How she gets a good night’s sleep – B1 English Reading Test

Sarah Forbes talks about how she gets a good night’s sleep

I can’t remember when I started to have problems sleeping. As a student I seemed to spend half of my life sleeping. But after my graduation I found myself spending hours lying awake until the early hours of the morning. After a few weeks of this I decided to do something about it. I often went to bed at different times; perhaps there was a programme on TV I wanted to watch, or I’d be watching videos on my phone. So I tried going to bed at the same time each night. This took a while to get used to but slowly I found myself getting into a regular routine.

I also took the advice of a friend and made sure I did things to help me relax before I went to bed. I’d start by writing a list of things I needed to do the next day so I wouldn’t end up thinking about them during the night. I got into the habit of having a nice warm bath before bedtime and then did some relaxation exercises like meditation. Reading also seemed to work, but not in the way I expected. I would sometimes just fall asleep in the middle of a chapter!

I also found some suggestions online about how to make your bedroom sleep-friendly. I used to have very thin curtains that let the light from outside shine through, so I changed these for thicker ones. I also removed all technology from the room like the TV and the laptop as these are not supposed to help you sleep, even if they are switched off. And of course I left the mobile phone downstairs!

And the result? I’m pleased to say it’s worked. Of course, there are some nights where I find it difficult to go to sleep but mostly I’m getting a good seven hours· sleep a night. I started to make a note of my sleep patterns and this is also useful as it helps show things that were making me lie awake, like problems at work. So, I have to say it has been a very successful experiment.

1   When did Sarah’s sleeping problems begin?

      A   when she was a student

      B   after she finished at university

      C   a few weeks ago

      D   at different times during the week

2   Writing a list of jobs to be done

      A   helped Sarah read.

      B   meant Sarah worked harder the next day.

      C   was the first thing Sarah did at bedtime.

      D   helped her think more clearly.

3   What does Sarah say was the problem with her bedroom?

      A   Her friends didn’t like it.

      B   It didn’t have a TV.

      C   She often left her laptop switched on.

      D   It was too bright.

4   Sarah says that now

      A   she never finds it difficult sleeping.

      B   she keeps a record of how well she sleeps.

      C   she never thinks about work at night.

      D   sleeping better is helping her at work.

5   What would be a good introduction to this article?

      A   Our sleep expert Sarah Forbes explains how you can make sure you get a good night’s sleep.

      B   Sarah Forbes has not slept well for years. She told us how it affects her work.

      C   Sarah Forbes suddenly found herself having trouble getting to sleep. But she took control of the situation.

      D   Sarah Forbes knows what it’s like not being able to sleep. Here she explains the dangers of lying awake at night.