunity for you to really fill your cup and it's like a reset button for your brain and your body. And this is how it does it. So first of all, when you lower your cortisol and then you get higher levels of dopamine, This is a recipe for less stress and more happy vibes, right?

[00:09:40] So it's kind of like, as I said in the beginning, it's like, like a little day spa for your brain. And also you can establish like a really good kind of bedtime routine with it as well. So if you read, you know, maybe a chapter before you go to bed, if you start to establish that routine, then it's like this little ritual that your body has.

[00:10:04] It was like, okay, it's time to wind down. Also, you're not doom scrolling on your phone. So whether it's a Kindle or an actual hard copy of a book, you don't have any blue light from screens kind of messing with your melatonin. So that's ideally what we want to see. Obviously you get all the feels, right?

[00:10:24] You get all the feels and sometimes it even gives you an opportunity to kind of, depending on the story and the plot, reflect on your own struggles or victories for that matter. Um, you can feel very seen and heard. Um, it's kind of empowering too, like I love Throne of Glass, which has inspired many, many things in my life.

[00:10:45] And it's about a badass, like, assassin chick, and she is strong and she like gets, gets stuff done. And so when I read that eight book series, I was like, yes, that is inspiration. Even though it was like completely fictional, you know, like years ago and all the rest of it. It's still good. It's still good to have those things.

[00:11:06] All right. I've spoken about the science. I've spoken about the positives and the benefits and why you should do it. Now I can hear you all, or maybe some of you going here Renee, but I don't have time. Like how am I going to manage this at all? Here are my top tips. The first one, think small. You don't have to do a whole book in like one sitting.

[00:11:32] No one's asking you to do that. Maybe what you can do is, you know, stash away your book or your Kindle in the nappy bag. You know, you can snag a few pages while, you know, there's nap time. Perfect for contact naps. Like honestly, so, so perfect at school pickup. You got five minutes to kind of kill in the car, pick up your book.

[00:11:54] Remember six minutes. That's all you need. Six minutes to start seeing that cortisol like drop, drop, drop, drop, drop, drop, drop. The second tip I would give is maybe try going audio. Like honestly, um, I've got friends who are exclusive to audio or like 80%, um, on audio. They love it. It can be pop your headphones in and you're cooking away or like whatever it is.

[00:12:20] Seriously, just try it. That could be the key to you kind of getting through some more books. And I think, you know, one of the other things I'll say is pick a book that really sparks joy in you. Like, I recall not being an avid reader in high school, if at all, because I just don't think anything really was my jam.

[00:12:45] And I was like, this is just so boring. And you know, after I had Eva, I kind of went through that stage like early on where I'd read like Jodie Picoult books and things like that. I love you Jodie, I think you write a great book, but goddamn they're sad. You know, like I was like, I can't read these anymore.

[00:13:05] And then I remember stumbling through Big W a couple of years ago, and I picked up something called fourth wing because I had seen everyone on socials, like going absolutely bananas for it. And that was the gateway for me. Like that was a hundred percent the gateway to reinvigorating my love for books.

[00:13:26] So don't worry about what's trendy or whatever, like choose a few books, romance, thrillers, memoirs, whatever floats your boat, just find it and just sit with that. Make it a sacred moment. Okay. Like I know this can be really difficult, but even if it's like carving out 10 minutes a day, to just sit down with a cup of tea, get your Kindle open and read a chapter, like whatever that looks like.

[00:13:56] But ultimately, and I feel like I'm kind of demonstrating this and I can see this, it's really interesting, I see this in our house. You're role modeling that self care, you're role modeling the love of books, and so my daughter and I, we go to the bookstore, she gets to pick a book, or we go to the library together, she's picking books, and she has definitely been reading a lot more since I have started to kind of pick it up So I hope I've convinced you, I hope I've convinced you that reading is great for your hormones, it's great for your mental health, and it's great to have for self care and modeling to your own kids that your time and your mental health is important.

[00:14:46] Um, and so they will then take time for themselves as well as they get older to have that carved out time, uh, for their mental health. If anyone is interested in getting started, or you just, you know, you don't know where to start, or you're interested in getting a Kindle, and you don't know where to start, feel free to DM me, I'm more than happy to send through a couple of tips for you.

[00:15:12] So jump over to our Instagram at fillyourcup underscore or you can just send me an email hello at ifillyourcup.com and I would be more than thrilled to share with you some of my favorite books, some of my favorite gadgets, uh, for Kindle. I can assure you, I definitely have some because when you're holding a Kindle, um, it can get quite taxing on your arm and elbow.

[00:15:40] And I've got this amazing kind of stand that I have. Uh, it's, it's so, so good. So look, if you're interested, hit me up more than happy to send through those resources for you. All right, everyone. Until next week, I'll see you later. Bye.

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[00:16:13] You've just listened to another episode of the Science of Motherhood, proudly presented by Fill Your Cup, Australia's first doula village. Head to our website ifillyourcup.com to learn more about our birth and postpartum doula offerings, where every mother we pledge to be the steady hand that guides you back to yourself. Ensuring you feel nurtured, informed, and empowered so you can fully embrace the joy of motherhood with confidence. Until next time, bye!