The Reading / Listening - Sleep and Light - Level 3

Everyone knows that good sleep is important for our health. Not everyone knows how important it is to sleep in the dark. A new report says sleeping with the light on could be bad for our health. Researchers say turning off the light when we sleep helps to keep away diabetes and heart disease. Sleeping with the light on could increase the risk of getting these diseases. The researchers said around 40 per cent of people sleep with some sort of artificial light. They said even light from a television or alarm clock could affect our health. They added that the worst thing to sleep with is a main light. Sleeping in the dark is more difficult for people who live in cities, where there is a lot of outdoor light at night.

The researchers are from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, USA. The lead researcher, Dr Phyllis Zee, is an expert in sleep medicine. She said it is healthier for us to turn off all lights when we sleep. Her team conducted a study of the blood sugar levels of 20 people after nights of sleep. The people who slept with a light on had higher blood sugar levels the next morning compared to those who slept in total darkness. Dr Zee said this is because light stimulates brain activity, which raises blood sugar levels. She said there are three things we can do to reduce the risk of illness: turn off the lights, never sleep with white or blue light; and use a blackout curtain or wear an eye mask.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Sleep and Light - Level 0,  Sleep and Light - Level 1   or  Sleep and Light - Level 2

Sources
  • https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/17945561/how-sleep-increase-risk-killer-disease/
  • https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sleeping-with-even-a-dim-light-can-raise-blood-sugar-and-heart-rate-180979738/
  • https://news.yahoo.com/study-shows-light-during-nighttime-032500889.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. SLEEPING: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about sleeping. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       everyone / sleep / important / the dark / diabetes / heart disease / alarm clock /
       university / expert / study / blood / sugar / darkness / risk / blue light / eye mask
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. A WASTE OF TIME: Students A strongly believe sleeping is a waste of time; Students B strongly believe it's the best thing ever. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. I CAN'T SLEEP: Do these things help you sleep? Why / Why not? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Helpful?

Why (Not)?

Exercise

 

 

Studying English

 

 

Listening to music

 

 

Counting sheep

 

 

Hot milk

 

 

Soft lighting

 

 
MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. RISK: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "risk". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. HEALTH: Rank these with your partner. Put the best things for our health at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Sleep
  • Vegetables
  • Laughter
  • Exercise
  • Vitamin supplements
  • Music
  • Chocolate
  • Water

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. report a. A disease in which the body has too much sugar in the blood.
      2. diabetes b. An illness or damage to the body (not caused because of an injury).
      3. increase c. Done, situated, or used outside.
      4. disease d. Become or make greater in size, amount, or degree.
      5. artificial e. A clock or device that wakes you up at the time you set.
      6. alarm f. A piece of writing about some research.
      7. outdoor g. Made or produced by human beings rather naturally.

    Paragraph 2

      8. lead h. A person who is very knowledgeable about or skillful in a particular area.
      9. expert i. Did.
      10. conducted j. A piece of material that covers a window.
      11. blood k. Raise or increase levels of activity in something.
      12. stimulate l. The red liquid that moves around inside our body.
      13. risk m. The most important.
      14. curtain n. Be where there is possible danger.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. The article says everyone knows it is important to sleep in the dark.     T / F
  2. Sleeping in the dark can reduce the risk of getting heart disease.     T / F
  3. About 40% of people sleep in the dark.     T / F
  4. The article says the light from alarm clocks do us no harm.     T / F
  5. Dr Phyllis Zee said she took medicine every night to help her sleep.     T / F
  6. Researchers looked at people's sleep pattern over 20 nights.     T / F
  7. People who slept in the dark had lower blood sugar levels.     T / F
  8. The doctor suggested we wear an eye mask to help us sleep.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. important
  2. bad
  3. health
  4. risk
  5. artificial
  6. expert
  7. conducted
  8. total
  9. reduce
  10. wear
  1. well-being
  2. put on
  3. man-made
  4. harmful
  5. carried out
  6. cut
  7. essential
  8. specialist
  9. chance
  10. complete

