Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – Sleep, Dreams & Mental Well-being 7

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

You are going to read an article about four individuals reflecting on how keeping a daily “dream journal” completely unlocked their buried creativity and solved real-life emotional blockages.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people/sections (A-D). The people/sections may be chosen more than once.

Which person/section

1   initially rejected the practice, assuming it was completely unscientific?

2   managed to resolve a complicated professional dilemma thanks to their subconscious?

3   states that the act of writing down a terrifying dream eventually caused it to stop?

4   was encouraged by a co-worker to start documenting their nighttime visions?

5   utilised a bizarre mental image to overcome a period of severe artistic frustration?

6   recognised that their dreams were highlighting an ongoing issue with a close companion?

7   highlights the necessity of recording details immediately before they vanish from memory?

8   was inspired by their sleep diary to revisit a creative passion they had previously given up?

9   confesses that they occasionally find it difficult to decipher their own nocturnal notes?

10   felt their documented dreams gave them the courage to initiate a challenging conversation?

Awakening the Mind: The Power of a Dream Journal

A Liam

As an illustrator, my livelihood depends heavily on generating fresh concepts. However, last year I hit a massive creative wall; I would just stare blankly at my sketchbook for hours. If I hadn’t started a dream diary, I might have given up my career entirely. The golden rule of dream journaling is that you must jot the details down the second you open your eyes, otherwise they evaporate like mist. Consequently, I often have a remarkably hard time making sense of my own illegible handwriting, as I usually scribble my entries in the dark! One night, I dreamt of an absurd visual of a staircase melting into a waterfall. Instead of dismissing it, I sketched it out. That single, weird image broke my severe creative block and became the centrepiece of my most successful exhibition. Even my occasional nightmares are now viewed as a valuable source of inspiration rather than something to fear.

B Maya

For months, I was plagued by a recurring nightmare in which I was desperately trying to escape from a rapidly shrinking room. It was exhausting. A therapist suggested I keep a notepad on my nightstand. Curiously, just by putting the scary ordeal onto paper every morning, the nightmare vanished entirely within a fortnight. Reading back through my entries, a distinct pattern emerged. I realised that the shrinking room clearly symbolised how stifled I felt by my overly controlling best friend. My subconscious must have been trying to warn me that my boundaries were constantly being crossed. Once I came to terms with what the dream represented, I found the inner strength to finally confront her. It was an incredibly tense chat, but discussing our dynamic openly completely cleared the air. The journal didn’t just cure my sleep issues; it actively repaired my waking life.

C Chloe

When my older sister first suggested that keeping a dream journal could unlock buried emotions, I completely brushed the idea off as unscientific nonsense. I have always considered myself a highly logical person who deals purely in facts. Nevertheless, after a stressful month, I decided to give it a try. To my astonishment, I began having intensely vivid dreams about playing the acoustic guitar, a hobby I had abandoned in my teens because my parents had convinced me it was a waste of time. My diary entries revealed a deep, unfulfilled longing to express myself musically. If I hadn’t analysed those subconscious signals, I would never have realised how much I missed it. Last week, I finally went out and bought a second-hand guitar. I may not be a professional musician, but reconnecting with that lost part of myself has brought me immense joy.

D Sam

I never used to pay much attention to my dreams until a senior colleague recommended keeping a sleep log to boost productivity. At the time, I was struggling to crack a persistent flaw in a software program I was developing, and the stress was heavily affecting my mood. I don’t write my dreams down immediately in bed; I prefer to type them out neatly on my laptop over my morning coffee. One Tuesday, I remembered dreaming about a complex network of trains colliding at a junction. As I typed out the description, it suddenly dawned on me that the trains were an analogy for the data pathways in my code. My subconscious had perfectly mapped out where the informational traffic jam was occurring! I rushed to the office, applied the logic from my dream, and the software worked flawlessly. It was an absolute breakthrough.

Reading 2

You are going to read an article about four students talking about the devastating effect of energy drinks and heavy caffeine consumption on their natural sleep architecture and anxiety levels.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people/sections (A-D). The people/sections may be chosen more than once.

