– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

I'm Georgie and we're ready to start,

Phil... Phil?

Sorry Georgie, I was just catching 40 winks, you know,

getting some shut eye, dozing, taking a nap. I was sleeping...

Sleeping at work?

Phil, how could you?

I know, I know. Sorry, I, I didn't sleep well last night.

I'll forgive you this time, but make sure you go to bed early tonight,

because getting a good night's sleep is incredibly important.

For example, did you know that people who get enough sleep live about five

years longer than people who don't?

Wow, so a good night's sleep can lengthen your life.

In this programme, we'll be finding out more about the benefits of sleep and

as usual, learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

But first, now that you've woken up, I have a question for you.

Do you know how much of the average person's life is spent asleep?

Is it a) a half? b) a quarter? or c) a third?

I think we spend about a third of our lives sleeping.

OK, well, I'll reveal the correct answer at the end of the programme.

The question of why humans sleep is not easy to answer.

In terms of evolution, why would it make sense to go unconscious every night,

leaving yourself vulnerable to danger?

It can only mean that the benefits gained from sleep are huge.

Here, science journalist Ginny Smith explains some of these benefits

to BBC Radio 4 programme, Inside Science.

So we've probably all experienced this,

that if you've had a bad night's sleep and then you try and do some work,

you just can't concentrate.

Your brain isn't in the right state to take in new information.

But we also need to sleep after we've learnt new things,

because that's when our brain consolidates the information -

takes it from short-term storage to long-term storage,

fits it in with other things we already know,

that old adage of if you've got a problem, sleep on it -

your brain does actually work on things during the night,

and you can often wake up and have solved the problem in your sleep.

When we sleep,

our brains refresh, leaving us feeling rested in the morning.

But after a bad night's sleep, it's more difficult to concentrate -

we can't take in, or understand, new information.

We also have the saying if you've got a problem, sleep on it. To sleep on

it means to delay making a decision until you've had time to think about it.

But that also turns out to be true, scientifically speaking.

During sleep, your brain really can work out problems and find solutions.

But what about the other side of the story?

What happens when you get too little sleep or none at all?

Here's Ginny Smith again, talking to BBC Radio 4 programme, Inside Science.

Sleep deprivation is a form of stress,

and we know that when you are stressed, your sort of

fight-or-flight response is activated and that causes all these changes

in your body that focus on immediate survival over long-term health.

But if we are chronically stressed,

money worries or a stressful job or something that's going on forever,

or life in general, chronic sleep deprivation

that's causing that level of stress,

then you might constantly have a damped down immune system,

which can then lead to all these knock-on problems.

Having none or too little of something important is known as deprivation.

Sleep deprivation is stressful for the body,

so stressful that it activates a fight-or-flight response,

changes in the human body in response to a life threatening situation,

which make us either stay and fight the threat or run away from it.

As well as a fight-or-flight response,

the stress of not getting enough sleep over a longer period

also creates problems including heart disease and a weakened immune system.

Lack of sleep has these knock-on effects -

it causes other things to happen, but not directly.

Now, do you see why it's so important to get a good night's sleep, Phil?

Plus, it will stop you sleeping at work again.

Right. I think it's time to reveal the answer to my question.

Yes. You asked me how much of the average person's life is spent asleep,

and I said it was about a third.

Which was... the correct answer.

Assuming you sleep eight hours a day,

the average person will sleep for 229,961 hours in their lifetime,

or around one third of their life.

OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned,

starting with the phrases catch 40 winks, get some shut eye, doze,

and take a nap, all of which mean to sleep.

When someone takes in information, they understand it.

If you have a problem and you sleep on it,

you delay making a decision until you've had time to think about it.

Deprivation is an absence or too little of something important,

such as food or sleep.

The fight-or-flight response describes changes in the human body

in response to a dangerous situation, which make us either stay

and fight the threat or run away from it.

And finally,

if something has a knock-on effect, it causes other results indirectly.

Once again, our six minutes are up, but remember to join us again next time

for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English.

Goodbye for now. Bye.

Learn English from the news with BBC Learning English.

One big story every week,

three news headlines and all the vocabulary

you need to understand the story in English.

Plus, you can download a free worksheet on our website for every episode.

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or visit BBCLearningEnglish.com.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sleep /sliːp/ A1	verb - to rest with eyes closed noun - the state of resting with eyes closed
concentrate /ˈkɒnsəntreɪt/ B1	verb - to focus all one's attention
benefit /ˈbenɪfɪt/ B1	noun - an advantage or profit verb - to receive an advantage
stress /stres/ B1	noun - a state of mental or emotional strain verb - to emphasize
deprivation /ˌdeprɪˈveɪʃən/ B2	noun - the state of being without something necessary
immune /ɪˈmjuːn/ B2	adjective - protected against disease
vulnerable /ˈvʌlnərəbl/ B2	adjective - susceptible to physical or emotional harm
evolve /ɪˈvɒlv/ B2	verb - to develop gradually
consolidate /kənˈsɒlɪdeɪt/ B2	verb - to combine into a single, more effective whole
response /rɪˈspɒns/ B1	noun - a reaction to something
activate /ˈæktɪveɪt/ B2	verb - to make active or operative
chronic /ˈkrɒnɪk/ B2	adjective - lasting for a long time
disease /dɪˈziːz/ B1	noun - an illness or condition
threat /θret/ B1	noun - a statement of an intention to inflict harm
effect /ɪˈfekt/ B1	noun - a result or consequence
delay /dɪˈleɪ/ B1	verb - to postpone

Key Grammar Structures

• I know, I know. Sorry, I was just catching 40 winks, you know, getting some shut eye, dozing, taking a nap.

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ The phrase 'was just catching 40 winks' uses the past continuous tense to describe an action that was in progress at a specific moment in the past.

• For example, did you know that people who get enough sleep live about five years longer than people who don't?

  ➔ Relative Clause

  ➔ The clause 'who get enough sleep' is a relative clause that modifies 'people' and provides additional information about them.

• But we also need to sleep after we've learnt new things, because that's when our brain consolidates the information.

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense

  ➔ The phrase 'we've learnt new things' uses the present perfect tense to describe an action that occurred in the past but is relevant to the present.

• That old adage of if you've got a problem, sleep on it - your brain does actually work on things during the night.

  ➔ Conditional Sentence (Type 1)

  ➔ The sentence 'if you've got a problem, sleep on it' is a type 1 conditional sentence, expressing a general truth or a likely result.

• Sleep deprivation is a form of stress, and we know that when you are stressed, your fight-or-flight response is activated.

  ➔ Passive Voice

  ➔ The phrase 'your fight-or-flight response is activated' uses the passive voice to emphasize the action rather than the doer.

• Then you might constantly have a damped down immune system, which can then lead to all these knock-on problems.

  ➔ Result Clause

  ➔ The clause 'which can then lead to all these knock-on problems' is a result clause that indicates the consequence of the previous statement.

• Assuming you sleep eight hours a day, the average person will sleep for 229,961 hours in their lifetime.

  ➔ Present Simple with Future Meaning

  ➔ The phrase 'the average person will sleep' uses the present simple tense to describe a future action that is seen as a fact or a general truth.