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. Everyone knows that good sleep is
  2. sleeping with the light on could be
  3. increase the risk of
  4. artificial
  5. there is a lot of outdoor light
  6. an expert in sleep
  7. it is healthier for us to turn
  8. blood sugar
  9. light stimulates brain
  10. reduce the risk
  1. activity
  2. getting these diseases
  3. light
  4. medicine
  5. levels
  6. important for our health
  7. of illness
  8. at night
  9. bad for our health
  10. off all lights

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
dark
outdoor
important
alarm
risk
worst
diabetes
sort

Everyone knows that good sleep is (1) _____________________ for our health. Not everyone knows how important it is to sleep in the (2) _____________________. A new report says sleeping with the light on could be bad for our health. Researchers say turning off the light when we sleep helps to keep away (3) _____________________ and heart disease. Sleeping with the light on could increase the (4) _____________________ of getting these diseases. The researchers said around 40 per cent of people sleep with some (5) _____________________ of artificial light. They said even light from a television or (6) _____________________ clock could affect our health. They added that the (7) _____________________ thing to sleep with is a main light. Sleeping in the dark is more difficult for people who live in cities, where there is a lot of (8) _____________________ light at night.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
stimulates
expert
morning
risk
lead
mask
sugar
raises

The researchers are from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, USA. The (9) _____________________ researcher, Dr Phyllis Zee, is an (10) _____________________ in sleep medicine. She said it is healthier for us to turn off all lights when we sleep. Her team conducted a study of the blood (11) _____________________ levels of 20 people after nights of sleep. The people who slept with a light on had higher blood sugar levels the next (12) _____________________ compared to those who slept in total darkness. Dr Zee said this is because light (13) _____________________ brain activity, which (14) _____________________ blood sugar levels. She said there are three things we can do to reduce the (15) _____________________ of illness: turn off the lights, never sleep with white or blue light; and use a blackout curtain or wear an eye (16) _____________________.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) Everyone knows that good sleep is important ______
     a.  four our health
     b.  for our health
     c.  fore our health
     d.  fro our health
2)  Not everyone knows how important it is to sleep ______
     a.  on the dark
     b.  in the dark
     c.  in a dark
     d.  on a dark
3)  Researchers say turning off the light when we sleep helps to ______
     a.  keep away diabolical
     b.  keep away die a beet is
     c.  keep away diabetes
     d.  keep away dye a beet is
4)  The researchers said around 40 per cent of people sleep with some sort ______
     a.  of artificially light
     b.  of artificial right
     c.  of artificial lite
     d.  of artificial light
5)  They added that the worst thing to sleep with is ______
     a.  a mainly light
     b.  a mean light
     c.  a main light
     d.  a mane light

6)  The lead researcher, Dr Phyllis Zee, is an ______
     a.  experts in sleep
     b.  expert in sleep
     c.  expertise in sleep
     d.  excerpt in sleep
7)  Her team conducted a study of the ______
     a.  blood sugar levels
     b.  blood sugary levels
     c.  blood sugared levels
     d.  blood sugars levels
8)  the next morning compared to those who slept ______
     a.  in totally darkness
     b.  in totality darkness
     c.  in totalled darkness
     d.  in total darkness
9)  She said there are three things we can do to ______
     a.  reduce the risqué
     b.  reduce the risk
     c.  reduce the brisk
     d.  reduce the wrist
10)  never sleep with white or blue light; and use a blackout curtain or wear ______
     a.  an eye mask
     b.  an eye mast
     c.  an eye makes
     d.  an eye marks

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Everyone knows that good sleep is important (1) ____________________. Not everyone knows how important it is to sleep in the dark. A new report says sleeping with the light on (2) ____________________ for our health. Researchers say turning off the light when we sleep helps to keep away diabetes and heart disease. Sleeping with the light on could (3) ____________________ of getting these diseases. The researchers said around 40 per cent of people sleep with some sort (4) ____________________. They said even light from a television or alarm clock could affect our health. They added that the worst thing to sleep with is (5) ____________________. Sleeping in the dark is more difficult for people who live in cities, where there is a lot of (6) ____________________ night.

