While You Sleep, Your Brain Is Hard At Work. (You should say, 'thank you.')

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From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

Why do we need sleep?

Is bedtime just a time for dreaming?  Do our brains turn off for the night?  What if I told you that scientists recently discovered that our brains may be just as busy at night as they are during the day?

While we sleep, our brains are doing much more than getting ready for the next day.  Researchers at the University of Rochester found that the brain may be busy cleaning house -- cleaning out harmful waste materials.  

As with many studies, the researchers turned to mice for help.  They studied mice that had colored dye injected into their brains.  They observed the mice brains as they slept and when they were awake.  The researchers say they saw that the brains of sleeping mice were hard at work. 

Working Double Duty

Dr. Maiken Nedergaard led the study.  The brain expert says our brains perform two very different jobs.  It seems they have daytime jobs.  Later they “moonlight” at a nighttime job. 

“Moonlighting” is working a nighttime job in addition to a day job.  And this study says that is what our brains seem to be doing – working an extra job at night without additional pay for overtime. 

“When we are awake, the brain cells are working very hard at processing all the information about our surroundings.  Whereas during sleep, they work very, very hard at removing all the waste that builds up when we are awake."

The researchers say that the waste material includes poisons, or toxins, responsible for brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.  

They also found that during sleep, the brain’s cells shrink, or become smaller.  This shrinking permits waste to be removed more effectively.                      

Dr. Nedergaard says these toxins end up in the liver.  There, they are broken down and then removed from the body.

"So our study suggests that we need to sleep because we have a macroscopic cleaning system that removes many of the toxic waste products from the brain."

The brain’s cleaning system could only be studied with new imaging technologies.  The test animal must be alive in order to see this brain process to be seen as it happens.

Dr. Nedergaard says the next step is to look for the process in human brains.  She said the results demonstrate just how important sleep is to health and fighting disease.  The research may also one day lead to treatments to prevent or help fight neurological disorders.

7 Tips for Better Sleeping

Do you have trouble sleeping?  Not being able to sleep is called insomnia.  According to the United States National Sleep Foundation, here are some tips for a good night’s sleep:

• Go to bed about the same time each night, even on weekends.  This helps to “set” your body’s “sleep clock.”
• Exercise every day. 
• Have a calm, relaxing bedtime routine – take a warm bath or drink a hot cup of tea.
•  Try not to take long naps during the day.  Periods of sleep during the daytime can interfere with sleep at night. 
•  Make sure you have a pleasant environment where you sleep.  For most people, a cool, quiet and dark room is best for sleeping.
• Avoid using television, computers and other electronic screens before bedtime. 
• Also avoid alcohol, cigarettes and heavy meals before bedtime.

And from VOA Learning English,  that’s the Health Report. 

I’m Anna Matteo.

Do you suffer from insomnia?  Do you have more suggestions for a good night's sleep.  Let us know in our comment section.

This article was written for Learning English by Anna Matteo. It is based on a report by VOA health reporter Carol Pearson. 

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Words in the News

insomnia- n.a prolonged and usually abnormal inability to get enough sleep (“An insomniac is a person who has trouble sleeping over a long period of time.”)

to moonlight; moonlighting– v.to work at a second job in addition to your regular job (“No wonder she is so tired at work. I just found out that she has been moonlighting as a night club singer.”)

toxin n. a poisonous substance and especially one that is produced by a living thing.  "Toxic" is the adjective of "toxin." (“The liver gets rid of many toxins in the body.”)

inject v. to force a liquid medicine or drug into someone or something by using a special needle (“They injected the mice with dye.”  “The injection was a colored dye solution.”)

shrink v. to become smaller in amount, size, or value (“She washed her new wool sweater in hot water and it shrunk two sizes!  So, she gave it to her little sister.”)

And that's the Words in the News. Now it’s your turn to use these words in the news. In the comment section, write a sentence using one of these words and we will provide feedback on the use of vocabulary and grammar.

