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Trouble Sleeping
简体
Trouble Sleeping
难以入眠

Learn English with this sleeping English lesson

Date: May 17 2013

Grammar: Gerunds vs. Infinitives

Intro

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You’re in your pajamas, your teeth are brushed, and your face is washed. You’ve turned out the lights and you’re all ready for bed. There’s only one problem: you can’t sleep. You turn on the lights and try reading for a bit. You listen to music. You even count sheep. Nothing helps with your insomnia.

Or maybe you have no problem getting to sleep, but you wake up in the middle of the night. You think you’ll just be able to turn over and fall back asleep, but before you know it a half hour passes. Then another. Then it’s time for your alarm to go off, and you’ve been awake half the night. Sleep trouble is truly the worst. Find out about Mason and Lily’s experiences with insomnia in this sleep English lesson.

你穿上睡衣,刷完牙,洗完脸。你关了灯,准备上床睡觉。只有一个问题在困扰你:你睡不着。你打开灯,试着看一会儿书。你听音乐,甚至数绵羊。这些对你的失眠症毫无帮助。

又或者说,入睡对你而言不成问题,但你会在半夜醒来。你以为,转个身就能再次入睡,但不知不觉中半个小时过去了。然后又是一轮。不知不觉,也到了闹钟该响的时候,半个晚上你都处于清醒状态。睡眠困难真是最糟糕的经历。在本节以睡眠为话题的英语课上,听听梅森和莉莉的失眠经历。

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Lily

Lily

Mason

Mason

Lily:  I have had so much trouble sleeping lately.

Mason:  Really? Why’s that?

Lily:  I get really anxious, and I can’t really wind down. I can’t stop thinking when I close my eyes to go to sleep.

Mason:  So you find your problem is you can’t necessarily get to sleep when you want to go to sleep.

Lily:  Yeah.

Mason:  Whereas I find my problem is I can get to sleep OK, but then I’ll wake up in the middle of the night.

Lily:  Oh, that’s the worst.

Mason:  Yeah. It is the worst. I haven’t gone in and actually gotten myself diagnosed for insomnia or anything like that, but it’s been a real problem.

Lily:  Have you tried taking any sleeping pills or anything like that?

Mason:  I have, and I’ve had mixed results. I’ve woken up in the middle of the night having taken a pill.

Lily:  Yeah, so you still end up waking up and then not only are you awake, you’re also kinda groggy too, right?

Mason:  Yeah. So honestly, most times I end up just embracing it and I actually go sleep on the couch in the other room, because I need to toss and turn a little bit, and read a book, and in between an hour or two I’ll end up getting back to bed.

 

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Lily has been having lots of trouble sleeping lately. She gets ready for bed, but once she’s lying down she can’t stop thinking. She just can’t wind down.

Mason has a different kind of sleeping problem. He falls asleep OK, but then he wakes up and can’t get back to sleep. He’s tried taking sleeping pills, but they don’t really work for him.

Mason has decided that, rather than fight his sleep trouble, he’s going to embrace it. When he wakes up, he actually gets out of bed. He goes to another room and reads a little, and then eventually falls back asleep.

Do you ever have trouble sleeping? What do you do to help you sleep? What advice would you give to someone with insomnia?

 

Comments

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sara1998

sara1998

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I usually start thinking about different things and usually about my future and i fall sleep soon…but you know,generally when i dream i can sleep very well;how ever my dreams are usually horrible and when i describe them for others they say that these are night mares but i enjoy them and when ever i don’t dream i can’t sleep well!

05:42 PM Apr 09 2014 |

ddenniz

ddenniz

Turkey

sometimes I also experience like this case and obviously insomnia makes me aggressive

06:52 PM Aug 12 2013 |

Drmahsa1995

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

yep some times i have this problem so when ever  i just open my books to study it(studing books) works just like hypnotic tablet heheh . i remember the time that i had to be awake at 6 in the morning and i couldent sleep at all  i just opend my book for 5 min and then i felt sleepy… so easy heheh  








06:06 PM Aug 12 2013 |

MAHSA1995

MAHSA1995

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

that is my problem1i dont have a good sleeping pattern!so it causes so many problems for me!and most of bad headaches!

02:05 PM Aug 12 2013 |

trucluanSuper Member!

Viet Nam

I agree with the bad result of isominia. It’s really poor for your health. If you can not have a deep sleep, you will face with some problem for the next day works. You can not concentrate on your work,  you will feel very tired for doing anything. It’s so bad. I think you should not use the sleeping pills frequently. It’s will give the mixed results for your health, using it for along times you will be depended on it. It could make you lazy, hardly to exercise and the result is fat. Especially, the old people always lose the sleep or they just sleep few hours a day. So I think, we should take exercise everyday and must not do any hard work especially in thinking before sleep. It could help u have a good sleep!!!

01:34 PM Jul 07 2013 |

Tiramisu99

Tiramisu99

China

I have the same problems.when i went to bed,i fall asleep quickly,but the worst things is i usually wake up in the middle of the night.then i can’t stop of thinking,untill the time that i must get up.how terrible it is!