The researchers are from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, USA. The lead researcher, Dr Phyllis Zee, (7) ____________________ in sleep medicine. She said it is healthier for us to turn (8) ____________________ when we sleep. Her team conducted a study of the (9) ____________________ of 20 people after nights of sleep. The people who slept with a light on had higher blood sugar levels the next morning compared to those who slept (10) ____________________. Dr Zee said this is because light stimulates brain activity, which raises blood sugar levels. She said there are three things we can (11) ____________________ the risk of illness: turn off the lights, never sleep with white or blue light; and use a blackout curtain or wear (12) ____________________.

Comprehension questions

  1. What does everyone know that sleep is good for?
  2. What disease could sleeping in the dark keep away besides diabetes?
  3. What percentage of people sleep with an artificial light?
  4. What does the article say is the worst thing to sleep with?
  5. Where is there a lot of outdoor light at night?
  6. What is Dr Phyllis Zee an expert in?
  7. How many people took part in a study on sleep?
  8. Who had higher levels of blood sugar?
  9. What does light stimulate?
  10. What kinds of light does the doctor say we should not fall asleep to?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What does everyone know that sleep is good for?
a) babies
b) our health
c) studying English
d) getting through the day
2) What disease could sleeping in the dark keep away besides diabetes?
a) insomnia
b) cancer
c) mental health
d) heart disease
3) What percentage of people sleep with an artificial light?
a) 50%
b) 60%
c) 40%
d) 72%
4) What does the article say is the worst thing to sleep with?
a) a main light
b) a hot water bottle
c) an electric blanket
d) a teddy bear
5) Where is there a lot of outdoor light at night?
a) the sky
b) cities
c) in parks
d) on the moon

6) What is Dr Phyllis Zee an expert in?
a) sleep medicine
b) light therapy
c) blood sugar
d) studying
7) How many people took part in a study on sleep?
a) 30
b) 25
c) 20
d) 35
8) Who had higher levels of blood sugar?
a) people who slept with a light
b) men over 50
c) obese children
d) people who ate lots of chocolate
9) What does light stimulate?
a) getting out of bed
b) reading
c) the eyes
d) brain activity
10) What kinds of light does the doctor say we should not fall asleep to?
a) ultraviolet light
b) soft lighting
c) blue or white light
d) neon light

Role play

Role  A – Sleep
You think sleep is the most important thing for good health. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): vegetables, exercise or water.

Role  B – Vegetables
You think vegetables are the most important thing for good health. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): sleep, exercise or water.

Role  C – Exercise
You think exercise is the most important thing for good health. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): vegetables, sleep or water.

Role  D – Water
You think water is the most important thing for good health. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): vegetables, exercise or sleep.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'light'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'sleep'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • new
    • keep
    • risk
    • artificial
    • worst
    • cities
    • lead
    • expert
    • team
    • total
    • reduce
    • wear

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - Sleep and Light

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'sleep'?
    3. How important is sleep to you?
    4. What do you do if you cannot sleep?
    5. Do you need a light to sleep?
    6. How does sleep affect our health?
    7. Can you sleep if a light is on?
    8. Would you prefer to sleep in the city or countryside?
    9. Should people have a television in their bedroom?
    10. What advice do you have for people who cannot sleep?

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'light'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Is it a good idea to take medicine to help you sleep?
    5. What happens when you do not get enough sleep?
    6. What things help you sleep well?
    7. Is it easy for you to sleep on a train or bus?
    8. Is it easy for you to sleep outside when camping?
    9. Do you care what colour the lights are in your bedroom?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the researchers?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    Everyone knows that good sleep is (1) ____ for our health. Not everyone knows how important it is to sleep in the dark. A new report says sleeping with the light on could be (2) ____ for our health. Researchers say turning off the light when we sleep helps to keep away diabetes and heart disease. Sleeping with the light on could increase the (3) ____ of getting these diseases. The researchers said around 40 per cent of people sleep with some sort (4) ____ artificial light. They said even light from a television or alarm clock could affect our health. They (5) ____ that the worse thing to sleep with is a main light. Sleeping in the dark is more difficult (6) ____ people who live in cities, where there is a lot of outdoor light at night.