 

 

Syrian Refugees Prepare for Winter in Lebanon

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Colder weather conditions are slowly returning to the Middle East. Reportsfrom Lebanon say areas around the border with Syria are at risk. Observersnote that Islamic State militants and al-Nusra fighters have set up camps in the mountains. But Syrian refugees say more frightening than the gunmen is the coming cold weather.

Most of Lebanon’s one million Syrian refugees live in the Bekaa Valley, acrossthe border from Syria. They crowd shelters on farmland or in empty areas.

Islamist militants are believed to be hiding in the surrounding mountains. Manyrefugees fear the Islamic State or al-Nusra fighters will again attack Lebanonin an effort to expand outside Syria and Iraq.

In late October, militant groups battled with the Lebanese Army in the city ofTripoli. The fighting was described as the worst since last August. At that time,al-Nusra and the Islamic State briefly controlled the border town of Arsal.

But some Syrian refugees say they fear the coming winter more than themilitants. At a camp in Zahle, aid workers passed out supplies to help familiesstrengthen the houses they mostly built themselves. Mohammad al-Sheik toldVOA the new materials may not be enough to protect his eight children.

He says that about half a meter of snow fell in the Bekaa Valley last year. Heworries that some of the weaker shelters will collapse.

Aid workers say they are hoping to get supplies to as many people aspossible. However, as the fighting in Syria gets worse, refugees are crossingthe border in large numbers.

Hiba Fares works with the non-governmental organization Medair.

“The number of refugees is huge and increases day by day in Lebanon. So we are always in need of more donations. As you noticed, we try to distribute to as many families with the kits we have, but there is always a bit of shortagebecause suddenly we bump into newcomers.”

Medair is one of many organizations attempting to ease what the UnitedNations has called the “biggest humanitarian emergency of our era.”

Refugee families say their biggest fear this winter is not being able to pay formedicine if their children get sick.

Basha Hussein is the wife of Mohammed al-Sheik and the mother of theireight children. She says most families in the camp do not have any heaters intheir homes. If they do, she says, they often do not have enough money to payfor fuel.

Some women say the humiliation or sadness of living in tents in the dirt isworse than dealing with the cold weather or lack of food.

Some refugee children say their main fear is that aid workers will not haveenough blankets for the refugees before the snow arrives.

I’m Mario Ritter.

*This report was based on a story from reporter Heather Murdock in Zahle,Lebanon. George Grow wrote the story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritterwas the editor. 

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Words in this Story

weather – n. the condition of the atmosphere resulting from snow, wind, rain,heat or cold

refugees – n. people who have been forced to flee because of unjusttreatment, danger or war

shelter – n. something 

 

 

That no longer happens, but we still “get in hot water.”When we are “in hot water” we are in trouble. It can beany kind of trouble -- serious or not so serious. Aperson who breaks a law can be “in hot water” with thepolice. A young boy can be “in hot water” with hismother if he walks in the house with dirty shoes.

Being in “deep water” is almost the same as being “inhot water.” When you are in deep water, you are in adifficult position. Imagine a person who cannot swimbeing thrown in water over his head.

You are “in deep water” when you are facing a problemthat you do not have the ability to solve. The problem istoo deep. You can be “in deep water,” for example, ifyou invest in stocks without knowing anything about thestock market.

“To keep your head above water” is a colorfulexpression that means staying out of debt. A companyseeks to keep its head above water during economichard times. A man who loses his job tries to keep his head above water untilhe finds a new job.

“Water over the dam” is another expression about a past event. It issomething that is finished. It cannot be changed. The expression comes from the idea that water that has flowed over a dam cannot be brought back again.

When a friend is troubled by a mistake she has made,you might tell her to forget about it. You say it is waterover the dam.

Another common expression, “to hold water,” is aboutthe strength or weakness of an idea or opinion that youmay be arguing about. It probably comes from a way oftesting the condition of a container. If it can hold water, it is strong and has no holes in it. If your argument can“hold water” it is strong and does not have any holes. If it does not “hold water”then it is weak and not worth debating.