Which person/section

1   initially blamed their physical discomfort on the demands of their studies?

2   realised their sleep was unfulfilling even when they slept for a standard number of hours?

3   was completely unaware of how long the chemical lingered in their system?

4   sought a medical diagnosis to resolve their overwhelming tiredness?

5   endured difficult withdrawal symptoms after stopping their habit abruptly?

6   originally started drinking the beverages to enhance their physical stamina?

7   admits their consumption was heavily linked to a group leisure activity?

8   overcame their reliance on the drinks by overhauling their daily diet?

9   experienced sudden, uncontrollable shifts in their general mood?

10   mentions that the drinks provided a deceptive illusion of high productivity?

Wired and Tired: The Hidden Cost of Caffeine

A Liam

When I entered my final year, the sheer volume of assignments was overwhelming. To keep up, I started relying on heavily caffeinated energy drinks. At first, they were a lifesaver, granting me a deceptive illusion of high efficiency that allowed me to churn out essays until 3 a.m. However, things quickly spiralled out of control. I began experiencing a racing heart and sweaty palms during the day, which I mistakenly put down to the intense pressure of my upcoming exams. It wasn’t until I read an article about caffeine-induced anxiety that the penny finally dropped. I decided to give them up cold turkey, but I hadn’t anticipated the brutal headaches and intense brain fog that immediately followed. It took a gruelling fortnight for my body to completely reset. Now, I realise that borrowing energy from tomorrow only leaves you bankrupt today, and I’ve learned to respect my body’s natural limits.

B Chloe

As a competitive swimmer, I was always looking for an extra edge, so I started downing energy drinks just before my evening training sessions. Initially, the surge in physical endurance was incredible. I was beating my personal bests and felt totally unstoppable in the water. But gradually, a bizarre sense of exhaustion crept in. I was rigidly sticking to getting eight hours of sleep a night, yet I would wake up feeling utterly drained, as if I hadn’t closed my eyes at all. A sports nutritionist explained that the massive caffeine hit was destroying my sleep architecture, preventing my brain from entering the deep, restorative REM stages of sleep. Even though my eyes were shut, my nervous system was on high alert. I’ve since switched to natural electrolyte waters. While my classmates still rely on caffeine for late-night cramming, I know firsthand that nothing replaces genuine, high-quality rest.

C Noah

My downfall wasn’t schoolwork, but my social life. Every weekend, my mates and I would participate in marathon online gaming sessions, fuelled almost entirely by giant cans of energy drinks. Because it was a shared group pastime, I didn’t see the harm in it at the time. However, the excessive sugar and caffeine intake began to severely impact my mental well-being. I started having unpredictable, volatile mood swings, frequently snapping at my family for the smallest things. What I totally failed to grasp was the concept of caffeine’s half-life; I was utterly oblivious to the fact that the stimulant remained active in my bloodstream for up to twelve hours. By drinking them at midnight, my brain was still wired the next afternoon. To break the cycle, I deliberately cut down my intake gradually rather than stopping all at once, which successfully prevented any nasty physical side effects.

D Maya

Juggling a demanding part-time job as a waitress alongside my university coursework meant I was perpetually exhausted. I got into the terrible habit of drinking triple-shot coffees and energy drinks throughout my shifts just to stay on my feet. Eventually, my natural circadian rhythm was completely shattered. I developed severe insomnia, often lying awake for hours with my mind racing uncontrollably. Desperate for a solution, I finally booked an appointment with my GP, hoping to be prescribed something to help me nod off. Instead of giving me sleeping pills, the doctor pinpointed my extreme caffeine consumption as the sole culprit behind my overwhelming tiredness. Rather than just swapping to decaf, I completely transformed my nutritional habits, incorporating more slow-release carbohydrates and fresh fruit to maintain my energy levels naturally. It was a tough transition, but the crushing anxiety has finally evaporated, and my sleep cycle has beautifully returned to normal.

Exercises:   123456