The Reading / Listening - Sleep and Light - Level 1

Researchers say sleeping with a light on could harm your heart. Even lights that are not so bright could be harmful. The researchers put sensors on 11,000 people to measure the light in their bedrooms. People with no heart disease had an MRI scan three years later. The scans showed a link between sleeping with a light on and changes in the heart. The heart muscles were thicker. Also, the heart was less able to pump blood.

The lead researcher said light was a new risk for heart disease. He suggested that reducing light while sleeping could help to prevent heart disease. The researchers advised people to turn off lights in their bedroom. They said the room should be as dark as possible. They added that their advice was simple and cheap: use blackout curtains and warm-coloured lights. They also suggested covering the small standby LEDs on household devices.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Sleep and Light - Level 0 Sleep and Light - Level 2   or  Sleep and Light - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/generalcardiology/122971
  • https://time.com/article/2026/09/11/light-exposure-at-night-is-linked-to-heart-changes/
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2026/09/10/sleep-habit-bad-heart-health-new-study/91695591007/


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. lights that are not
  2. researchers put sensors
  3. people with no
  4. an MRI
  5. sleeping with a
  6. changes in
  7. The heart muscles
  8. pump
  1. heart disease
  2. were thicker
  3. on 11,000 people
  4. blood
  5. scan
  6. so bright
  7. the heart
  8. light on

Paragraph 2

  1. lead
  2. light was a new risk
  3. reducing light while
  4. help to
  5. researchers advised people
  6. the room should be
  7. their advice was simple
  8. small standby LEDs on
  1. to turn off lights
  2. sleeping
  3. prevent heart disease
  4. household devices
  5. and cheap
  6. researcher
  7. as dark as possible
  8. for heart disease

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Researchers say sleeping with (1) _________________________________________________ could harm your heart. Even lights that are (2) _________________________________________________ could be harmful. The researchers put sensors on 11,000 people (3) _________________________________________________ light in their bedrooms. People with no heart disease had an MRI scan (4) _________________________________________________. The scans showed a link between sleeping with a light on (5) _________________________________________________ the heart. The heart muscles were thicker. Also, the heart was less able (6) _________________________________________________.

The lead researcher said light was a (7) _________________________________________________ heart disease. He suggested that reducing light while sleeping could (8) _________________________________________________ heart disease. The researchers (9) _________________________________________________ turn off lights (10) _________________________________________________. They said the room should be as dark as possible. They added that their advice was (11) _________________________________________________: use blackout curtains and warm-coloured lights. They also suggested covering the small standby LEDs (12) _________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Researcherssaysleepingwithalightoncouldharmyourheart.Evenlight
sthatarenotsobrightcouldbeharmful.Theresearchersputsensorson1
1,000peopletomeasurethelightintheirbedrooms.Peoplewithnoheart
diseasehadanMRIscanthreeyearslater.Thescansshowedalinkbetwe
ensleepingwithalightonandchangesintheheart.Theheartmuscleswer
ethicker.Also,theheartwaslessabletopumpblood.Theleadresearcher
saidlightwasanewriskforheartdisease.Hesuggestedthatreducingligh
twhilesleepingcouldhelptopreventheartdisease.Theresearchersadvi
sedpeopletoturnofflightsintheirbedroom.Theysaidtheroomshouldbe
asdarkaspossible.Theyaddedthattheiradvicewassimpleandcheap:u
seblackoutcurtainsandwarm-colouredlights.Theyalsosuggestedcov
eringthesmallstandbyLEDsonhouseholddevices.

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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