​“Throwing cold water” also is an expression that deals with ideas orproposals. It means to not like an idea. For example, you want to buy a newcar because the old one has some problems. But your wife “throws coldwater” on the idea because she says a new car costs too much.

This VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories was written byMarilyn Christiano

 

 

I’m Susan Clark with the Special English programWords and Their Stories.

Young Mr. Smith had an idea for his employer. It was anidea for saving money for the company by increasingprices. At the same time, Smith suggested that thecompany sell goods of less value.

If his employer liked the idea, Smith might be givenmore pay. Perhaps he might even get a better job withthe company.

Business had been very slow, so Mr. Smith’s employerthought a few minutes about the idea. But then sheshook her head. “I am sorry, Smith,” his employer said. “It just will not wash.”

Now, the meaning of these English words should be “it will not get clean.” YetSmith’s idea did not have anything to do with making something clean. So whydid his employer say “It will not wash?”

Most word experts agree that “it will not wash” means "it will not work." EricPartridge wrote that the saying probably developed in Britain in the 1800s.Charlotte Bronte used it in a story published in 1849. She wrote, “That wiln’twash, Miss.” Ms. Bronte seems to have meant that the dyes used to color apiece of clothing were not good. The colors could not be depended on to stayin the material.

In 19th century England, the expression came to mean an undependablestatement. It was used mainly to describe an idea. But sometimes it was usedabout a person.

A critic once said of the poet Robert Browning: “He won’t wash.” The critic didnot mean that the poet was not a clean person -- he meant that Browning’spoems could not be depended on to last.

Today, we know that judgment was wrong. Robert Browning still is considereda major poet. But very few people remember the man who said Browningwould not wash.

Happily for the young employee Smith, his employer wanted him to do well in the company. So the employer “talked turkey” to him. She said: “Your ideawould be unfair to our buyers. Think of another way to save money.”

A century ago, to “talk turkey” meant to talk pleasantly.Turkeys in the barnyard were thought to be speakingpleasantly to one another. In recent years, the sayinghas come to mean “an attempt to teach somethingimportant.”

Word expert Charles Funk tells how he believes thischange took place.

He says two men were shooting turkeys together. One of them was a whiteman. The other was an American Indian. The white man began statingreasons why he should get all the turkeys for himself. But the American Indianstopped him. He told the white man “Now, I talk turkey to you.”

Mr. Smith thought of a better idea after his employer“talked turkey” to him -- he was given an increase inpay.

So if your idea “will not wash,” try “talking turkey” toyourself and come up with a better idea.

This Words and Their Stories program was written byJeri Watson.

I’m Susan Clark.

 

 

Another widely-used expression is to “let the cat out of the bag.” It is used when someone tells something that was supposed to be secret. No one can explain howthe cat got into the bag. But there is an old story aboutit…

Long ago tradesmen sold things in large cloth bags.One day a woman asked for a pig. The tradesman heldup a cloth bag with something moving inside it. He saidit was a live pig. The woman asked to see it. When the dishonest tradesmanopened the bag, out jumped a cat -- not a pig. The tradesman’s secret was out. He was trying to trick her. And now everybody knew it.

The phrase to be “left holding the bag” is as widely-used as the expression to “let the cat out of the bag.”

This expression makes the person left holding the bagresponsible for an action -- often a crime or misdeed. That person is the one who is punished. The othersinvolved in the act escape.

Where the expression came from is not clear. Somesay that General George Washington used it during the AmericanRevolutionary War.

One of Washington’s officers, Royall Taylor, used the expression in a playabout Daniel Shay’s rebellion. The play was in 1781, after Taylor helped to putdown Shay’s rebellion.

Shays led a thousand war veterans in an attack on a federal building inSpringfield, Massachusetts. Guns were in the building. Some of the protesterswere farmers who had no money to buy seed. Some had been put in prisonfor not paying their debts. They were men who fought one war against theKing of England, and were now prepared to fight against their owngovernment. Most of the rebels were captured. Shays and some of theofficers escaped.

In his play, Taylor describes Shays as disappearing, giving others “the bag tohold.”

