A Good Night

A Good Night
by ReadWorks

It happens every night-bedtime. But what if you're not sleepy? Should you still go to bed if
you are just going to lie there with your eyes wide open?

It's a problem that has been around as long as there have been people trying to sleep.

For many, thinking about sleeping only keeps them awake. You might be excited by
everything you did that day. You might be excited for what you know you're going to do the
day after.

Maybe you can't sleep because you don't like sleeping all alone in your room. Maybe you
have a nightmare that keeps coming back every time you close your eyes.

All of these feelings are normal.

One thing that can help is talking to a parent about what you're thinking about. If you're
nervous about taking a test, or upset about being teased at school, it can really help to tell
somebody. Knowing that somebody has heard you can help your thoughts rest so that you
can too.

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 A Good Night

There's not just one reason why kids can't fall asleep, though, so there's also more than one
solution.

If there's anything about your room that makes you feel uncomfortable at night, like a picture
that looks strange in the dark, or a noisy faucet that leaks drop after drop, be sure to ask one
of your parents if it can be moved or fixed.

It may not even make sense why something bothers you, but if it's keeping you from sleeping,
it should be changed.

Another idea could be getting ready for bed earlier than usual. Try to take more time to wind
down by taking a warm bath, or listening to a bedtime story at least 30 minutes before you
want to go to sleep.

It also helps to keep your bedtime routine and time the same every night. By keeping it the
same your body will get the message that it's almost time to sleep. Your body will know to
start feeling tired.

If you don't want to wake up anyone but are still having trouble falling asleep, you can try
closing your eyes and noticing your breath. Are you breathing easy or is it difficult? If you feel
like it's difficult, stay focused on your breath and remind yourself that how you breathe is
always up to you. Why not breathe easy?

It's important not to give up just because one solution didn't work and you're still awake. Just
trying to figure out what's wrong may be enough to make you so tired that you wake up the
next morning without knowing how you fell asleep.

So even if you run out of ideas or never get to the bottom of what's keeping you up, you might
still have a restful and good night.

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 A Good Night - Comprehension Questions

Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. What can be difficult for people at bedtime?

A. falling asleep
B. moving a picture
C. talking to a parent
D. taking a warm bath

2. A problem described in the passage is being unable to fall asleep. What is one
solution?

A. not talking to anyone about something that is bothering you

B. staring at a picture that looks strange in the dark
C. going to bed at a different time every night
D. taking more time to wind down before bedtime

3. Read these sentences from the passage: "Maybe you can't sleep because you don't
like sleeping all alone in your room. Maybe you have a nightmare that keeps coming
back every time you close your eyes."

What can be concluded from this information?

A. All kids have trouble sleeping for the same reason.

B. There is more than one reason that kids have trouble sleeping.
C. Some kids like listening to stories at bedtime more than taking a warm bath.
D. Some kids like taking a warm bath more than listening to stories at bedtime.

4. How can the problem of falling asleep be described?

A. The problem of falling asleep is due to computers, cell phones, and other technology.
B. The problem of falling asleep is always worse on the weekends than it is during the
week.
C. The problem of falling asleep has been around for a long time and affects many
people.
D. The problem of falling asleep only affects people who share a bedroom with someone
else.

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 A Good Night - Comprehension Questions

5. What is this passage mostly about?

A. why kids have trouble falling asleep and what they can do about it
B. some different stories that parents like reading to their children before bedtime
C. why some people get more nervous than others about tests in school
D. different daytime activities that make kids too excited to fall asleep at night

6. Read the following sentences: "It also helps to keep your bedtime routine and time
the same every night. By keeping it the same your body will get the message that it's
almost time to sleep."

What does the word "routine" mean above?

A. something done over and over

B. something that a person has never done before
C. something that is likely to cause harm
D. something that people do with others

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

Kids can have trouble sleeping for a variety of reasons, _______ feeling excited and
being alone in a room.

A. never
B. although
C. including
D. in conclusion

ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

 A Good Night - Comprehension Questions

8. Name one thing mentioned in the passage that can keep people from falling asleep
at night.

9. Name one thing the passage suggests that people do to help them fall asleep at
night.

10. Imagine a friend of yours is having trouble sleeping. Based on the information in the
passage, what would you say to him or her?

ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

 A Good Night - Comprehension Questions Answer Key

1. What can be difficult for people at bedtime?

A. falling asleep
B. moving a picture
C. talking to a parent
D. taking a warm bath

2. A problem described in the passage is being unable to fall asleep. What is one
solution?

A. not talking to anyone about something that is bothering you

B. staring at a picture that looks strange in the dark
C. going to bed at a different time every night
D. taking more time to wind down before bedtime

3. Read these sentences from the passage: "Maybe you can't sleep because you don't
like sleeping all alone in your room. Maybe you have a nightmare that keeps coming
back every time you close your eyes."

What can be concluded from this information?

A. All kids have trouble sleeping for the same reason.

B. There is more than one reason that kids have trouble sleeping.
C. Some kids like listening to stories at bedtime more than taking a warm bath.
D. Some kids like taking a warm bath more than listening to stories at bedtime.

4. How can the problem of falling asleep be described?

A. The problem of falling asleep is due to computers, cell phones, and other technology.
B. The problem of falling asleep is always worse on the weekends than it is during the
week.
C. The problem of falling asleep has been around for a long time and affects many
people.
D. The problem of falling asleep only affects people who share a bedroom with someone
else.

ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

 A Good Night - Comprehension Questions Answer Key

5. What is this passage mostly about?

A. why kids have trouble falling asleep and what they can do about it
B. some different stories that parents like reading to their children before bedtime
C. why some people get more nervous than others about tests in school
D. different daytime activities that make kids too excited to fall asleep at night

6. Read the following sentences: "It also helps to keep your bedtime routine and time
the same every night. By keeping it the same your body will get the message that it's
almost time to sleep."

What does the word "routine" mean above?

A. something done over and over

B. something that a person has never done before
C. something that is likely to cause harm
D. something that people do with others

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

Kids can have trouble sleeping for a variety of reasons, _______ feeling excited and
being alone in a room.

A. never
B. although
C. including
D. in conclusion

8. Name one thing mentioned in the passage that can keep people from falling asleep
at night.

Answers may vary but should all come from the passage. For example,
being alone in a room can keep people from falling asleep at night.

ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

 A Good Night - Comprehension Questions Answer Key

9. Name one thing the passage suggests that people do to help them fall asleep at
night.

Answers may vary but should all come from the passage. For example,
talking to a parent about a source of nervousness can help a person fall
asleep at night.

10. Imagine a friend of yours is having trouble sleeping. Based on the information in the
passage, what would you say to him or her?

Answers may vary, as long as they are supported by the passage. For
example, students may respond that first they would ask their friend what
was keeping him or her from falling asleep. Depending on the reply, they
might offer any of several suggestions: talking to a parent about the issue,
taking more time to wind down before bedtime, going to bed at a regular
time, and so on.

ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.