Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a night owl
    • ex. Some people are night owls and feel more awake and creative at night.
  2. cardiovascular
    • ex. Doctors say walking every day is good for your heart and overall cardiovascular health.
  3. a biological clock
    • ex. Sayuri tries to follow her biological clock by eating, sleeping, and exercising at the same time every day.
  4. an early bird
    • ex. My sister is an early bird. She wakes up at 5 a.m. every day to go for a run.
  5. insufficient
    • ex. Many students feel tired because they get insufficient sleep at night.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

Font size

Being a night owl may be bad for the heart, according to a new study. Researchers found that people who are active late at night often have poorer cardiovascular health than average. The problem is not that night owls are unhealthy by nature, but that their daily schedules often do not match their biological clock, which can make healthy habits harder to follow.

The study followed more than 300,000 adults in the United Kingdom over 14 years. About 8% of them were night owls, while around 25% were early birds who prefer mornings. The researchers found that night owls had a 16% higher risk of a first heart attack or stroke. Night owls, especially women, were also less likely to meet key heart-health goals.

Experts say unhealthy habits are the main cause. Night owls were more likely to smoke, sleep too little, or have an insufficient diet. Doctors advise keeping regular sleep times, eating healthier food, and avoiding smoking. These steps can help protect heart health for everyone, even the ones who are night owls.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Sleep Style

  • Do you consider yourself a night owl or an early bird? Why? Discuss.
  • The article says that night owls are more likely to have unhealthy habits. Do you agree? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, should schools and offices start later in the day to help people sleep more? Why or why not? Discuss.

Cardiovascular Health

  • What do you think of your overall cardiovascular health (ex. healthy, needs a regular checkup)? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, is relaxing important for cardiovascular health? Why do you say so? Discuss.
  • According to the article, keeping regular sleep times, eating healthier food, and avoiding smoking can protect heart health. Besides these, what else can help keep our heart healthy (ex. exercising, taking a break)? Discuss.