Read the following passage and match the questions to the appropriate paragraph (5 marks). How does lack of sleep affect a person's appearance? Are there any positive, more hopeful sides to these sleep issues? How many hours sleep do people need per night? Are there any long-term, more serious effects of sleep deprivation? What is the effect of lack of sleep on people's behaviour, and how common is it? + A. Human beings sleep about three hours less per night than chimpanzees and other primates. The recommended amount of sleep for human beings is between 7-9 hours, though experts disagree on the optimum number. It is partly dependent on the individual, so while seven hours is plenty for some, others need nine. The amount of sleep needed also varies within the individual: it depends on their age (as a baby and a teenager, one needs more sleep), and other factors such as health, physical exercise, stress-levels, even the time of year. 0 B. Practically everyone experiences sleep deprivation at some point. Most typically, this is related to anxiety, or, in the case of women, to pregnancy and having a new-born child (it is said that a new baby results in 400-750 hours of sleep lost for parents in the first year). Numerous studies have shown that lack of sleep has a negative effect on day-to-day functioning, and also on a person's mood. Most people have experienced the mild effects of a poor night's sleep: irritability and a general 'fuzziness' in the brain. However, this 'fuzziness' does not simply mean that people find it hard to think clearly, it can actually be hazardous. Tired drivers are the direct or indirect cause of thousands of deaths on the roads annually. • C. Sometimes the effects of lack of sleep are not instant. If the body cannot 'recharge its batteries' effectively, it becomes more at risk to other long-term diseases, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. It seems that sleep deprivation can lower immunity to many kinds of illnesses, both serious or mild. What's more, it also makes you more vulnerable to pain, so you are likely to wake up in the night even more often, feeling unwell! Interestingly, the most common sleep disorder - insomnia- has been strongly linked to depression, and is often one of the first signs of this illness. C. Sometimes the effects of lack of sleep are not instant. If the body cannot 'recharge its batteries' effectively, it becomes more at risk to other long-term diseases, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. It seems that sleep deprivation can lower immunity to many kinds of illnesses, both serious or mild. What's more, it also makes you more vulnerable to pain, so you are likely to wake up in the night even more often, feeling unwell! Interestingly, the most common sleep disorder - insomnia - has been strongly linked to depression, and is often one of the first signs of this illness. D. Unfortunately, lack of sleep has other additional, negative effects too: it has been linked to putting on weight, since having insufficient sleep means that the brain fails to recognise when the body has had enough food (due to changes in hormone function), and so craves more. Furthermore, people who are tired desire high fat or carbohydrate foods, so making the problem worse. Sleep deprivation can also age a person, particularly the appearance of their skin. This is because growth hormones, used to repair the body, work during deep sleep. # E. Sleep is a peculiar thing. One or two bad, fitful nights are not usually problematic but if poor sleep continues over longer periods, and the 'sleep debt' cannot be 'repaid', then the consequences can be serious. The good news is that most people recover from a bout of poor sleep and that you need less as you grow older. And as for teenagers, who typically find early mornings difficult, perhaps future schools may reassess the school hours: small-scale studies on teenage school pupils have found that beginning an hour later actually has a significant, positive effect on pupils' alertness and on their exam results.
