PREVIEW ACTIVITY 1 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.

What Happens When We Sleep? (B2 - C1)

Work with a partner, group, or your teacher. Do the activities below together.

PART 1 Discuss the questions / topics below about sleep.

1 How well do you sleep? Do you feel that you sleep enough?

2 Why is sleep important? What are some potential effects of sleep deprivation?
3 What kinds of sleeping problems can people have?

PART 2 Try to define or explain what each vocabulary term below means.

chronic conditions | heart rate | life expectancy | circadian rhythm

PART 3 Match each noun below related to the anatomy of sleep with its correct definition.

1 transition a. a period of change from one state to another

2 cells b. a hormone in your body that plays a role in sleep
3 paralysis c. signals, indications
4 cues d. the basic building blocks of all living things
5 melatonin e. loss of the ability to move; loss of muscle function

PART 4 Discuss the questions about the vocabulary terms / phrases based on the context.

1 At nighttime your body ramps up the production of melatonin.

• What do you think it means to ramp up the production of something?

2 Whenever I watch a film late in the evening, I often drift off within a half hour.

• What do you think it means to drift off?

• Can you give any tips that may help people drift off?
• At what times could it be bad or dangerous to drift off? Why?

3 Anxiety and stress can sometimes cause your muscles to twitch.

• What do you think it means if your muscles twitch?

• What else do you think could cause your muscles to twitch?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE SLEEP?
Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
What Happens When We Sleep? (B2 - C1)

PREVIEW DISCUSSION: Read the discussion topic

below and discuss it with your partner or teacher.

What do you know about the cycles of sleep and

what happens during these cycles?

VIEWING ACTIVITY

PART 1 Discuss / write about the four stages of sleep and what happens in each.

0:54 1 Stage 1 / 2 of sleep

1:10 2 Stage 3 of sleep

1:30 3 Stage 4 of sleep

PART 2 Discuss / write short answers below according to the information from the video.

1:57 1 How much of our lives do we spend asleep?

2:01 2 Why are people sleeping far less today than they were a century ago?

2:12 3 What could be the consequences of sleeping less than seven hours per day?
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 1 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
What Happens When We Sleep? (B2 - C1)

Read each sentence below twice out loud. The second time you read each one, replace
PART 1
the words in bold with the actual word(s) that was/were used in the video.

EX. What is really happening inside the body when we start to fall asleep?

YOU SAY: “What is really happening inside the body when we drift off?”

1 Sleep is regulated by your body clock located in the brain.

2 The body clock responds to light signals, which quickly increase production of
the hormone melatonin at night and switch it off when it senses light.

3 Stages one and two are light sleep. This is a period of change from being
awake to falling asleep.

4 The speed at which the heart beats and breathing begin to slow, body
temperature falls, and muscles may make quick, rapid movements.

5 Stage three is the first stage of deep sleep, where our body’s basic building
blocks produce the most growth hormones to service bones and muscles,
allowing the body to repair itself.

Read the following quotes from the video out loud. Then discuss the questions below
PART 2
each quote with your teacher or partner.

1 “ Every night, almost everyone on the planet enters into a state of

unconsciousness and paralysis.”

• What do you think unconsciousness means?

• Other than when we’re sleeping, when can we experience
unconsciousness? What about paralysis?

2 “ Stage four is where we begin to dream. The body creates chemicals that render
it temporarily paralyzed so that we do not act out our dreams.”

• What do you think it means to act out a dream?

• Have you ever acted out a dream?
• What could happen if people often acted out their dreams?

3 “ In stage four of sleep, the brain is extremely active and our eyes, although
closed, dart back and forth as if we were awake.”

• What do you think it means if your eyes dart back and forth?
• In what other kinds of situations might your eyes dart back and forth?
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 2 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
What Happens When We Sleep? (B2 - C1)

DEBATE TASK:

STUDENT A:

• You believe stages 1 and 2 of the sleep cycle are most important.
• Have a debate with your partner why stages 1 and 2 of sleep are more important
than stages 3 and 4. Use at least 3 of the following words / phrases in your debate.

drift off | ramp up | heart rate | twitch | transition

STUDENT B:

• You believe stages 3 and 4 of the sleep cycle are most important.
• Have a debate with your partner why stages 3 and 4 of sleep are more important
than stages 1 and 2. Use at least 3 of the following words / phrases in your debate.

cells | act out | paralyzed | dart back and forth

SPEAKING TASK:

Discuss the topics with your teacher or partner. In your discussion, explain your ideas
in detail. In your discussion, explain your ideas in detail.

