The Myth of the Eight-hour Sleep
Read The Myth of the Eight-hour Sleep and check the IELTS Reading answers. We often worry about lying awake in the middle of the night – but it could be good for you. Indications from both science and history suggest that the eight-hour sleep may not be a natural or inborn pattern for humans. In th…
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We often worry about lying awake in the middle of the night – but it could be good for you. Indications from both science and history suggest that the eight-hour sleep may not be a natural or inborn pattern for humans. In the early 1990s, psychiatrist Thomas Wehr conducted research which implies just that. Wehr kept a group of people in a darkened room for 14 hours a day for a month. It took some time for their sleep to regulate, but by the fourth week the subjects had settled into a very distinct sleeping pattern. Firstly, they slept four hours, then woke for one or two hours before falling into a second four-hour sleep. Though sleep scientists were impressed by the implications of the study, the idea that we must sleep for eight consecutive hours persists amongst the general public.
Vocabulary from this passage
9 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- circadian adjective
Relating to biological processes that occur regularly at approximately 24-hour intervals
Jet lag occurs when a traveler's internal circadian rhythm is disrupted by crossing time zones.
- consecutive adjective
Following continuously; in unbroken or logical sequence
The team won the championship for three consecutive years without a single defeat.
- intensify verb
To become or make more intense, violent, or pronounced
Climate change is expected to intensify weather patterns, leading to more severe storms.
- persist verb
To continue firmly or obstinately in an opinion or a course of action despite difficulty or opposition
Certain myths about dietary health persist despite scientific evidence to the contrary.
- phenomenon noun
A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in question
Globalization is a complex phenomenon with both economic and cultural implications.
- prestige noun
Widespread respect and admiration felt for someone or something on the basis of a perception of their achievements or quality
The university lacks the global prestige associated with Ivy League institutions.
- recede verb
To go or move back or further away from a previous position; to gradually diminish
As the floodwaters recede, the full extent of the damage becomes apparent.
- segmented adjective
Divided into separate parts or sections; partitioned
The market is segmented into different consumer groups based on purchasing power.
- stem from verb
To originate in or be caused by; to arise as a result of something
Many modern geopolitical conflicts stem from historical border disputes.
Answers with explanations
- 14. vii
The paragraph introduces the idea that the **eight-hour sleep** is not a **natural or inborn pattern**. This aligns with Heading vii: **Scientific evidence that divided sleep is a natural phenomenon** (implying the continuous one is not).
- 15. v
The heading about an **analysis of old documents** fits the paragraph on Ekirch's historical research. Its main idea is that his work drew on **diaries, court records, medical books** and literature to reveal a **segmented sleeping pattern**. The sources are documents and the subject is sleep patterns, matching the heading exactly. The nearby heading about scientific evidence concerns Wehr's laboratory study, which is a different kind of evidence, so it is not the best fit here.
- 16. i
This section explains why divided sleep stopped. The paragraph says references to the first and second sleep began to **disappear** in the late 17th century, and Ekirch attributes the shift to improved street and home **lighting**, which made night a time for activity. The heading about **historical reasons** why interrupted sleep became **uncommon** paraphrases this cause-and-effect focus. Other headings mention health or biology, which this paragraph does not discuss.
- 17. vi
The paragraph discusses **sleeping problems** (insomnia) caused by **artificial light** preventing people from getting back to sleep. This matches Heading vi: **Biological and environmental factors preventing people from falling asleep again**.
- 18. iii
The paragraph highlights that a significant percentage of **medical problems** are related to **sleep**. This matches Heading iii: **Potential health issues related to sleep**.
- 19. C
The statement discusses **threat of criminal danger** leading to segmented sleep. The text mentions **Craig Koslofsky** explaining that streets were populated by **thieves or worse**, which aligns with the concept of criminal danger. Answer: C.
- 20. E
The statement argues that **Physicians should learn more** about treating sleeping difficulties. The text quotes **Russell Foster** stating that sleep is ignored in **medical training** and that he **feels this needs to change**. Answer: E.
- 21. B
The statement describes what people did during **historical** **interrupted sleep**: they used the waking period for activities. Only one researcher is linked to this. Ekirch found that in many **historic accounts** people used the time **awake** between sleeps to think about and **analyse their dreams**. The paragraph also mentions moving around or reading. Koslofsky explains why sleep was divided, and Wehr studied laboratory subjects, so neither matches this claim.
- 22. B
The statement links **technological changes** (lighting) to people sleeping through the night. The text explicitly states **Roger Ekirch** attributes the shift to **improvements in street and home lighting**. Answer: B.
- 23. D
The statement is about the belief in a **long continuous sleep** being **psychologically harmful**. Gregg Jacobs says that the idea we must sleep for an **extended period** could be **damaging** if it makes people who wake at night **anxious**, since anxiety discourages sleep. Anxiety is the psychological harm. Foster is mentioned in the same paragraph, but he only agrees generally and talks about medical training and sleep research, not this belief.
- 24. sunset
The summary mentions people went to bed **soon after** a specific time. The text states the **first sleep** began **not long following sunset**. The word **sunset** fits the blank grammatically and contextually.
- 25. dreams
The summary says people woke up to consider the **meaning of** something. The text says they would **think about** and **analyse** their **dreams**. Grammatically, a noun is required.
- 26. thieves
The summary states people stayed home because they **feared** something. The text explains the streets were populated by **thieves** and this **scared** people. The answer is the plural noun **thieves**.