Sleep Struggle

Dr. Marjorie Seidenfeld answers your health questions

I have such a terrible time falling asleep every night that I’m always tired and it’s affecting my schoolwork. What should I do?

—Mindy in Nevada

Most young people only get seven hours of sleep each night, when they actually need nine hours. And making up for lost sleep during the week by sleeping in on weekends doesn’t really work. In fact, sleeping late on weekends may actually do you more harm than good, if you have sleep problems. What happens if you don’t get enough sleep? If your sleep problem continues for a few nights, you could suffer serious problems. Lack of sleep can affect learning and memory. Worse, if your sleep difficulties last a long time, that could lead to anxiety or depression (抑郁).

Therefore, you’ve got to have some healthy sleep habits. Below are some suggestions:

●Go to bed at the same time—including weekends, if possible.

●Wake up around the same time every morning When you sleep late just one morning during the week, it may disturb your body clock. This will make it hard for you to sleep that night.

●Do something relaxing before going to bed.

●Exercise during the day. Don’t exercise right before going to bed.

●Avoid drinking alcohol. Alcohol makes you excited. This prevents you from falling asleep or wakes you up during the night.

●Don’t smoke. Smoking is always bad for the body. Smoking before bedtime keeps you awake.

If trying these tips over a couple of weeks does not help you, speak to your doctor. Do not take any sleeping pills without first asking your doctor. Many have strong side effects.

1. According to the passage, if you have sleep problems for a few nights, you could be      .

A. lonely                       B. serious                   C. forgetful                D. depressed

2. The passage suggests that people with sleep problems should      .

   A. eat vegetables and exercise regularly             B. make up for lost sleep on weekends

   C. follow a fixed timetable for sleep                  D. sleep seven hours every day

3. We can learn from the suggestions that      .

A. getting up earlier one morning makes it easier to fall asleep that night

B. listening to soft music before going to bed may help you fall asleep

C. smokers and those who drink alcohol usually have sleep

D. exercising in the evening will help you get to sleep

4. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Sleep problems are serious among young people.

B. Sleeping late on weekends can make up for lost sleep.

C. Your eating habits will be broken due to lack of sleep.

D. You’ll no longer have your sleep problem if you try the tips.

 “In real life, the daily struggles between parents and children are around these narrow problems of an extra hour, extra TV show, and so on” said Avi Sadeh, psychology professor at Tel Aviv University. “Too little sleep and more accidents,” he said.

Sadeh and his colleagues found an extra hour of sleep can make a big difference. The children who slept longer, although they woke up more frequently during the night, scored higher on tests, Sadeh reported in the March/April issue of journal Child Development.

“When the children slept longer, their sleep quality was somewhat weak, but in spite of this their performance for study improved because the extra sleep was more significant than the reduction in sleep quality. ” Sadeh said. “Some studies suggested that lack of sleep as a child affects development into adulthood and it’s more likely to develop their attention disorder when they grow older. ”

In earlier studies, Sadeh’s team found that fourth graders slept an average of 8. 2 hours and sixth graders slept an average of 7. 7 hours.

“Previous research has shown children in elementary school need at least nine hours of sleep a night on a regular basis, said Carl Hunt, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research in Bethesda, and high-school-age children need somewhat less, he said, adding the results of insufficient sleep could be serious.

“A tired child is an accident waiting to happen,” Hunt said. “And as kids get older, toys get bigger and the risks higher. ”Hunt also said too little sleep could result in learning and memory problems and long-term effects on school performance.

“This is an important extension of what we already know, ” Hunt said of Sadeh’s research, adding sleep is as important as nutrition(营养) and exercise to good health.

“To put it into reality,” Hunt said, “parents should make sure they know when their children actually are going to sleep and their rooms are conducive to sleeping instead of playing. ”

What is Child Development?

A A new story                       B A popular book

C. A periodical magazine               D A TV programme

How many persons are exactly mentioned in the text?

A One          B Two          C Three           D Four

The underlined phrase “conducive to” (in the last sentence) means ________.

A helping to happen                  B influenced by

C full of                               D acceptable of

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. There are some daily struggles between parents and children because of having nothing in common with extra rest time.

B. The children who sleep longer are weak in their study.

C. Lack of sleep as a child has great effect on their development into adulthood.

D. In general, children in elementary school need at least nine hours of sleep a night.

“In real life, the daily struggles between parents and children are around these narrow problems of an extra hour, extra TV show, and so on” said Avi Sadeh, psychology professor at Tel Aviv University. “Too little sleep and more accidents,” he said.Sadeh and his colleagues found an extra hour of sleep can make a big difference. The children who slept longer, although they woke up more frequently during the night, scored higher on tests, Sadeh reported in the March/April issue of journal Child Development. “When the children slept longer, their sleep quality was somewhat weak, but in spite of this their performance for study improved because the extra sleep was more important than the reduction in sleep quality. ”Sadeh said. “Some studies suggested that lack of sleep as a child affects development into adulthood and it’s more likely to develop their attention disorder when they grow older. ”

In earlier studies, Sadeh’s team found that fourth graders slept an average of 8.2 hours and sixth graders slept an average of 7. 7 hours. “Previous research has shown children in elementary school need at least nine hours of sleep a night on a regular basis, said Carl Hunt, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research in Bethesda, and high-school-age children need somewhat less, he said, adding that the results of lack of sleep could be serious.

