Enhance English Skills And Sleep Better Ep 627

Learn English & Tackle Sleep Problems: English Listening Practice

Discover the Secret to Effortless British English Fluency!

Are you eager to speak like a true Brit? Adept English is here to make your dream a reality! Our engaging podcast lessons combine British English learning with fascinating topics like today's topic of overcoming sleep problems.

✔Lesson transcript: https://adeptenglish.com/lessons/english-listening-practice-world-sleep-day/

To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.
⭐ Tony Robbins, American author, motivational speaker, and life coach.

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More About This Lesson

The biggest benefit of this type of English lesson is the combination of engaging British English listening practice with a relevant and interesting topic, like sleep issues. Attaching interesting stories to the things you need to learn in order to speak English fluently is basic idea behind this type of listening practice lesson.

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This approach to English language learning, not only helps improve language skills, but also provides valuable insights into an area that impacts daily life. In the process, you develop a deeper understanding of the language and culture, enhancing your overall fluency and communication abilities.

The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said.
⭐ Peter Drucker, management consultant, educator, and author

Adept English is here to help you to speak British English fluently, providing concrete actions, tips and advice that offer practical help

• We provide engaging podcasts that enhance your British English fluency, leading to improved communication and confidence.
• Our podcast lessons cover diverse British accents and colloquialisms, helping you better understand and appreciate British English.
• Don't worry about missing out on valuable learning opportunities – our lessons are accessible anytime, anywhere, allowing you to learn on your own terms.
• Our lessons offer valuable insights and practical tips to help you overcome sleep issues, leading to improved overall health and well being.
• By actively engaging with our podcast, you'll enhance your language skills, improve your communication abilities, and achieve your language learning goals with ease.

Listening to this British English lesson is like planting seeds in the fertile soil of your mind, where each engaging topic, such as sleep issues, nurtures the growth of your language skills, leading to a blossoming garden of fluency and confidence.

Questions You Might Have...

You just can't beat the convenience and flexibility of the podcast format. Listen to our lessons anytime and anywhere, such as during commutes or while doing chores. You really have no excuses not to learn English, you can definitely fit our lessons into your daily routine!

• Will my pronunciation improve?
  • Yes, listening to native speakers helps refine pronunciation.
• Can I understand different British accents?
  • Absolutely, exposure to diverse accents enhances understanding.
• Is the lesson suitable for beginners?
  • Our podcast caters to various levels, making it accessible for beginners.
• Will I learn everyday expressions?
  • Definitely, we cover colloquialisms and slang for real-world fluency.
• Can the podcast help with sleep issues?
  • Yes, our lesson provides valuable insights and tips for better sleep.

Most Unusual Words & Phrases:

• Insomnia (I N S O M N I A): Difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep.
• Chronic (C H R O N I C): Long-term or persistent, usually in reference to an illness or condition.
• Acute (A C U T E): A condition that is severe but short-term in duration, often in reference to an illness.
• Locus Coeruleus: A region in the brainstem responsible for physiological responses to stress and panic.
• Norepinephrine: A neurotransmitter involved in the body's stress response; also known as noradrenaline or adrenaline.
• Soothing (S O O T H I N G): Calming, having a gentle effect.
• Punchline (P U N C H L I N E): The final part of a joke or story that provides the humour or climax.
• Shipping Forecast: A weather report for coastal waters that provides information on weather conditions, visibility, and sea conditions.
• Guided meditation: A type of meditation where an individual is verbally guided by an experienced practitioner or recording to achieve a state of relaxation.
• White noise: A continuous background noise that helps mask other sounds, often used to aid sleep or concentration.

Most Frequently Used Words:

Listen To The Audio Lesson Now

Transcript: Enhance English Skills AND Sleep Better

To mark World Sleep Day

Hi there and welcome to this podcast. Today we're going to talk about a topic that affects lots of us. It was World Sleep Day on the 17th of March. And sleep problems, well they affect a lot of people.

So if you have any sleep problems or you're interested in this topic, you can learn English by listening while hearing about solutions to your sleep problems with Adept English.

Hello, I’m Hilary, and you’re listening to Adept English. We will help you to speak English fluently. All you have to do is listen. So start listening now and find out how it works.