    The researchers are from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, USA. The (7) ____ researcher, Dr Phyllis Zee, is an expert in sleep medicine. She said it is healthier (8) ____ us to turn off all lights when we sleep. Her team conducted a study (9) ____ the blood sugar levels of 20 people after nights of sleep. The people who slept with a light on had higher blood sugar levels the next morning compared to those who slept (10) ____ total darkness. Dr Zee said this is because light (11) ____ brain activity, which raises blood sugar levels. She said there are three things we can do to reduce the risk of illness: turn off the lights, never sleep with white or blue light; and use a blackout curtain or (12) ____ an eye mask.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     import     (b)     importance     (c)     importantly     (d)     important    
    2. (a)     baddie     (b)     badness     (c)     badly     (d)     bad    
    3. (a)     risqué     (b)     risk     (c)     risky     (d)     risked    
    4. (a)     by     (b)     at     (c)     of     (d)     on    
    5. (a)     plus     (b)     also     (c)     added     (d)     totalled    
    6. (a)     for     (b)     as     (c)     at     (d)     by    
    7. (a)     iron     (b)     lead     (c)     steel     (d)     gold    
    8. (a)     for     (b)     at     (c)     on     (d)     by    
    9. (a)     at     (b)     of     (c)     by     (d)     to    
    10. (a)     on     (b)     at     (c)     in     (d)     by    
    11. (a)     simulates     (b)     simmers     (c)     stimulates     (d)     stems    
    12. (a)     eye     (b)     do     (c)     put     (d)     wear

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. good sleep is moitrpant for our health
    2. keep away aitedbes
    3. increase the risk of getting these sssiedea
    4. some sort of iariltfcai light
    5. the swort thing to sleep with
    6. a lot of rouotod light at night

    Paragraph 2

    1. Dr Phyllis Zee is an pxrete
    2. sleep meiincde
    3. Her team cdncodetu a study
    4. light tlsisuatem brain activity
    5. euercd the risk of illness
    6. use a blackout atirunc

    Put the text back together

    (  1  ) Everyone knows that good sleep is important for our health. Not everyone knows how important it is to sleep
    (...)  who slept with a light on had higher blood sugar levels the next morning compared to those who slept in total
    (...)  with white or blue light; and use a blackout curtain or wear an eye mask.
    (...)  when we sleep. Her team conducted a study of the blood sugar levels of 20 people after nights of sleep. The people
    (...)  clock could affect our health. They added that the worst thing to sleep with is a main light. Sleeping in the dark is
    (...)  sugar levels. She said there are three things we can do to reduce the risk of illness: turn off the lights, never sleep
    (...)  darkness. Dr Zee said this is because light stimulates brain activity, which raises blood
    (...)  researcher, Dr Phyllis Zee, is an expert in sleep medicine. She said it is healthier for us to turn off all lights
    (...)  increase the risk of getting these diseases. The researchers said around 40 per cent of people
    (...)  in the dark. A new report says sleeping with the light on could be bad for our health. Researchers say turning
    (...)  off the light when we sleep helps to keep away diabetes and heart disease. Sleeping with the light on could
    (...)  more difficult for people who live in cities, where there is a lot of outdoor light at night.
    (...)  The researchers are from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, USA. The lead
    (...)  sleep with some sort of artificial light. They said even light from a television or alarm