11:58 AM Jun 14 2013 |

kenchancs

kenchancs

Hong Kong

If you don’t want insomnia. You can do more execrise like as me. My job need me in overnighjt shift duty. Sometimes I will go to row dragon boat after my work. On my day off, I’m usual going to running 21Km. And also I will do fitness gym everyday.  

01:53 PM May 22 2013 |

Lana1964

Lana1964

Russian Federation

I’m a teacher at school and  sometimes I get anxios and can’t go to sleep on time. Very often I get asleep only at 2am.  I’m an early riser because of my work. But honestly speaking I hate to wake up early.

06:11 AM May 21 2013 |

wwongsapun

wwongsapun

Thailand

I have a problem same with Mason’s case. But that’s become to be usually in my life. I have early sleep and I wake up in the middle of night. Actually, I think,it’s not a problem of insomnia becuase I get adequate sleeping per day. Sometime I come back to sleep again , but sometime I like to do something,up on my heart.

05:49 AM May 21 2013 |

rabah_hvac

rabah_hvac

Algeria

When my business doesn’t work I feel bad and I always can’t sleep at night, it’s always related to problems (work, relationship …)   

07:48 PM May 19 2013 |

wenjiamin

wenjiamin

China

I can.t get up early

02:47 PM May 19 2013 |

1 person likes this

kebria

kebria

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I suffer from insomnia sometimes too :( I recognised that there were a problem that I couldn’t sleep well. For example drinking tea or coffe, sleeping for hours during the day made me not sleep well at nights. But recently I noticed that even though I don’t drink coffe or tea or don’t sleep alot during the days I still suffer from insomnia some nights. I have to make me tired, so tired at day by reading some thing especially before going to bed, working and helping at chores at home, planting, surfing the netsand etc.. to be able to sleep at nights. If I take a short nap at day then I can’t sleep well at nights. I sometimes wake up in the middle of night and can’t fall asleep again or I wake up several times but it takes me short time to fall asleep again. The thing makes my sleeping worse is that I’m a light sleeper that even a slow voice can wake me up :( 

12:52 PM May 19 2013 |

Mystical_Pal

Turkey

I have trouble sleeping, too. Whenever I’m ready to hit the bed, I lose my sleep. I turn the light off and lie down, but still not sleepy. I think of old memories and sometimes I read a book and finish it but still useless. That’s to say nothing works for me. In this case, I search for a remedy like yoghourt. Whenever I eat yoghourt I feel sleepy and I get into bed. After an hour or two I wake up again. This time I keep shutting my eye and I merely think of sleeping. So, I advice you not to sleep when you’re not sleepy because it will be needless to force yourself to sleep. You better sleep when you’re sleepy. However, if you have to wake up early for next day, then you should read something on computer. It will fag out your eyes and you’ll bunk down immediately. If it doesn’t work, then try eating yoghourt like me. xD

11:30 AM May 19 2013 |

Stephieee

Stephieee

Poland

I have suffered from insomnia for 3 days. And it returns to me once or twice a month. I have a solution: reading books before going to sleep or listenning smooth music. I t will be help. If you have insomnia for a long time, you better go to a doctor. 

11:24 AM May 19 2013 |

1 person likes this

Muguet

Muguet

Algeria

since a month i suffer from insomnia it’s horrible! :(


10:26 AM May 19 2013 |

mahdi007

mahdi007

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

 i just had a touble maybe 2 night ago because i got cold and trouble sneezing.its better to read book or some thing like that and its worth try

10:14 AM May 19 2013 |

1 person likes this

poko

Antigua and Barbuda

I dont have trouble in sleeping.At my bed time I just go to bed ,lie down and fall asleep.But very rarely I get insomnia.That night is vey horrible for me.I dont like to read at that time. Nothing to do. Actually dont like to do anything.just stay at bed and turn around.Once I fall asleep .


08:43 AM May 19 2013 |

1 person likes this

DAMAVAND

DAMAVAND

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

one of my biggest wish in life is i can fall asleep when put my head on the pillow!! to figure out this problem; just a cup of coffee during a day is enough for me to stay up all night, 1 hour night awakening more for each 10 ml more coffee!!! i think you can get the depth of disaster now :D

04:55 AM May 19 2013 |

rabindra shrestha

Nepal

yeah even i have a problem of trouble sleeping and i go to always yoga hall  for the yoga. i think yoga is good for the insomnia from my side…....... 

03:55 AM May 19 2013 |

echon818

China

Hi, guys


Sometimes I have trouble in sleeping, my brain just get too excited to fall asleep.


In my opinion, What is important for good sleep is to go to bed regularly. Sleeping too late also won’t help improve your sleeping quality. In addition, napping or sleeping during the day may lead to a lousy sleep during the night.


I think we can have a better sleep as long as we foster some good sleep habits.

03:35 AM May 19 2013 |

1 person likes this

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