EnglishNewsLessons.

com - P a g e | 1

Alcohol Before
Bed Disrupts
Sleep
January 2013

Level: Lower-Intermediate +

Visit www.EnglishNewsLessons.com for more

news discussion articles/lessons.

CONTENTS

PRE-READING QUESTIONS
Do you ever drink alcohol before going to bed?
What do you think this article will be about?

Before

Page 1

Pre-reading questions
True/False questions

During

Page 2

Article text
Words, words, words

After

Page 3

Comprehension questions
Discussion questions
Writing activities

Answers

Page 4

Did you dream last night?

TRUE OR FALSE

1. Some hospitals have given patients

alcohol before bed in the past.

T / F

2. Researchers found three negative effects

of alcohol on a persons sleep cycle.

T / F

3. The article suggests that alcohol can

affect the amount of time we spend
dreaming.

T / F

4. The first half of a persons nights sleep is

called slow-wave sleep.

T / F

5. When we dream, our body physically

repairs itself.

T / F

6. Researchers say that a small amount of

alcohol has no effect on our sleep cycle.

T / F

Alcohol Before Bed Disrupts Sleep January 2013 EnglishNewsLessons.com

EnglishNewsLessons.com - P a g e | 2
TEXT

Free English English Dictionary

Visit www.englishnewslessons.com/dictionary

Drinking alcohol before going to bed can disrupt

peoples sleep cycles, according to researchers at the
London Sleep Centre. Many people have believed for
a long time that drinking alcohol before going to bed
can help people to sleep better, and some hospitals
have even given alcohol to patients who couldnt
sleep. Dr Irshaad Ebrahim, who is the director at the
London Sleep Centre, and his team reviewed more
than one hundred studies and focused on 20 in detail.
The team concluded that alcohol has three main
effects on sleep. Firstly, it makes people fall asleep
more quickly. Secondly, it puts people into a deep
sleep. Both of these effects seem positive, and
explain why people have suggested drinking alcohol
before going to bed. However, the researchers also
found that alcohol reduces the amount of time we
spend in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM
sleep is the period when peoples brains are more
active, and where dreaming occurs.
Dr Ebrahim said: We should be very cautious about
drinking on a regular basis. One or two glasses might
be nice in the short term, but if you continue to use a
tipple before bedtime, it can cause significant
problems. He added further advice, saying: If you do
have a drink, its best to leave an hour and a half to
two hours before going to bed so the alcohol is
already wearing off.
During the first half of the night, it is important to fall
into a deep sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep
because it gives the body time to physically repair
itself. However, REM occurs more during the second
half of sleep and can make up around 25 per cent of
our total sleep time. During REM sleep, people dream,
and it gives the brain a chance to reorganize the
memory. If there is a lack of REM sleep, people wake
up feeling less rested, and it can affect concentration
and memory. Drinking a large quantity of alcohol has
a bigger impact on REM sleep, but the researchers
found that even just a small amount of alcohol has an
effect on our sleep cycle.
Sources: BBC News, The Telegraph

for a free online learners dictionary to help

find any new words or phrases that you dont
know.
Choose from both American and British
English dictionaries.

Words, words, words

Choose the correct meaning for the words in
bold below. Use the text to help you.
1. Disrupt
a. To make it difficult for something to continue in
the normal way.
b. The fact of a series of events being repeated
many times, always in the same order.
c. To rest with your eyes closed and your mind and
body not active.
2. Cautious
a. Without real rest or sleep.
b. To decide or believe something as a result of
what you have heard or seen.
c. Being careful about what you do or say,
especially to avoid danger or mistakes; not
taking any risks.
3. Tipple
a. The condition of being unable to sleep.
b. To sleep lightly for a short time.
c. An alcoholic drink.
4. Reorganize
a. To experience a series of images, events and
feelings in your mind while you are asleep.
b. To change the way in which something is
organized or done.
c. A thought of something that you remember from
the past.
The definitions are adapted from the Oxford Advanced Learners
Online Dictionary.

Alcohol Before Bed Disrupts Sleep January 2013 EnglishNewsLessons.com

EnglishNewsLessons.com - P a g e | 3
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. What is the name of the institution
where Dr Ebrahim works?
2. In addition to falling asleep quickly, what
other positive effect does alcohol have
on our sleep?
3. What are the results of not getting

WRITING / IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION

Choose one of the topics below and write a
page-long answer. (Alternatively you can
discuss the topic in groups).
A. Describe a dream that you have had
recently that you can remember well. You can
think about:

enough REM sleep?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What did you think about reading this

article?
2. How often do you drink alcohol?
3. What effects does alcohol have on you
when you wake up the next day?
4. How many hours do you usually sleep
every night? How many hours do you
think are enough to wake up fully rested?
5. When do you feel less rested? How
does feeling tired affect your memory
and concentration?
6. Can you ever remember your dreams?
7. Do you think people drink too much in
your country? What are the effects?
8. What other things disrupt your usual
sleep cycle?
9. When you cant sleep, what do you
usually do to help you fall asleep?
10. When your brain needs reorganizing
what do you usually to do relax?

What happened in the dream?

Who else was there?
How did you feel during the dream? Scared
/ excited / happy?
Did you suddenly wake up from the dream?

B. These days, children spend too much time

playing computer games, chatting on the
internet and watching TV late into the night.
This means that they are not getting enough
rest. To what extent do you agree with the
statement? You can think about:

Do you agree with the statement? Why?

How many hours do you think children in
your country sleep for on average each
night?
Do you think it is important for children to
get enough sleep? Why?
What time do you think most children should
go to bed?

C. In some countries, binge drinking is

becoming a big problem. University students
and young adults spend every weekend
drinking, and this causes disruption in local
communities. What are the main causes of the
problem? What could be done about it? You
can think about:

What do you think causes some people to

get drunk every weekend?
Do you think that pubs and bars are to
blame? Why?
What negative effects does binge drinking
have on communities?
What solutions can you think of to reduce
the problem?

Alcohol Before Bed Disrupts Sleep January 2013 EnglishNewsLessons.com

EnglishNewsLessons.com - P a g e | 4
ANSWERS
True/False Page 1
1. T

2. F

3. T

4. T

5. F

6. F

Words, words, words Page 2

1. A

2. C

3. C

4. B

Comprehension Questions Page 3

1. The London Sleep Centre
2. It puts people into a deep sleep.
3. Waking up feeling less rested, and reduced concentration and memory.

Alcohol Before Bed Disrupts Sleep January 2013 EnglishNewsLessons.com