Reading Comprehension IL 1 Read the text below and decide whether the following sentences are true or false. a) There are a few types of sleeping disorders. 1b) The best thing insomniacs can do when they can’t fall asleep is to take some sleeping pills. ) Iis unhealthy to sleep less than eight hours a day. Its three o'clock in the morning, You'e exhausted, but just ‘can't sleep. Relax! Millions lke you suffer from sleep problems. Considering how essential sleep i to ife, we Understand surprisingly little about it. Because we are semi-conscious when we sleep, the whole process is velled inmyth You see, sleeping problems are caused quite simply by modern day lng. As we become increasingly out of tune ‘with our bodies and their needs, our primary functions suffer. Insomnia is only one type of sleep disorder, Bad dreams, malsomnia, even snoring if it wakes you — they're all slep disorders, though mostly short-term and usually related to a sudden change in lifestyle, an imminent event ‘or stress, Trouble realy begins when these short-term prablems become chronic So whatever type of sleep disorder you are plagued by, it's time to nip iin the bud You're not alone! 2 What's the problem? Insomnia literally means sleeplessness and should not be ‘confused with light or erratic sleeping throughout the night. Insomnia falls into two categories, both of which can be short-term or chronic, Some insomniacs can’t get to sleep at night, They tun off the light and their mind races, turing thoughts over and ove, unt they become so desperate to sleep and so aad of staying awake that thet despair prevents them from sleging, leaving them mentally exhausted by the early hous ofthe morning, They fal into prolonged deep sleep which deprives them of necessary imental sleep 3 ‘Malsomnia means bad sleep, which can also fal into two categories, ight sleening and broken sleeping They'e not problems in themselves until they begin to affect the sufferers waking hous. Malsomnia, however, is often short-term and directly related toa stressful one-off event How to cope Ifyou have discounted physical causes as the root of your sleeping problems, then i's time to look a little deeper Your fist step isto ty not to worry too much. Fear of not sleeping and the consequences of lack of sleep can lead to stress and despair, which then cause insomnia. You ate ‘aught in a downward spiral and you have to break the cycle. Don't panic! 4 Instant self help Counting sheep may sound a cliché but monotonous ar regular mind games can help induce drowsiness. Try listing pleasant things. Ty adding up a long lst of figures, or counting backwards from 500. Anything to lull your mind to sleep. It can work! Concentrate on the rhythm of your breathing, Sleep with your ea on the pillow, or against your arm and listen to your heart beat. 7 Although drugs are often the fist thing patients reach fr when they can't lee, they havea bad tack record when it cames to long-term resis and should only be used if everyting else has felled Sleep secrets Don't be misled by your body's lack of movement when you are asleep. Sleep is a period of great rest but also of activity for your body. There are three stages of sleep, and each serves avery different and important function. As you relax, your bran gradually slows down and after about fifteen minutes your brain waves become synchronise. This happens gradually during the transition between ‘wakefulness and sleep. Once you actualy doo off to sleep your bran actty continues to slow, until after an hour or ninety minutes you'ein deep slee. After about an hour and ahalfof deep sleep you pass into a totaly diferent phase of sleep known as REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleepThe brain waves become shorter and faster and your eyes art around under your closed lids. At the same time yout muscles become very relaxed, almost paralysed, and your breathing erat. This lasts for about ten minutes nd is commonly associated with dreaming, When the third stage finishes you go back inta a deep sleep stage again. Stages ‘two and thee are repeated throughout the night until you wake, 6 ‘The average person in Europe sleeps around six hours a night ~ not te tretona eight as you might expect and many doctors are beginning to believe tis is quite sufficient to leave you healthy and well-ested, But people often underestimate the amount of sleep they get, simply because the minutes spent yng anak, tying to get to sleep, appear to go slow. Sleep problems arise when people ignore their body signals and so develop bad sleeping habits. f someone has 2 sleepless night but isn’t able to sleep during the next day, they ae forced to disregard their body's needs and erratic sleep pattems result. 2 For questions 1-6, choose which of the paragraphs A-G fit into the numbered gaps in the text. There is one extra paragraph which does not fit in any of the gaps. ‘A. Mild exercise like slow walking can help before bedtime, but beware of frantic exercise late at night because it stimulates your heart rate and will keep you awcke. Exercise during the day plays a key role in a healthy lifestyle ~ and good healt is essential for sleep Relaxation techniques can also prepare you for sleep. B_ Slightly less common isthe insomniac who falls asleep ‘upon turning out the light, ony to awaken again in the ‘early hours of the morning unable to return to sleep until ‘the next evening, Their quality of sleep is fine — they're simply not getting enough Overeating can cause insomnia and poor sleeping patterns because your digestive sytem slows dawn during seen. It is also worth stering clea of caffeine drinks, such as cafe, tea or cola, late at right as they can stimulate your brain and keep you awake. Milky drinks ae the traditional bedtime companions ofthe troubled sleeper D_ tis now known that REM sleep serves a diferent function to deep sleep. Deep sleep restores the body, allowing growth hormones and antibodies to be released into the blood to repair cel. REM sleep rests the mind, allowing it to sort through the day's activities and experiences in order to ‘file’ them for future reference. Deprivation of either af these will have different effects fr the sufferer. One will eave you physically exhausted, the other mentally. E Almost everyone suffers from some sort of sleep disorder at Some time in ther lives. But for some th suffering goes on and on, You can't aways spot the typical insomniacs. They don’t yawn constantly, have red-rimmed eyes, or fll asleep at thei desks. Neither are they invariably creative geniuses, Sleep disorder sufferers are a silent majority ~ everyday people with a chronic problem, F Start by hiding your alarm clock from view. you don't know the time, you won't worry about it, Read a relaxing book, or perhaps try listening toa relaxation tape befare tuming out ihe light. During the daytime, ty to analyse your life to finda cause fr your sleeplessness. helps to ask yourself afew basic question ike: Am | happy satisfied’, Can | cope?", What will make me happy ! satisfied?” Most chronic insomnias are chronic avoides of problems, So try to face upto and solve your wortes — ‘otherwise anxieties you have during the day will follow you to bed at night. G Sleeping disorders have reached epidemic proportions in the Wester World. Only now are sleep scientists beginning to look more closely atthe problem, not to find a cure but to eraicate the causes. And they're discovering that’s not sa much the quantity but the qualty of sleep that counts, This could explain the success of certain famous light sleepersSleep easy 3 Answer the following questions. 8) What are the causes of sleeping problems? sleeping problems. Use about 80 words. 4d) Describe the phases of sleep. Use about 80 words. 4 Expl a) veiled in myth and mystery .. the meaning of the following words and phrases. ) imminent ©) plagued 4) nip it in the bud e)one-off. ) discounted 9) induce drowsi lull. ') drop off i) dart 4) franti 1) steering clear of