Daily Reading Practice · Nonfiction passage
Any word, any time — right from this page.
Humans spend roughly a third of their lives asleepasleep (adj)In a state of sleep.≈ Synonym: sleeping🇺🇿UZ: uxlab yotgan🇷🇺RU: спящий, yet for a long time, scientists knew surprisingly little about why sleep is so essentialessential (adj)Absolutely necessary.≈ Synonym: vital🇺🇿UZ: muhim🇷🇺RU: необходимый. Today, research shows that sleep is not simply a period of restrest (noun)A period of relaxation or inactivity.≈ Synonym: relaxation🇺🇿UZ: dam olish🇷🇺RU: отдых — it is an active process during which the brainbrain (noun)The organ inside the head that controls thought.≈ Synonym: mind🇺🇿UZ: miya🇷🇺RU: мозг and body carry out vital repairrepair (noun)The process of fixing damage.≈ Synonym: restoration🇺🇿UZ: ta'mirlash🇷🇺RU: восстановление and maintenancemaintenance (noun)The process of keeping something in good condition.≈ Synonym: upkeep🇺🇿UZ: tuzatish (parvarish)🇷🇺RU: обслуживание work.
During sleep, the brain passes through several stagesstage (noun)Distinct periods in a process.≈ Synonym: phases🇺🇿UZ: bosqichlar🇷🇺RU: стадии, cycling between lightlight sleep (noun)A shallow, easily interrupted stage of sleep.≈ Synonym: shallow sleep🇺🇿UZ: sayoz uyqu🇷🇺RU: лёгкий сон sleep, deepdeep sleep (noun)A stage of sleep important for physical recovery.≈ Synonym: slow-wave sleep🇺🇿UZ: chuqur uyqu🇷🇺RU: глубокий сон sleep, and a stage called REMREM sleep (noun)A sleep stage marked by rapid eye movement and dreaming.≈ Synonym: dream sleep🇺🇿UZ: REM uyqusi🇷🇺RU: фаза быстрого сна sleep, when most dreamingdream (verb)Experiencing images and stories during sleep.≈ Synonym: seeing dreams🇺🇿UZ: tush ko'rish🇷🇺RU: видение снов occurs. Deep sleep is particularly important for physical recovery: it is when the body repairs tissuetissue (noun)A group of similar cells forming part of a body.≈ Synonym: body material🇺🇿UZ: to'qima🇷🇺RU: ткань (организма), builds musclemuscle (noun)Body tissue that produces movement.≈ Synonym: sinew🇺🇿UZ: mushak🇷🇺RU: мышца, and strengthens the immune systemimmune system (noun)The body's defence system against disease.≈ Synonym: body's defences🇺🇿UZ: immunitet tizimi🇷🇺RU: иммунная система. REM sleep, meanwhile, appears to play a key role in processingprocess (verb)Dealing with or making sense of something.≈ Synonym: handling🇺🇿UZ: qayta ishlash🇷🇺RU: обработка emotions and consolidatingconsolidate (verb)Making something stronger or more secure.≈ Synonym: strengthening🇺🇿UZ: mustahkamlash🇷🇺RU: закрепление memoriesmemory (noun)Things remembered from past experience.≈ Synonym: recollections🇺🇿UZ: xotiralar🇷🇺RU: воспоминания formed during the day.
A lack of sleep can have seriousserious (adj)Significant or worrying in nature.≈ Synonym: grave🇺🇿UZ: jiddiy🇷🇺RU: серьёзный effects. In the short term, sleep-deprivedsleep-deprived (adj)Not having had enough sleep.≈ Synonym: lacking sleep🇺🇿UZ: uyqusiz qolgan🇷🇺RU: лишённый сна people often struggle with concentrationconcentration (noun)The ability to focus attention on one thing.≈ Synonym: focus🇺🇿UZ: diqqat🇷🇺RU: концентрация, reaction timereaction time (noun)The time taken to respond to a stimulus.≈ Synonym: response speed🇺🇿UZ: reaksiya vaqti🇷🇺RU: время реакции, and mood. Over the long term, research links poor sleep to a higher risk of obesityobesity (noun)The condition of being extremely overweight.≈ Synonym: excessive weight🇺🇿UZ: semizlik🇷🇺RU: ожирение, heart disease, and weakenedweakened (adj)Made less strong.≈ Synonym: reduced🇺🇿UZ: zaiflashgan🇷🇺RU: ослабленный immunityimmunity (noun)The body's ability to resist disease.≈ Synonym: resistance to disease🇺🇿UZ: immunitet🇷🇺RU: иммунитет. Some studies even suggest that chronic sleep loss can affect how the brain clears waste productswaste product (noun)Unwanted substances produced by the body.≈ Synonym: byproducts🇺🇿UZ: chiqindi moddalar🇷🇺RU: продукты жизнедеятельности that build up during the day, which may be linked to conditions such as dementia later in life.
So how much sleep do people actually need? Most adults need between seven and nine hours a night, though this varies between individualsindividual (noun)Single people, as opposed to groups.≈ Synonym: people🇺🇿UZ: shaxslar🇷🇺RU: отдельные лица. Teenagers generally need more sleep than adults, partly because their bodies and brains are still developingdevelop (verb)Growing or maturing over time.≈ Synonym: growing🇺🇿UZ: rivojlanayotgan🇷🇺RU: развивающийся. Despite this, surveys consistently show that a large proportionproportion (noun)A part or share of a whole.≈ Synonym: share🇺🇿UZ: ulush🇷🇺RU: доля of both teenagers and adults regularly get less sleep than they need.
Improving sleep does not usually require drasticdrastic (adj)Extreme and sudden.≈ Synonym: radical🇺🇿UZ: keskin🇷🇺RU: радикальный changes. Experts recommend keeping a consistentconsistent (adj)Acting or done the same way over time.≈ Synonym: steady🇺🇿UZ: izchil🇷🇺RU: последовательный sleep schedule, avoiding bright screens before bed, and creating a cool, dark, and quiet sleeping environment. Simple habits like these, combinedcombine (verb)Joined together with something else.≈ Synonym: merged🇺🇿UZ: birlashtirilgan🇷🇺RU: объединённый with an understanding of why sleep matters, can make a real difference to both physical health and daily performanceperformance (noun)How well a task or activity is carried out.≈ Synonym: functioning🇺🇿UZ: samaradorlik🇷🇺RU: продуктивность.