IELTS Speaking – Giấc ngủ & Nghỉ ngơi

On weekdays, probably about six and a half hours, which I know isn't quite enough. I tend to stay up later than I should, scrolling on my phone or finishing assignments. At weekends I try to catch up by sleeping in, although I've read that doesn't really make up for the lost sleep.

Yes, a short one after lunch whenever I can. It's actually very common in Vietnam; many offices even turn the lights off for half an hour at midday. Twenty minutes is ideal for me. If I sleep much longer than that, I wake up feeling groggy and it takes ages to get going again.

I try to put my phone away about half an hour before bed, though I don't always manage it. Instead, I'll have a hot shower, make a cup of herbal tea and read a few pages of a novel. Reading something calm really helps me switch off, whereas checking the news just keeps my mind racing.

Not at all, unfortunately. The first night in a hotel or a friend's house, I usually toss and turn for hours because of unfamiliar noises or a pillow that's too hard. I've started bringing an eye mask and earplugs when I travel, and they've made a noticeable difference.

I'd like to talk about a weekend I spent at a small homestay in Da Lat, right after my final exams in my second year of university. The month before had been exhausting. I'd been revising until two or three in the morning, surviving on instant noodles and coffee. As soon as my last exam finished, a friend and I booked a cheap bus ticket and headed for the mountains. The homestay was a wooden house surrounded by pine trees, and there was no television and only a weak Wi-Fi signal, which turned out to be a blessing. We spent the two days doing very little. I slept for almost ten hours the first night, woke up to the sound of birds, and then we just went for long walks, drank hot soy milk at the local market and sat by a lake chatting. I think it made me feel so refreshed for a few reasons. First, the cool mountain air was a complete contrast to the heat and traffic of the city. Second, being almost offline meant my brain finally had a chance to slow down. When I got back, I felt like a different person, and it taught me that proper rest isn't laziness but something I need to plan for.

There are several reasons, but screens are probably the biggest culprit. People take phones to bed and end up watching videos far later than they intended, and the blue light can make it harder to fall asleep. Work pressure is another factor; many employees answer emails late at night or work long hours to meet deadlines. In big cities, long commutes also eat into the evening. As a result, sleep is often the first thing people sacrifice when they're busy.

I think it's a sensible idea, as long as it's managed properly. Research suggests that a short nap can boost concentration and reduce mistakes, especially in the early afternoon when energy levels naturally dip. In Vietnam, lunchtime naps are already normal in many workplaces, and productivity doesn't seem to suffer. Of course, it wouldn't suit every job; a surgeon or a shop assistant can't just disappear for a nap, so it would have to depend on the role.

The effects can be quite serious. Sleep is when the brain consolidates what we've learned during the day, so students who stay up cramming often remember less than those who go to bed at a reasonable time. Tired students also struggle to concentrate in class, become irritable and are more likely to make careless mistakes in exams. I've seen this myself: classmates who pulled all-nighters before exams often went blank on questions they had actually revised.

In theory, automation should free up more time, since machines and AI will take over many repetitive tasks. Some countries are already experimenting with a four-day working week. However, I'm a little sceptical, because in the past, every time technology made us more efficient, we simply filled the extra time with more work or more entertainment. So I suspect people will have more free hours on paper, but whether they actually use them to rest is another matter.