Poor Sleep Affects Your Health

Sleep – both its quantity and its quality – is one of the most frequently discussed health topics...

Vocabulary

exhausted /iɡˈzôstəd/ adj.

        - extremely tired;

She was exhausted but sleep seemed unlikely.

consistently /kənˈsistəntlē/ adv.

                                - very few exceptions; typically; usually:

The president has consistently denied the rumors.

occur /əˈkər/ v.

                                - to happen, to exist, or be found in a place;

                                Climate change is occurring.

essentially /əˈsen(t)SHəlē/ adv.

                                - to indicate that what you are saying is mainly true;

                                Essentially, the West has only two options.

impede          /imˈpēd/ v.

        - to bar or hinder the progress of; obstruct or delay.

                    

                                The situation impedes the flow of tourists.

Comprehension Questions

What was the most frequently discussed topic?
What has the survey found about one-third of American adults?
What remote work gave many people?
What do working parents who lacked child care options do?
What do experts offer to get a better night's sleep?

Article

Sleep – both its quantity and its quality – is one of the most frequently discussed health topics. How often have you told a friend or relative, “I’m exhausted, I was up half the night"?

Surveys have found that more than one-third of American adults are unable to consistently get a good night’s sleep, with millions having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. And the pandemic seems to have only made things worse, even for those who were previously “good” sleepers.

Remote work gave many people more hours in the day for personal use, but at the same time turned the workday into a 24/7 endeavor, with emails, texts, and Zoom calls occurring at odd and often unpredictable times.

Working parents who lacked child care options or had to help young children with online school work during the day may have resorted to late-night or early-morning hours to get their own work done with minimal interruptions. They essentially became shift workers with erratic sleep schedules. Others lost sleep pondering whether their jobs were worth the stress and how they might reshape their working lives going forward.

And for countless thousands, the death of a loved one from COVID-19 has resulted in long-lasting difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep long enough to feel rested. A study from 2019 by researchers at Northwestern Medicine and Rice University found that grieving spouses who reported sleeping poorly had high levels of chronic, body wide inflammation, which can increase their susceptibility to heart disease and cancer.

Experts offer a variety of tips for getting a better night’s sleep. Among them:
– Avoid all sources of caffeine in the late afternoon and evening, as well as a big heavy meal close to bedtime.
– Practice good sleep hygiene. Go to bed and get up at about the same time each day.
– Do not use alcohol to help you unwind. Try a warm bath or meditation.
– Reading before bed is great, as long as it’s not on a computer or tablet that emits sleep-inhibiting light.
– If outside light impedes sleep, install light-blocking shades or curtains or use a sleep mask. If noise is a problem, use earplugs or a white-noise machine.
– Consider cognitive behavioral therapy, which challenges underlying thoughts or behaviors that may be keeping you up at night.

Source: By Jane E Brody © The New York Times. https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/wellness/how-exactly-does-poor-sleep-affect-your-health-whats-sweet-spot-good-nights-rest-291696