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Surprising sleep statistics for World Sleep Day

So here's a topic for you. Apparently it was World Sleep Day on the 17th March. And guess what? Statistics came out saying that 39% of Americans have sleep problems. That's quite a lot, isn't it?

And even worse than that, a study whose results were shared by the American College of Cardiology said that 8% of deaths can be attributed to poor sleep. 8%! That's serious.

And we know already from various experts, if you're not getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep every night, then over time this will have a damaging effect on your health. And it's thought to impact whether or not we get those dreaded diseases that tend to come with old age. So sleep is really important, but it seems many of us are compromised. We don't get the quality of sleep that we need. So 39% of Americans said that they had sleep problems. That's either getting to sleep in the first place or being able to stay asleep all night.

What do 'insomnia', 'chronic' and 'acute' mean?

Some people have difficulty sleeping at all, and the word for that is 'insomnia'. That's I N S O M N I A. And in fact, 10% of people in the US have chronic insomnia. The word 'chronic', C H R O N I C. Usually used of an illness, but we sometimes use it of other things, but it means long-term, ongoing - 'chronic'.

The opposite as far as an illness is concerned is 'acute'. That's A C U T E. And that means usually a short, sudden illness that's more short-term, but serious. That's 'acute'.

There are also statistics around which show that over the last 30 to 40 years, people are getting much less sleep than they did before.

So this '39% of Americans have sleep problems' is a statistic published by Statista, a statistic and marketing company. And the Americans were not the worst off for sleep. There was data from other countries as well.

Listening Lessons

Other countries had a lot of sleep problems too

Surprisingly to me, it was the Italians who had the worst sleep - 43%! 43% of Italians having sleep problems. This surprised me. I think my internal picture of Italy is sun-drenched, good food, relaxed, and a relatively slow pace of life. Clearly, it's a bit different if you live there, with nearly half the population having difficulties with sleep. I was surprised. If you're Italian, you may not be.

Next down the list of countries were South Africa, Spain, and Mexico, just coming in with a higher percent of sleep problems or sleep disorder than the US. Not necessarily what you'd expect. So clearly poor sleep and sleep problems is a worldwide phenomenon. And I thought it was just, us uptight and overworked Brits, who worry about everything and have long working hours.

Previous podcasts from Adept English on sleep

If you've listened to our podcast before, you'll know that sleep is one of my favourite topics, very important to me and I hope important to you. Previous podcasts 469, 552 and 599 are all great podcasts on sleep. Really informative, if you've not listened to those ones. Just go to adeptenglish.com and 'Lessons' and put 'sleep' in the search bar.

If you want some other tips on how to get to sleep, then podcast 589 will give you that. One of the things I talk about there is how breathing out, breathing for longer on the out-breath than the in-breath actually changes your brain function. This acts on your Locus Coeruleus and it reduces those brain chemicals that keep your head busy at night when you're trying to go to sleep.

That's scientific fact. Breathing in this way reduces your norepinephrine. That's a hard one. Norepinephrine. In other words, noradrenaline or adrenalin. It comes down when you breathe in this way, and if you're trying to get to sleep at night, adrenaline is one of the last things you want in your brain. So that's a really useful tip.

More statistics on sleep for World Sleep Day

Other statistics on sleep, 78% of pregnant women have difficulty sleeping. That's not surprising to me, and 75% of elderly people suffer from insomnia. That means 'old people', 'elderly people', probably those over 75 years old. 61% of post-menopausal women, so that's women in their fifties and sixties, they have sleep problems.

And in general, women have 40% more sleep problems than men do. Hmm. That doesn't surprise me! Women are worse off on this one. But that fits with my perception of many couples. It's more typical for the woman to stay awake, worrying about something whereas the man is off asleep, snoring away as soon 'as his head hits the pillow', as we say.

That's the stereotype. Anyway, the word 'pillow', P I L L O W. It's that big puffy white thing that you put your head on when you're in bed. And 'to snore', S N O R E, that means 'to make a noise with your nose and your throat when you are breathing, when you're asleep'.

