Celebrating sleep
World Sleep Day, observed on 21 March, was created to bring attention to the growing number of sleep problems worldwide. Sleep is a natural part of human life, but many people in the modern world ignore its importance. As a result, sleep problems are increasingly common.
In 2002, scientists at the University of Athens in Greece conducted a survey of over 35,000 people in 10 countries around the world, including China, Belgium and South Africa. Of the people that responded to the survey, 24 percent said that they did not sleep well, and based on their responses, 31.6 percent were diagnosed with insomnia (失眠) and another 17.5 percent were diagnosed with borderline insomnia. In addition, 30.7 percent of survey respondents reported visiting a doctor for help with sleep problems and 11.6 percent said that they felt very sleepy during the day.
Overall, the survey found that many people suffer from the effects of poor quality sleep, some examples of which are being unable to fall asleep and waking up in the middle of the night. The main factors causing these problems are pressure from school or work and a fast pace of life, but noise pollution and light pollution also interfere with sleep and contribute to poor quality sleep. The survey’s findings are particularly troubling because large numbers of people were found to have difficulty sleeping at night. The shortterm effects of this are tiredness and trouble concentrating. If this happens for a long time, the risk of gaining weight and having a heart attack may increase.
There are many things you can do to improve the quality of your sleep. First, you should have regular sleep habits. Try to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day. You also need to make your bedroom a cool, dark, quiet place to sleep so that heat, light and noise do not disturb you. At night, you should also avoid things that contain caffeine, such as chocolate, coffee, tea and many soft drinks, as caffeine may keep you from sleeping.
Getting a good night’s sleep is important for everyone. By following the advice above, you can rest better at night and work better during the day.
Title: Celebrating Sleep

Topic	Content
World Sleep Day	Owing to ________ of the importance of sleep, people celebrated World Sleep Day, bringing attention to the increasing problems of sleep.
Responses of the survey	Of 35,000 people in 10 countries in the world, there were 24% of the people_______ from sleeplessness. 31.6 % were diagnosed with insomnia and another 17.5% were on the edge of insomnia. The ________ of the people feeling sleepy during the day is 11.6. 30.7 % reported _______ to a doctor for sleep problems.
_______ causing sleep problems & their consequences	Under _______ from school or work, people may have sleep problems. Poor quality sleep also _______  from noise or light pollution. Feeling tired and sleepy, people have difficulty _______ on what they are doing. It is likely that sleepless people easily put on weight and have a heart attack.
_______ to  take  to improve sleep quality	Have regular sleep habits. Make your bedroom cool, dark and quiet. Avoid things _______ caffeine.