How to Maintain Your Enjoyment of Reading When You Have Mild Cognitive Impairment

Reading for pleasure is one of those things you take for granted, even though it's a complex operation that requires lots of different parts of your brain to work together. If you have mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that causes noticeable changes in memory and thinking without affecting your ability to live independently, a book that once felt effortless to read can start to require more effort. Characters in stories can be harder to keep straight, and some pages may need a second pass before they stick.

But most people with MCI can keep reading, says Thomas Wodushek, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist and a professor in the department of neurology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. "Most reading challenges come down to memory, and they’re often manageable with simple, practical work-arounds,” he says.

“Reading is one of the simplest ways to keep your brain engaged when you have MCI,” says Dylan Wint, MD, the director of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas.

Even later in life, your brain can build new connections between nerve cells, a process called neuroplasticity, he says, and MCI can be an important window of opportunity to put that to work.

“The goal is to give the brain every available advantage, even if there are signs that it is under attack,” says Dr. Wint.

Why Do Adults With MCI Stop Reading?

MCI doesn’t usually take away your ability to read, but it can change how much focus and memory reading takes, says Dr. Wodushek.

A few different factors are thought to contribute to reading challenges when you have MCI, including:

Cognitive Changes “Memory problems, like losing track of characters, are the most common complaint,” says Wodushek. Trouble with attention, like losing focus and having to reread because you’re not sure how much you absorbed are also issues, he says.

Environmental Factors Your surroundings matter more than you might expect, says Wodushek. A quiet space without a lot of visual distraction can make it easier to stay focused, and so setting aside a specific block of time for reading rather than fitting it in between other things can help, he says.

A less-common type of MCI, called posterior cortical atrophy, affects how the brain processes visual information rather than memory, says Wodushek. People with this type sometimes do better with smaller print rather than larger print, the opposite of what you’d expect, he says.

Work-Arounds That Can Help

Compensation doesn’t have to be complicated, says Wodushek. “The most effective strategies tend to be pretty pragmatic, low-effort strategies that directly support where you’re feeling difficulty,” he says. For example:

Take notes while reading. This can look different depending on what works for you, says Wodushek. Examples are jotting down what’s happening as you go, marking up passages, or simply going back to reread a section. “Find a way that works for you,” he says.

Create a character cheat sheet. A list of characters with names and a description of who that character is can help you follow the plot, he says.

Keep reading sessions short. Read in smaller chunks, rather than pushing through long stretches, to help with attention and focus, says Wodushek.

Optimize your reading environment. A quiet space with minimal visual clutter, and a set time you’ve committed to for reading, can make it easier to stay engaged, he says.

New Reading Formats to Consider

If your usual reading material has gotten too difficult, even with these adjustments, it may be worth trying a different way to read that you still enjoy, says Wodushek.

Shorter Formats “Oftentimes, it’s moving from the long books to short books, or to short stories, or maybe to long magazine articles — things that don’t have such a serious memory demand,” he says.

Audiobooks These may be worth trying, especially if visual processing rather than memory is your main challenge, says Wodushek. For some people, listening while following along in the physical book might help hold their attention even more, though he says he hasn’t seen many people try combining the two.

Make Reading a Shared Experience

Family members, spouses, and other loved ones can play a role here, says Wodushek.

Be Willing to Approach Reading Differently

Try to be flexible and willing to adapt to how and what you read, says Wodushek. “You can’t get caught up on, ‘I can’t do it the way I used to do it, so I have to abandon it,’” he says.

“There’s going to be some trial and error in figuring out what’s going to work for you now, but it’s worth it; it’s important for you to try to not stop doing things, both for your brain health and mental health,” says Wodushek.