And finally, if you drink too much alcohol too much of the time, or you're overweight, then you're much more likely to have insomnia and sleep problems.

What can you do to get more and better sleep? Breathing...

Okay, so what can you do about this? What can you do to help yourself? Well, as I mentioned, you can use your breathing to help you become sleepy, help calm your brain down, calm your mind. If you follow the 4-7-8 method, y ou breathe in for four counts, you hold for seven counts, and you breathe out to the count of eight. So that's 4-7-8 breathing. Try it for yourself. Actually, as long as you breathe out for longer than you breathe in, this tends to work.

What can you do to get more and better sleep? Sleep apps...

Another strategy that lots of people use to help with their sleep - they use sleep apps. So an 'app', APP, short for 'application' is a bit of software that you download to your phone. If your phone is like mine, it's got hundreds of bits of software, apps that I've had to install to do certain things. So an example of one of these sleep and meditation apps is Headspace. That's H E A D S P A C E.

Headspace is designed to help you with 'guided meditation' and help you relax in order to get to sleep. Headspace says, 'Through science-backed meditation and mindfulness tools, Headspace helps you create life-changing habits to support your mental health and find a healthier, happier you.' They say that Headspace is 'proven to reduce stress by 14% in just 10 days.'

It can also help you relax your mind in minutes, improve focus, and get the best sleep ever. That's what they say.

Calm is another app - that's C A L M. Again, recordings to help you go to sleep and guided meditations as well. You can try it for free. And I noticed that on YouTube a number of Calm videos as well, aimed to help you relax with the US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy.

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What can you do to get more and better sleep? Soothing sounds.....

Also on YouTube you can find videos, which have background noises, which people use to go to sleep. Things that people find soothing. That's S O O T H I N G. That means 'calming'. Soothing sounds like waves breaking on a shoreline or perhaps thunder and rain. Some of these videos are eight hours long, so I think the intention is that you put the thunder and rain sounds on for the whole night while you sleep. This is so-called 'white noise', so a background noise that helps people feel sleepy, whereas silence perhaps induces lots of thought and thinking.

What can you do to get more and better sleep? Put on a show or programme that you know well...

Another method that I know people sometimes use to help them get to sleep, to take their minds off things to calm their mind, they listen to something soothing and familiar. So it may be a series that they've watched many, many times.

Old series are good for this.

Things that are non-challenging, non-threatening like Friends or Frasier. They're good series to put on if you want to fall asleep.

I've known people use comedy shows that they've listened to again and again. So much so that you know all the punchlines. And a 'punchline', P U N C H L I N E. Well, that's the last bit of a joke. That's the part that makes it funny. That's a 'punchline'. But comedy that you've heard before many times is quite soothing for some people.

I think it's the familiarity of the material. It's slightly boring 'cause you've listened to it before, but it stops your mind thinking of other things. Something familiar and reassuring is good.

What can you do to get more and better sleep? You could try the UK Shipping Forecast.....

For some people in the UK, they actually like to listen to the UK shipping Forecast to go to sleep. There is a very long recording - I think it's five hours of the shipping forecast on YouTube that you can use, if this is familiar to you! It's very soothing if you've heard it all your life.

Download The Podcast Audio & Transcript

What do I like to fall asleep to?

My particular soothing thing? I like to listen to Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, a UK doctor, a British doctor with a channel on health. And sometimes I dip into Dr. John Campbell, who I also find very soothing, very calming.

Anyway. I hope it surprises you that sleep problems are so common. I hope that gives you some interesting and useful strategies for managing your sleep. And as ever, listen to this podcast a number of times because it will be helping with your English language learning. Listen until you can understand it without effort.

Goodbye

Enough for now. Have a lovely day. Speak to you again soon. Goodbye.

Thank you so much for listening. Please help me tell others about this podcast by reviewing or rating it. And, please share it on social media. You can find more listening lessons and a free English course at adeptenglish.com

Links

• English Listening Practice-A Strong Listen For Coffee Lovers Ep 552
• How Listening To Native English Speakers Can Help You Improve Your English Ep 599
• Rainstorm Sounds for Relaxing, Focus or Deep Sleep | Nature White Noise | 8 Hour Video
• Worldsleepday.org
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