The Reading / Listening - Sleep and Light - Level 2

Sleep is important for our health. Not everyone knows it is important to sleep in the dark. Researchers say sleeping with the light on could be bad for us. Turning off the light when we sleep helps to keep away diabetes and heart disease. Light could increase the risk of getting these diseases. Around 40 per cent of people sleep with some sort of artificial light, from a television, alarm clock or something else. The worst thing is sleeping with a main light. Sleeping in the dark is more difficult for people in cities, where there is a lot of outdoor light at night.

The researchers are from a university of medicine in Chicago, USA. Researcher Dr Phyllis Zee is an expert in sleep medicine. She said it is healthier to turn off all lights when we sleep. She 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 sugar levels than those who slept in darkness. Dr Zee said light stimulates brain activity, which raises blood sugar. 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 wear an eye mask.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Sleep and Light - Level 0 Sleep and Light - Level 1   or  Sleep and Light - Level 3

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 :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. it is important to
  2. helps to keep away
  3. Light could increase the risk of
  4. some sort of artificial
  5. alarm
  6. The worst thing is sleeping
  7. Sleeping in the dark is
  8. there is a lot of outdoor
  1. clock
  2. sleep in the dark
  3. more difficult
  4. getting these diseases
  5. light at night
  6. light
  7. diabetes
  8. with a main light

Paragraph 2

  1. an expert in sleep
  2. She conducted a
  3. higher sugar
  4. light stimulates brain
  5. reduce the risk
  6. turn off
  7. never sleep with white
  8. wear
  1. activity
  2. or blue light
  3. study
  4. an eye mask
  5. medicine
  6. of illness
  7. levels
  8. the lights

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Sleep is important (1) ___________________. Not everyone knows it is important to sleep (2) ___________________. Researchers say sleeping with the light on could be bad for us. Turning off the light when we sleep helps (3) ___________________ diabetes and heart disease. Light could increase the risk of getting these diseases. Around 40 per cent of people sleep with some sort (4) ___________________, from a television, alarm clock or something else. The (5) ___________________ sleeping with a main light. Sleeping in the dark is more difficult for people in cities, where there is a lot (6) ___________________ at night.

The researchers are from a (7) ___________________ in Chicago, USA. Researcher Dr Phyllis Zee (8) ___________________ in sleep medicine. She said it is healthier to turn off all lights when we sleep. She conducted a study of the (9) ___________________ of 20 people after nights of sleep. The people who slept with a light on had higher sugar levels than those who (10) ___________________. Dr Zee said light stimulates brain activity, which raises blood sugar. She said there are three things we can do to (11) ___________________ of illness: turn off the lights, never sleep with white or blue light; and wear (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Sleepisimportantforourhealth.Noteveryoneknowsitisimportanttosle
epinthedark.Researcherssaysleepingwiththelightoncouldbebadforu
s.Turningoffthelightwhenwesleephelpstokeepawaydiabetesandhea
rtdisease.Lightcouldincreasetheriskofgettingthesediseases.Around
40percentofpeoplesleepwithsomesortofartificiallight,fromatelevisio
n,alarmclockorsomethingelse.Theworstthingissleepingwithamainli
ght.Sleepinginthedarkismoredifficultforpeopleincities,wherethereis
alotofoutdoorlightatnight.Theresearchersarefromauniversityofmed
icineinChicago,USA.ResearcherDrPhyllisZeeisanexpertinsleepmedi
cine.Shesaiditishealthiertoturnoffalllightswhenwesleep.Sheconduct
edastudyofthebloodsugarlevelsof20peopleafternightsofsleep.Thep
eoplewhosleptwithalightonhadhighersugarlevelsthanthosewhoslep
tindarkness.DrZeesaidlightstimulatesbrainactivity,whichraisesbloo
dsugar.Shesaidtherearethreethingswecandotoreducetheriskofillne
ss:turnoffthelights,neversleepwithwhiteorbluelight;andwearaneye
mask.

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 — Write your own questions

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

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

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

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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