Do you sometimes realize you've turned a few pages and haven't taken anything in

Oh, this is quite common with me already! And I don't like this habit either. I feel it's like a total waste of time! I think this only happens to me if I'm feeling bored and rather be doing something else besides reading the book. If I'm sleepy too, my mind will also wander off. This does not happen with story books only. It mostly happens to me when I'm trying to study a subject that I detest. Especially Chemistry. Whenever I tried to study Chemistry, I'll just be staring blankly at the words but reading blindly at the same time! It doesn't help at all when test time comes! I won't wander if my mind is clear, alert, and definitely not sleepy!

Sometimes we do have poor concentration over the book we are reading. This maybe because we are thinking a lot of other things, or we are distracted by the things around us, or simply the book is boring us that our minds wander off. I do experience this a lot of times and when something interesting in the next page suddenly struck me, I seem to be lost or totally have no idea why I get to that point. What I usually do then is to reread the previous page so that I can get back on track. So if you're not in the mood or busy with something or your mind is just too stressed, take some rest and don't pick up a book.

I seem to be able to go from one extreme to the other. Being distracted and having to read the paragraphs over and over again, to speed reading through descriptive parts. Though depression can affect focus and concentration, there are ways to strengthen that focus. Crossword puzzles, Sudoku, word search puzzles all help strengthen your brain. They are especially good for the elderly to help prevent alzheimers. I don't find that my depression is the cause for my drifting off when reading though.

This happens to me as well. Sometimes when I'm tired, have a lot of things on my mind or when a book's just really boring, hahaha. There are certain things that really just make me drift off while reading, like when an author goes on and on describing every little thing about a certain scenery and nothing seems to be happening, that really bores me and leads me to space out. Or when the words on a page are so crowded together and paragraphs go on for a whole page, I've most likely lost what the author was saying halfway through. Or when it's just really a sucky book and I'm thinking of something else I'd rather be doing or reading, is another case. So clearly, you're not the only one. :D

Sometimes I do find that I have read in a few pages and not taken anything in, I try to chalk it up to one of two reasons, that I have something else on my mind and I may not be able to read a book at the moment, or that the book did not catch my interest and I may have to try reading another one. I love to read, but if I find that I am not interested I will move onto another book.

Of course you're not the only one.I think this would happen to everyone.But there must be a reason.From my experience it is owning to the book was not really what you like.If one really have interest in sth.how can he feel tired and absentminded...I used to finish a long novel without sleeping for two days.And after that I'm still very clear and buried in the book.However when I listen to some boring reports,I would sleep even when I just have a 12h's rest.Then,do you have the same feeling?

I suffer from clinical depression and one of the symtoms is poor concentration. Many times i have reread pages so i end up putting the book down. I find that irritating and funny at the same time. Take care Bonbon.

Oh, I do this all the time. It's one of the reasons I don't read. I just can't stay focussed. My mind has a tendency to wander no matter what. It's kind of annoying. It made it pretty difficult in school when he had to remember incidents in stories and I couldn't recall it because I'd always "drift" while reading!

Yes, this happens to me a lot. I have to go back and reread a page because my mind wanders. It's annoying.

Yeah this has happened to me a few times, I think it can happen for many reasons, maybe that part of the book is just a bit on the boring side or perhaps there is something subconsciously playing on your mind but it can be a pain having to reread stuff that you know you have already read. Also I have seen me pick up my book and wonder how I am on the page that I am on and had to go back a page or two till I find something I recognise/remember, I think this happens because I have been too tired the night before and what I have actually read has not stuck at all.

You're not alone. I do it sometimes , too and find myself having to go back a few paragraphs or even a few pages.

Yes. it happens to me if i end a book and start another one immediately and the book is written by the same author. It also happened to me when i was reading foucaults pendulum by umberto eco. i had to re-read it to understand. at that time though i was also reading the historian by elizabeth kostova, so basically i got myself confused.