Naps: Good for your brain? BBC News Review

Could a short sleep during the day.

protect your brain?

This is News Review from BBC Learning English.

I'm Beth. And I'm Phil.

Make sure you watch to the end to learn all the vocabulary

that you need to talk about this story.

And don't forget to subscribe to our channel, like this video

and try the quiz on our website.

Now, today's story.

Our brains get smaller as we get older, but this doesn't happen as fast

in people who take regular short sleeps during the day.

That's according to a new study. Researchers suggest

that these naps might reduce the risk of developing conditions

like Alzheimer's in later life.

You've been looking at the headlines.

What's the vocabulary?

We have 'power nap',

'sharp', and 'hinder'.

This is News Review from BBC Learning English.

Let's have a look at our first headline.

This is from iNews.

Power naps linked to greater brain capacity, scientists say.

So brain capacity is about brain size and

this headline says that it's linked to something called 'power naps'.

Now we're going to look at this phrase 'power naps',

but Phil, the word 'nap'.

Isn't that a short sleep that babies have?

Well, anyone can have a nap,

but we're looking at 'power naps'. Now,

these are short sleeps,

usually during the working day in order to be able to do your job better.

And in fact, maybe I should have a power nap after recording this.

Well, that might be good for your brain.

That's what this headline is saying,

but there are other types of nap, aren't there?

Yes, you might have heard of a 'cat nap' which is kind of similar,

but it's not associated with work and we have other words to talk about sleep

like 'snooze' or 'to nod off' and many others.

OK, well before our audience nods off.

Let's look at that again.

  Let's have our next headline.

Yeah. This one is from the Times.

Taking more naps could help you to stay sharp

in later life.

Now, again, we're talking about naps

and this article refers to another study which suggested

that having naps can help our brains perform better.

The word. We're looking at is 'sharp' . Now, Phil.

I know a sharp knife.

But what is a sharp brain?

Well, you've probably guessed that.

It's a metaphor.

If you describe someone as 'sharp'.

It means they're alert and they can think quickly.

Think about when you've had a good rest, and you're feeling good.

Everything just seems to be a bit easier.

Yep, and we use it to talk about people that always have a quick answer

for something. We can say that they are sharp or that they have a sharp mind.

Yes, and it's being used here to say that regular naps will keep your brain

performing well.

Yes, just like how practising your English

every day will keep your language skills sharp.

OK, let's look at that again.

OK, next headline please. This one is

from the Daily Express. Naps could help or hinder your health,

depending on their length, study suggests.

Now, this is actually referring to a different study and it says

that long naps can be associated with obesity while

shorter naps can reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

We are looking at the word 'hinder'.

And this is often used with the word

'help' isn't it. It is,

but it means the opposite. To 'hinder' means 'to make things harder'

or worse. Now,

here we are looking at health.

So, the headline is saying that some naps - shorter ones - are helpful.

While others - longer ones - are unhelpful.

That's right and 'hinder' is not that common in spoken English,

but it is often used with the word 'help'.

And that's because of those two 'h's. Hinder and help.

So, for example,

if something turns out to be less useful than you expected it to be.

It might actually hinder rather than help you.

I could also say

that having to work hinders me being able to take naps regularly.

That's right. OK, let's look at that again.

We've had 'power nap'.

A short sleep during the day.

'Sharp' - alert and quick thinking.

'Hinder' - to make something difficult or worse.

Now, there's more about sleep in this video,

where we ask 'are late nights bad for your health?'

And don't forget to subscribe here, so you never miss a chance to learn more English.

Thanks for joining us, bye. Bye.