IELTS Reading Multiple Choice

For decades, sleep was viewed mainly as a period of rest. Researchers now argue that sleep is an active state in which the brain reorganizes information gathered during the day. In particular, slow-wave sleep appears to support the consolidation of factual knowledge, while rapid eye movement sleep may help integrate emotional experiences and creative associations. One study asked participants to learn pairs of unrelated words in the evening. Some participants slept before being tested, while others stayed awake for the same number of hours. The group that slept remembered more pairs the next morning, especially when their sleep included longer periods of slow-wave activity. However, the researchers warned that sleep does not replace active study; it seems to strengthen material that has already been learned with attention. The timing of sleep may also matter. Students often stay awake late before an exam, believing that additional review will compensate for fatigue. Yet several experiments suggest that sacrificing sleep can reduce attention, working memory and the ability to apply knowledge flexibly. In other words, an extra hour of tired study may be less useful than an hour of sleep after focused preparation. This does not mean that every learner needs the same schedule. Age, stress, health and daily routines influence sleep patterns. The practical lesson is more modest: learners should treat sleep as part of the learning process rather than as time stolen from it.