1 In the video, it’s mentioned that modern lifestyles,

stress, and the proliferation of technology have been
factors why people sleep less and less. Elaborate on this
fact. How do you think these things affect our sleep?

2 What kinds of occurrences, habits, activities, or

substances might disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm?
How or why would these things disrupt it?

3 Describe your idea of a healthy and an unhealthy sleep

routine, as well as a healthy and unhealthy sleeping
environment.
 BONUS GRAMMAR ACTIVITY Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
What Happens When We Sleep? (B2 - C1)

PART 1 Study the examples and usage of the conjunctive phrase as if + [subjunctive mood].

In the video, the narrator discusses what the third stage of sleep is like. She says...

“ In this stage, the brain is extremely active and our eyes, although closed,
dart back and forth as if we were awake.”

The conjunctive phrase as if functions the same as “like” when describing or comparing to some-
thing else. However, clauses that start with as if refer to an unreal, imaginary, or hypothetical
situation, and therefore it is expressed by the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive mood for the
verb “to be” is always were, even if the subject is I / he / she / it. See the examples below:

EXAMPLES My bones are so bruised and my muscles are so sore it’s as if I were paralyzed.
= (I am not paralyzed, but my body is so bruised and sore that it feels like it is.)

My friend talks about the anatomy of sleep as if he were an expert on the subject.
= (My friend is not an expert on the anatomy of sleep, but the way he talks makes
it seem like he is.)

PART 2 Choose the option that refers to an unreal situation depending on the context.

EX. My bones are so bruised and my muscles are so sore it’s as if I were paralyzed / hurt.

1 My nightmares sometimes make me feel as if I were in a horror movie / in a bad dream.

2 The sleeping pills I take make me slur my words as if I were really drunk / really tired.

3 Walking through a forest when it’s pitch black feels as if you were actually scared / blind.

4 Sleep can repair our bodies as if it were a miracle drug / a biological function.

5 I sometimes talk in my sleep as if I were in an actual conversation / in an actual dream.

Write two sentences about activities you’ve done or experiences you’ve had that can
PART 3
be compared to a hypothetical or unreal situation. Use as if + [subjunctive mood].
Then share your sentences with your partner / teacher.

EX. I remember when I visited Paris, the whole trip felt as if I were in a fairytale.

2
QUIZ & REVIEW ACTIVITY Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
What Happens When We Sleep? (B2 - C1)

Work with a partner. Complete the quiz and review activities below.

PART 1 Summary. Discuss what you remember about each of the four stages of sleep.

PART 2 Questions. Discuss the questions / topics below about the video.

1 How much of our lives do we spend asleep?

2 Why are people sleeping far less today than they were a century ago?
3 What could be the consequences of sleeping less than seven hours per day?

Vocabulary: Define each word below, and then write / say a sentence out loud using
PART 3
each word. Make your sentence somehow connected to the topic of sleep.

1. cells

2. paralysis

3. transition

PART 4 Vocabulary: Write the verbs that fit the sentences below.

1 The body clock responds to light cues, which up production of

the hormone melatonin at night and switching it off when it senses light.

2 As you off, your heart rate and breathing begin to slow, body
temperature falls, and muscles may .

3 Stage four is where we begin to dream. The body creates chemicals that
render it temporarily paralyzed so that we do not out our
dreams.

Grammar: Explain the usage of the conjunctive phrase as if. Then finish writing the
PART 5
sentences below using an idea that fits the context.

1 In the fourth stage of sleep, the brain is extremely active and our eyes,
although closed, dart back and forth as if .

2 My friend talks about the anatomy of sleep as if .

3 The sleeping pills I take make me slur my words as if .