Hello, this is 6 minute English from BBC learning English, I’m George, and **we’re ready to start**, Phil?

Hmm, sorry George, I was just catching forty winks, getting some shut-eye, dozing, taking a nap, I was sleeping?

Sleeping at work, Phil, **How could you**?

I know, I know, Sorry, **I didn’t sleep well last night.**

I’ll forgive you this time. But **make sure you go to bed early tonight**. Because **getting a good night’s sleep is incredibly important**. For example, **did you know that people who get enough sleep live about five years longer than people who don’t**?

Well, so **a good night’s sleep can lengthen your life**. In this programme, we’ll be finding out more about the benefits of sleep, and as usual, learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

But first, **now you’ve woken up**. I have a question for you. **Do you know how much of the average person’s life is spent asleep**? Is it:

A: a half
B: a quarter
C: a third

**I think we spend about a third of our lives sleeping.**

Ok, well, **I’ll reveal the correct answer at the end of this programme**. **The question of why human sleep is not easy to answer.** In terms of evolution, why would it make sense to go unconscious every night, leaving yourself vulnerable to danger? It can only mean that the benefits gained from sleep are huge. Here, science journalist, Ginny Smith, explains some of these benefits to BBC Radio 4 programme, Inside science:

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