A bag is useful in many ways. Just be careful not to “let the cat out of the bag,” or someone may leave you “holding the bag.”

You have been listening to the VOA Special English program, Words andTheir Stories.

This is Bob Doughty.

 

 

 

 

Now, the VOA Special English program Words andTheir Stories.

Santa Claus is someone who will remain in the heartsof children forever. He is the make-believe person whobrings toys and other gifts to children at Christmas. Togrown-ups, he is a special symbol of good will andselfless giving.

Santa Claus also has some other names: SaintNicholas, St. Nick, Kris Kringle, Pelznickel.

Two of his names -- Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas --both come from the Dutch who settled in New York longago.

The Dutch believed Saint Nikolaas gave gifts tochildren. They honored this kindly saint with a yearly festival on December 6th. The English-speaking people who lived nearby greatly enjoyed Dutch festivals. And they brought the saint and the custom of giving gifts into their owncelebration at Christmas time.

The Dutch spoke the name “Saint Nikolaas” very fast. Itsounded like “Sinterklaas.” And so, when the Englishsaid this word, it sounded like Santa Claus.

West of New York, in Pennsylvania, many Germanfarmers had also heard of Saint Nikolaas. But theycalled him Pelznickel. This word came from “pelz,”meaning fur, and “nickel” for Nicholas. And so, to theGermans of Pennsylvania, Saint Nicholas or Pelznickelwas a man dressed in fur who came once a year withgifts for good children.

Soon, people began to feel that the love and kindness Pelznickel broughtshould be part of a celebration honoring the Christkindl, as the Germanscalled the Christ child. After a time, this became “Kris Kringle.” Later, KrisKringle became another name for Santa Claus himself.

Whatever he is called, he is still the same short, fat,jolly old man with a long beard, wearing a red suit withwhite fur.

The picture of Santa Claus, as we see him, came fromThomas Nast. He was an American painter born inBavaria. He painted pictures for Christmas poems.Someone asked him to paint a picture of Santa Claus.

Nast remembered when he was a little boy in southernGermany. Every Christmas, a fat old man gave toysand cakes to the children. So, when Nast painted the picture, his Santa Clauslooked like the kindly old man of his childhood. And through the years, Nast’spainting has remained as the most popular picture Of Santa Claus.

Santa can be seen almost everywhere in large American cities during theChristmas season. Some 

 

 

• Are You "In the Red" This Christmas?

Now, Words and Their Stories, a VOA Special English program about American expressions.  I’m Rich Kleinfeldt with some financial words and expressions used in business and the stock market.

Our first expression is “in the red.”  It is another way of saying that a business is losing money.  In the past, numbers in the financial records of a company were written in red ink to show a loss.

A business magazine recently published a report about a television company.  The report said the company was still in the red, but was able to cut its loss from the year before.

A profit by a business is written in black numbers.  So a company that is “in the black” is making money.  An international news service reported that a private health insurer in Australia announced it was “back in the black with its first profit in three years.”

Another financial expression is “run on the bank.”  That is what happens when many people try to withdraw all their money from a bank.  A “run on the bank” usually happens when people believe there is danger a bank may fail or close.

Newspaper reports about a banking crisis in Russia used that expression.  They said the government acted because of fears that the crisis would cause a run on the banks.  “When a run on the banks was starting, there was not much they could do,” said a banking expert.

“Day trading” is a new expression about a system that lets investors trade directly on an electronic market system.  The system is known as NASDAQ, short for The National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation.  It was the first completely computerized stock market.  It sells stocks of companies not listed on any stock exchange.  Many high technology companies are listed on it. 

Day trading companies provide a desk and a computer system to an investor who wants to trade.  Individuals must provide fifty thousand dollars or more to the trading company to pay for the stocks they buy.  Thousands of other investors do day trading from computers in their homes.

A day trader watches stock prices carefully.  When he sees a stock rise in price, he uses the computer to buy shares of the stock.  If the stock continues to rise in price in the next few minutes, the day trader sells the shares quickly to make a small profit.  Then he looks for another stock to buy.  If a stock goes down instead of up, he sells it and accepts the loss. 

