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A. Pre-viewing
Before watching a video about the number of hours we should spend on sleeping, familiarize yourself with the following entries:
  1. errands – to go out to buy or do something; daily chores
  2. cruising J-date - surfing the net for JDate - an online dating service aimed at Jewish singles
  3. cowardice - lack of courage in facing danger, pain, or difficulty
  4. willpower - the ability to control your own thoughts and the way in which you behave
  5. Amphetamines - any of several types of drug used as a stimulant (= a substance that makes the mind or body more active). Truck drivers are often reported using amphetamines to maintain their extensive work schedule and stay awake.
  6. mutation – the way in which genes change and produce permanent differences
  7. vodka - a clear, strong alcoholic drink made especially from grain or potatoes
  8. Challenger Explosion – The explosion of a spacecraft called Challenger, over the Atlantic Ocean on January 28, 1986
  9. deprivation - a situation in which you do not have things or conditions that are usually considered necessary for a pleasant life
  10. hypertension - a medical condition in which your blood pressure is extremely high
  11. diabetes - a disease in which the body cannot control the level of sugar in the blood

B. Comprehension
Watch the trailer again and fill in the blanks in the transcript.

Click here to watch the video

Video ©3V(Youtube.com)
  1. How many hours of sleeping a night are normally recommended?
    seven five ten
  2. “There are people out there like Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher and Madonna who famously thrive on about just four hours of shut-eye at night.“
    What does ‘thrive on’ mean?
    deal with do well on develop a habit of
  3. What is stopping us from joining the ranks of the hyper-productive?
    cowardice willpower genetics
  4. The impacts of skipping our beauty sleep are… (you may choose more than one option)
    ◯ decrease in short-term memory
    ◯ high blood concentration
    ◯ decrease in attention spans
    ◯ increase in alertness
    ◯ loss of vision

  5. What is the main reason for automobile crashes and deaths?
    heavy rain design defects on roads driver fatigue
  6. Increased heart rate, blood pressure and inflammation can be the result of having only 4 hours of sleep in 1 or 2 …
    restless nights stressful nights successive nights
  7. “So even if you’re young, burning the candle at both ends puts you at greater risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity and depression.” What does the idiom “burn the candle at both ends” mean?
    spend little time on sleeping
    spend a lot of time on sleeping
    work or study very hard at all times


C. Synonyms
In the exercise below, three synonyms are provided for each bolded word in the following sentences taken from the talk. Watch the video again and observe how these words are used in a larger context. Select the synonym that best fits that context. Consult a dictionary when necessary.
  1. But what will happen to the 95% of us who aren’t sleep mutants, if we attempted to tackle a 4-hour sleep schedule anyway?
    monster freak deformity
  2. But what will happen to the 95% of us who aren’t sleep mutants, if we attempted to tackle a 4-hour sleep schedule anyway?
    attack deal with launch
  3. In addition to having decrease short-team memory, alertness and attention spans.
    duration interval range
  4. Researchers in Australia found that being awake for 18 hours produces the same impairment as having a blood alcohol concentration of .05%.
    injury crime damage
  5. The national highway traffic safety administration conservatively estimates that at least 100000 police reported automobile crashes and 1550 deaths each year are the result of driver fatigue.
    exhaustion drop dullness
  6. That’s not enough to scare you back into bed, there’s health risks involved with sleep deprivation as well.
    distress deficiency suffering
  7. Several study have found that 1 or 2 consecutive nights of only 4 hours of sleep can trigger increased heart rate, blood pressure and inflammation, [etc.]
    cause generate produce

D. Vocabulary Round-Up
Complete the following sentences using the words in the box. Use the correct grammatical form of the words.
  • thrive
  • errands
  • mutants
  • tackle
  • impairment
  • fatigue
  • deprivation
  • consecutive
  • amphetamine
  • trigger
  1. The businesses of this multi-millionaire thrived in the years before the war.
  2. Floyd was banned from racing after a drug test revealed traces of amphetamine in his urine.
  3. These mutants lack a vital protein which gives them immunity to the disease.
  4. This is the fifth consecutive weekend that I've spent working, and I'm a bit fed up with it.
  5. I'll meet you at six, I've got some errands to run first. I need to go to the laundry shop.
  6. She was suffering from fatigue after being trapped in landslide for over a week.
  7. There were food shortages and other deprivations during the Civil War.
  8. Prematurity may also result in visual impairment or blindness.
  9. There are many ways to tackle this problem.
  10. There are fears that the incident may trigger further violence in the city.

Transcription - Health Decoder - Do You Really Need Eight Hours of Sleep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJj8gt4e1uA


This week on Health Decode, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”. Well that’s a little dramatic, but seriously, do you actually need eight hours of sleep?

You got a busy life, what with work, errands, and all that cruising J-date to find junior new mommy. While everyone always going on about the recommended 7-9 hours a night, there are people out there like Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher and Madonna who famously thrive on about just four hours of shut-eye at night. So what’s stopping you from joining the ranks of the hyper-productive? Cowardice? Lack of willpower? Nope, it’s something you can’t control, genetics. Now before you set your alarm for 4 am and start injecting that latte directly into your eyeballs, you should know that people who really get by on that little sleep without the aid of naps, coffee or a clenched fist full of trucker amphetamines.

Meatball, meatball , meatball, [unidentifiable]…Make up only 5% of the population. A landmark study at the University of California, San Francisco, researchers identified a genetic mutation which is responsible for this trick. So if you weren’t born a short sleeper, don’t expect to become one.

But what will happen to the 95% of us who aren’t sleep mutants, if we attempted to tackle a 4-hour sleep schedule anyway? The answer is awful, awful things. Skipping on your beauty sleep will leave you more than just looking whacked. In addition to having decreased short-team memory, alertness and attention spans. Researchers in Australia found that being awake for 18 hours produces the same impairment as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%. After 24 hours awake it’s the equivalent of 0.10%. …[unidentifiable] ..

Put it in perspective, .08% is the legal limit in most states. The national highway traffic safety administration conservatively estimates that at least 100,000 police reported automobile crashes and 1,550 deaths each year are the result of driver fatigue. Other accidents caused by human fatigue? The Challenger Explosion, the crash of the Exxon Valdez, the partial nuclear meltdown of Three Mile Island and a full-on nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, Oh you sleepy, sleepy Russians. “I’m not sleeping I’m just resting eyes, I was up very late at the blue jeans American dance party.”

That’s not enough to scare you back into bed, there’s health risks involved with sleep deprivation as well. Several study have found that 1 or 2 consecutive nights of only 4 hours of sleep can trigger increased heart rate, blood pressure and inflammation, as well as impaired glucose tolerance and increase appetite even an otherwise healthy young adult.

So even if you’re young burning the candle at both ends puts you at greater risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity and depression. Everyone sleep needs are different, you really wanna get ahead? Get the sleep you need, probably between 7 to 9 hours and tackle the world fresh tomorrow. That’s all for this week health decoder, please sure to subscribe for more health decoder episode


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