    Put the words in the right order

    1. sleep   is   that   knows   Everyone   important   .   good
    2. bad   .   be   the   with   light   on   could   Sleeping
    3. getting   these   increases   It   diseases   .   risk   the   of
    4. who   for   in   cities   .   live   difficult   More   people
    5. of   light   outdoor   a   lot   at   There's   night   .
    6. Zee   is   Dr   expert   sleep   medicine   .   an   in
    7. team   conducted   a   of   study   blood   .   Her   the
    8. with   slept   people   on   .   a   The   who   light
    9. do   .   There   can   are   three   we   things
    10. a   a   or   curtain   Use   mask   .   blackout   wear

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Everyone knows that good / goodness sleep is important for our health. Not everyone knows how important it is to sleep in the darkly / dark. A new report says sleeping with the light in / on could be bad / badly for our health. Researchers say turning off the light when we sleep helps to keep about / away diabetes and heart disease. Sleeping with the light on could increase the risk of / to getting these diseases. The researchers said around 40 per cent of people sleep with some sort of / off artificial light. They said even light from a television or alarm clock could effect / affect our health. They added that the worst thing to sleep with is a main / mainly light. Sleeping in the dark is more difficult for people who live in cities, where there is a lot of outdoor light on / at night.

    The researchers are / be from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, USA. The lead researcher, Dr Phyllis Zee, is an export / expert in sleep medicine. She said it is healthier for us / them to turn off all lights when we sleep. Her team conducted a study to / of the blood sugar levels / rebels of 20 people after nights of sleep. The people who slept / sleeping with a light on had higher blood sugar levels the next morning compared to those who slept on / in total darkness. Dr Zee said this is because light stimulates brain active / activity, which raises blood sugar levels. She said there are three things we can do to reduce / deduce the risk of illness: turn off the lights, never sleep with white or blue light; and use a blackout curtain or wear an / a eye mask.

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    _v_ry_n_  kn_ws  th_t  g__d  sl__p  _s  _mp_rt_nt  f_r  __r  h__lth.  N_t  _v_ry_n_  kn_ws  h_w  _mp_rt_nt  _t  _s  t_  sl__p  _n  th_  d_rk.  _  n_w  r_p_rt  s_ys  sl__p_ng  w_th  th_  l_ght  _n  c__ld  b_  b_d  f_r  __r  h__lth.  R_s__rch_rs  s_y  t_rn_ng  _ff  th_  l_ght  wh_n  w_  sl__p  h_lps  t_  k__p  _w_y  d__b_t_s  _nd  h__rt  d_s__s_.  Sl__p_ng  w_th  th_  l_ght  _n  c__ld  _ncr__s_  th_  r_sk  _f  g_tt_ng  th_s_  d_s__s_s.  Th_  r_s__rch_rs  s__d  _r__nd  40  p_r  c_nt  _f  p__pl_  sl__p  w_th  s_m_  s_rt  _f  _rt_f_c__l  l_ght.  Th_y  s__d  _v_n  l_ght  fr_m  _  t_l_v_s__n  _r  _l_rm  cl_ck  c__ld  _ff_ct  __r  h__lth.  Th_y  _dd_d  th_t  th_  w_rst  th_ng  t_  sl__p  w_th  _s  _  m__n  l_ght.  Sl__p_ng  _n  th_  d_rk  _s  m_r_  d_ff_c_lt  f_r  p__pl_  wh_  l_v_  _n  c_t__s,  wh_r_  th_r_  _s  _  l_t  _f  __td__r  l_ght  _t  n_ght.