The idea is to make a small profit many times during the day.  Day traders may buy and sell stocks hundreds of times each day.

Many day traders lose all their money in a week or so.  Only about thirty percent succeed in earning enough from their efforts to continue day trading.

This VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stories, was written by Frank Beardsley.  This is Rich Kleinfeldt.

 

 

• Happy New Year!

Now, VOA Special English presents a special program for New Year’s Eve.

That is a song millions of Americans will hear this New Year’s Eve. It is called “Auld Lang Syne.” It is the traditional music played during the New Year’s celebration. Auld Lang Syne is an old Scottish poem. It tells about the need to remember old friends.

The words “auld lang syne” mean “old long since.” No one knows who wrote the poem first. However, a version by Scottish poet Robert Burns was published in 1796. The words and music we know today first appeared in a songbook three years later.

The song is sung in the United States mainly on New Year’s Eve.

Here is Lou Rawls singing his version of it…

Another version is by the Washington Saxophone Quartet.

As we end our program with “Auld Lang Syne,” I would like to wish all of our radio friends a very Happy New Year.

 

 

• New Year's Calendars

Now, a special Words and their Stories for New Years.
 
I’m Faith Lapidus.
 
The New Year is the time for new beginnings.  It is also the time to buy a new calendar.  Yet it can take a lot of time just to choose the right one.  There are lots and lots of choices.  In fact, there are more calendars than days in the year.  There are small ones.  Big ones.  Calendars that sit on a desk.  Calendars that hang on the wall.  Calendars to carry around.  Calendars that show a whole month or one day at a time.
 
Of course, in one way all calendars are the same.  They all list the same days of the year in exactly the same order.  But people do not buy calendars just to know what day it is.  Calendars have become popular gifts because many are filled with beautiful pictures.
 
Some have pictures of famous art works.  It is like hanging a different painting on your wall each month.  You can even learn from calendars.  They often give information about their subject -- such as famous writers or American Indians or flower gardens.

 

 

Now, the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.
 
Making choices is necessary, but not always easy.  Many of our expressions tell about this difficulty.
 
One of these expressions is "Hobson’s choice."  It often is used to describe a difficult choice.  But that is not what it really means.  Its real meaning is to have no choice at all.
 
The Hobson in the expression was Thomas Hobson.  Mr. Hobson owned a stable of horses in Cambridge, England.
 
Mr. Hobson often rented horses to the students at Cambridge University.  But, he did not really trust them to take good care of the horses.  So, he had a rule that prevented the students from riding his best horses.  They could take the horse that was nearest the stable door.  Or, they could not take any horse at all.

Thus, a Hobson’s choice was really no choice.

 

 
 

• Without Them, Machines Fall Apart

Now, the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.
 
Every machine is held together by its nuts and bolts.  Without them, the machine would fall apart.  That is also true of an organization.  Its nuts and bolts are its basic, necessary elements.  They are the parts that make the organization work.
 
In government, industry, diplomacy -- in most anything -- those who understand the nuts and bolts are the most important.  Success depends more on them than on almost anyone else.
 
In government, the president or prime minister may plan and shape programs and policies.  But, it takes much more work to get them approved and to make them successful.
 
There is a mass of detailed work to be done -- the nuts and bolts.  This is often put into the hands of specialists.  The top leaders are always well-known, but not those who work with the nuts and bolts.
 
This is equally true in the day-to-day operation of Congress.  The majority leader of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives -- together with the chairmen of committees -- keep the business of Congress moving.
 
Behind every Senator and Congressman, however, are assistants.  These people do all the detailed work to prepare congressmen to vote wisely on each issue.
 
In diplomacy, the chief ministers are unquestionably important in negotiations.  But there are lesser officials who do the basic work and preparations on the different issues to be negotiated.
 
A recent book tells of a British prime minister who decided to send an ambassador to Washington to learn if details could be worked out for joint action on an issue.  The talks in Washington, the minister said, would be "of nut and bolts."  He meant, of course, the talks would concern all the necessary elements to make joint action successful.