B1 Preliminary (PET) Practice Paper 26

alice: Thank you for seeing me today. I've been struggling with tiredness for months now. george: I understand. Can you tell me roughly how many hours you sleep each night currently? alice: Usually around five hours, sometimes less if I have a lot of work to finish. george: That's significantly below what's recommended. Do you use any screens, like your phone, before bed? alice: Yes, I usually check emails and social media for about an hour before trying to sleep. george: I'd recommend stopping screen use at least thirty minutes before bed, ideally longer. Do you drink coffee in the afternoon? alice: Yes, I often have a coffee around three or four in the afternoon to stay alert. george: I'd suggest avoiding caffeine after midday, since it can stay in your system for several hours. Let's also aim for a consistent bedtime of eleven o'clock. alice: That all sounds manageable. Should I come back for a follow-up appointment? george: Yes, let's schedule one in four weeks to review your progress.

Sleep researchers have long argued that most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night, yet surveys consistently show that a large proportion of working adults get significantly less. Sofia, a hospital administrator and mother of two young children, was one such person, often surviving on around five hours of sleep for several years while juggling work and family responsibilities. After experiencing persistent tiredness, difficulty concentrating, and increasing irritability, Sofia decided to consult a sleep specialist rather than simply accepting exhaustion as a normal part of adult life. The specialist recommended several changes, including going to bed at a consistent time each night, avoiding screens for an hour before sleep, and reducing caffeine intake after midday. Implementing these changes proved challenging at first, particularly avoiding her phone before bed, a habit she had maintained for years. However, after roughly a month of consistent effort, Sofia noticed substantial improvements in her mood, concentration at work, and patience with her children. She now considers sleep as important to her wellbeing as diet or exercise, and she actively encourages colleagues who complain of tiredness to seek similar advice rather than simply accepting it.

Sleep deprivation ___1___ a serious problem among working adults, according to numerous studies published in recent years. My colleague, Robert, ___2___ on very little sleep for most of his career, believing that busy professionals simply had to accept exhaustion. After his doctor ___3___ him about the long-term health risks of chronic tiredness, Robert finally decided to make changes. He ___4___ going to bed thirty minutes earlier each week until he reached a consistent schedule of seven hours. He also ___5___ his phone in another room overnight, rather than checking messages before sleep as he had always done. Within a few weeks, colleagues ___6___ that Robert seemed noticeably more focused during meetings. Robert now ___7___ that prioritising sleep has improved his work far more than any productivity technique he ___8___ previously.