“A tired child is an accident waiting to happen,” Hunt said. “And as kids get older, toy get bigger and the risks higher. ” Hunt also said too little sleep could result in learning and memory problems and long-term effects on school performance. “This is an important extension of what we already know, ” Hunt said of Sadeh’s research, adding sleep is as important as nutrition(营养) and exercise to good health. “To put it into reality,” Hunt said, “parents should make sure they know when their children actually are going to sleep and their rooms are helpful to sleep instead of playing. ”

What is Child Development?

A. A new story                                  B. An organization

C. A periodical magazine                     D .A TV programme

How many persons are exactly mentioned in the text?

A One                 B Two               C Three                  D Four

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. There are some daily struggles between parents and children because of having

nothing in common with extra rest time.

B. The children who sleep longer are weak in their study.

C. Lack of sleep as a child has great effect on their development into adulthood.

D. In general, children in elementary school need at least nine hours of sleep a night.

In real life, the daily struggles between parents and children are around these narrow problems of an extra hour, extra TV show, and so on” said Avi Sadeh, psychology professor at Tel Aviv University. “Too little sleep and more accidents,” he said.
Sadeh and his colleagues found an extra hour of sleep can make a big difference. The children who slept longer, although they woke up more frequently during the night, scored higher on tests, Sadeh reported in the March/April issue of journal Child Development.
“When the children slept longer, their sleep quality was somewhat weak, but in spite of this their performance for study improved because the extra sleep was more significant than the reduction in sleep quality. ” Sadeh said. “Some studies suggested that lack of sleep as a child affects development into adulthood and it’s more likely to develop their attention disorder when they grow older. ”
In earlier studies, Sadeh’s team found that fourth graders slept an average of 8. 2 hours and sixth graders slept an average of 7. 7 hours.
“Previous research has shown children in elementary school need at least nine hours of sleep a night on a regular basis, said Carl Hunt, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research in Bethesda, and high-school-age children need somewhat less, he said, adding the results of insufficient sleep could be serious.
“A tired child is an accident waiting to happen,” Hunt said. “And as kids get older, toys get bigger and the risks higher. ”Hunt also said too little sleep could result in learning and memory problems and long-term effects on school performance.
“This is an important extension of what we already know, ” Hunt said of Sadeh’s research, adding sleep is as important as nutrition(营养) and exercise to good health.
“To put it into reality,” Hunt said, “parents should make sure they know when their children actually are going to sleep and their rooms are conducive to sleeping instead of playing. ”

1. 1.

   What is Child Development?

   1. A.
      A new story
   2. B.
      A popular book
   3. C.
      A periodical magazine
   4. D.
      A TV programme
2. 2.

   How many persons are exactly mentioned in the text?

   1. A.
      One
   2. B.
      Two
   3. C.
      Three
   4. D.
   5. E.
      our
3. 3.

   The underlined phrase “conducive to” (in the last sentence) means ________

   1. A.
      helping to happen
   2. B.
      influenced by
   3. C.
      full of
   4. D.
      acceptable of
4. 4.

   Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

   1. A.
      There are some daily struggles between parents and children because of having nothing in common with extra rest time
   2. B.
      The children who sleep longer are weak in their study
   3. C.
      Lack of sleep as a child has great effect on their development into adulthood
   4. D.
      In general, children in elementary school need at least nine hours of sleep a night

“In real life, the daily struggles between parents and children are around these narrow problems of an extra hour, extra TV show, and so on” said Avi Sadeh, psychology professor at Tel Aviv University. “Too little sleep and more accidents,” he said.Sadeh and his colleagues found an extra hour of sleep can make a big difference. The children who slept longer, although they woke up more frequently during the night, scored higher on tests, Sadeh reported in the March/April issue of journal Child Development. “When the children slept longer, their sleep quality was somewhat weak, but in spite of this their performance for study improved because the extra sleep was more important than the reduction in sleep quality. ”Sadeh said. “Some studies suggested that lack of sleep as a child affects development into adulthood and it’s more likely to develop their attention disorder when they grow older. ”

In earlier studies, Sadeh’s team found that fourth graders slept an average of 8.2 hours and sixth graders slept an average of 7. 7 hours. “Previous research has shown children in elementary school need at least nine hours of sleep a night on a regular basis, said Carl Hunt, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research in Bethesda, and high-school-age children need somewhat less, he said, adding that the results of lack of sleep could be serious.

“A tired child is an accident waiting to happen,” Hunt said. “And as kids get older, toy get bigger and the risks higher. ” Hunt also said too little sleep could result in learning and memory problems and long-term effects on school performance. “This is an important extension of what we already know, ” Hunt said of Sadeh’s research, adding sleep is as important as nutrition(营养) and exercise to good health. “To put it into reality,” Hunt said, “parents should make sure they know when their children actually are going to sleep and their rooms are helpful to sleep instead of playing. ”

68. What is Child Development?

A. A new story                                  B. An organization

C. A periodical magazine                     D .A TV programme

69. How many persons are exactly mentioned in the text?

A One                 B Two               C Three                  D Four

70. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. There are some daily struggles between parents and children because of having

nothing in common with extra rest time.

B. The children who sleep longer are weak in their study.

C. Lack of sleep as a child has great effect on their development into adulthood.

D. In general, children in elementary school need at least nine hours of sleep a night.