    Th_  r_s__rch_rs  _r_  fr_m  th_  N_rthw_st_rn  _n_v_rs_ty  F__nb_rg  Sch__l  _f  M_d_c_n_  _n  Ch_c_g_,  _S_.  Th_  l__d  r_s__rch_r,  Dr  Phyll_s  Z__,  _s  _n  _xp_rt  _n  sl__p  m_d_c_n_.  Sh_  s__d  _t  _s  h__lth__r  f_r  _s  t_  t_rn  _ff  _ll  l_ghts  wh_n  w_  sl__p.  H_r  t__m  c_nd_ct_d  _  st_dy  _f  th_  bl__d  s_g_r  l_v_ls  _f  20  p__pl_  _ft_r  n_ghts  _f  sl__p.  Th_  p__pl_  wh_  sl_pt  w_th  _  l_ght  _n  h_d  h_gh_r  bl__d  s_g_r  l_v_ls  th_  n_xt  m_rn_ng  c_mp_r_d  t_  th_s_  wh_  sl_pt  _n  t_t_l  d_rkn_ss.  Dr  Z__  s__d  th_s  _s  b_c__s_  l_ght  st_m_l_t_s  br__n  _ct_v_ty,  wh_ch  r__s_s  bl__d  s_g_r  l_v_ls.  Sh_  s__d  th_r_  _r_  thr__  th_ngs  w_  c_n  d_  t_  r_d_c_  th_  r_sk  _f  _lln_ss:  t_rn  _ff  th_  l_ghts,  n_v_r  sl__p  w_th  wh_t_  _r  bl__  l_ght;  _nd  _s_  _  bl_ck__t  c_rt__n  _r  w__r  _n  _y_  m_sk.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    everyone knows that good sleep is important for our health not everyone knows how important it is to sleep in the dark a new report says sleeping with the light on could be bad for our health researchers say turning off the light when we sleep helps to keep away diabetes and heart disease sleeping with the light on could increase the risk of getting these diseases the researchers said around 40 per cent of people sleep with some sort of artificial light they said even light from a television or alarm clock could affect our health they added that the worst thing to sleep with is a main light sleeping in the dark is more difficult for people who live in cities where there is a lot of outdoor light at night

    the researchers are from the northwestern university feinberg school of medicine in chicago usa the lead researcher dr phyllis zee is an expert in sleep medicine she said it is healthier for us to turn off all lights when we sleep her team conducted a study of the blood sugar levels of 20 people after nights of sleep the people who slept with a light on had higher blood sugar levels the next morning compared to those who slept in total darkness dr zee said this is because light stimulates brain activity which raises blood sugar levels she said there are three things we can do to reduce the risk of illness turn off the lights never sleep with white or blue light and use a blackout curtain or wear an eye mask

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Everyoneknowsthatgoodsleepisimportantforourhealth.Noteveryon
    eknowshowimportantitistosleepinthedark.Anewreportsayssleeping
    withthelightoncouldbebadforourhealth.Researcherssayturningoffth
    elightwhenwesleephelpstokeepawaydiabetesandheartdisease.Slee
    pingwiththelightoncouldincreasetheriskofgettingthesediseases.The
    researcherssaidaround40percentofpeoplesleepwithsomesortofartifi
    ciallight.Theysaidevenlightfromatelevisionoralarmclockcouldaffect
    ourhealth.Theyaddedthattheworsethingtosleepwithisamainlight.Sl
    eepinginthedarkismoredifficultforpeoplewholiveincities,wherethere
    isalotofoutdoorlightatnight.TheresearchersarefromtheNorthwester
    nUniversityFeinbergSchoolofMedicineinChicago,USA.Theleadresea
    rcher,DrPhyllisZee,isanexpertinsleepmedicine.Shesaiditishealthierf
    orustoturnoffalllightswhenwesleep.Herteamconductedastudyofthe
    bloodsugarlevelsof20peopleafternightsofsleep.Thepeoplewhoslept
    withalightonhadhigherbloodsugarlevelsthenextmorningcomparedt
    othosewhosleptintotaldarkness.DrZeesaidthisisbecauselightstimul
    atesbrainactivity,whichraisesbloodsugarlevels.Shesaidtherearethr
    eethingswecandotoreducetheriskofillness:turnoffthelights,neversle
    epwithwhiteorbluelight;anduseablackoutcurtainorwearaneyemask.

    Free writing

    Write about sleeping with a light for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    We should never sleep with any light on.  Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. SLEEPING: Make a poster about sleeping. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. EDUCATION: Write a magazine article about schools teaching children about sleeping without a light on. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on sleeping. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to sleep well. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

    $US 9.99

    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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