Shadowing Practice: Watch This If You Can't Sleep... - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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You cannot sleep no matter what you try.
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It seems like nothing's working We as a collective have all watched those videos
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that are titled how to fall asleep in two minutes or something like that But recently my sleep schedule.
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Yeah, it's been garbage So I thought about and I was like, what are some things that I did in the past
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or maybe things that I could learn about that could possibly Improve my sleep schedule.
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I did some google searches I asked people who actually have good sleep schedules
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And now keep in mind that these may not work for everybody since everyone's different.
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So if you know all these, you'll have a variety of things you can do under your belt.
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Before I even step foot in my bed, the first thing I even think about doing is changing my environment.
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Why?
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Well, sometimes it's hot as fuck in my room.
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My pillow's warm, like it's just not good.
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So what I do is I turn the fan on so it's nice and cool in my room.
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I flip my pillow over so it's not warm.
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Obviously, I don't make my room too cold.
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I just do it just so it's at the right temperature
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and I stop any light from being in my face at
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all The most important thing I do is I shut my door
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because the smallest noise will just end up waking me up My room's got to be at a cool temperature.
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It's got to be completely dark
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and completely quiet Some people sleep with their tv on
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which personally I wouldn't recommend But I mean if it works for you, it works for you
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when I did have my tv on in the past I'd
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always wake up to some random bullshit like george lopez
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and it would happen like every single night That's why i'm like i'm just not doing
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that again now that my environment is at what I personally prefer
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and on some nights I lie down and nothing not even
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that works So one thing
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that i've learned from those how to fall asleep in two
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minute videos was a technique where you just rapidly blink for like 30 seconds Somebody walked in on me doing that.
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I don't know how I would explain that.
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Hey, it might be stupid But it works for me at least I don't know how
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but whenever I do this I fall asleep in at least like 15 minutes.
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And I looked up why this was the case.
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Thing is because it tires out your eye muscles
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and it will also distract you from the fact that you can't sleep in that current moment.
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You're just focused on the blinking.
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Or you could do the opposite.
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You can close your eyes when you're lying there, open them, absorb your, absorb?
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Observe your surroundings for a couple seconds and then close your eyes again.
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And then just repeat this process for maybe like, I don't know, a minute.
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I've done this one a few times as well.
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It also helps me because I'm too focused on the fact that I can't sleep.
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I tried this a couple of days ago when I was nervous as fuck for an exam.
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I tried it and I fell asleep, but I still did buns on the exam.
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If I were to put this on a tier list, I'd probably put it like in the A tier.
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It works for me in a lot of cases, but if you don't think it's going to work for you, you could do this instead.
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Breathing exercises without fail.
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This works every single time for me.
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Maybe there's like a one-off chance it doesn't work.
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I'll breathe in and just hold it for a little bit
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and then I'll breathe out and then hold it for a little bit.
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Just so I make my breath slower.
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I count all my breaths
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so you're not thinking about whatever shit you got going on tomorrow or the fact that you can't sleep, whatever it might be.
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Like doing that will ground you in the present moment instead of your brain being all over the place.
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But not only that, it will just relax you as well if your breaths are slower.
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But there's also more specific breathing methods.
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Like I saw this one in a Sambuca short, but it was a four seven eight breathing method
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so first you breathe in through your nose for four seconds you hold your breath for seven seconds
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and then exhale for eight this will help you feel more relaxed
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and it will just slow down your overall heart rate i'm gonna put this in the s tier
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because i feel like this works all the time for me at least for me breathing exercises have no misses
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but next we probably got the dumbest method in this video but it still works sometimes counting sheep.
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This is like a cartoon ass method or the oldest trick in the book ass method.
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But sometimes the oldest trick in the playbook always works.
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Sometimes it will come in clutch when you need it most.
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It could really work for some people if you just sit there
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and visualize the sheep hopping over the fence one at a time at a very moderate pace.
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Okay, what the f* is this video?
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I guess once again, this one is just taking your mind off the fact
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that you can't sleep and your brain is now busy picturing what the sheep would look like and how you're counting them.
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But some people might find it boring to just sit there and count sheep.
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So obviously it's not going to work for everybody.
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But the boring aspect of counting sheep, that kind of does help me fall asleep.
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But at the same time, your mind can wander away from it so fast because who the hell would want to just sit there and count sheep?
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Nobody.
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Look, I know Sean the Sheep was a goaded show and all, but I can't sit there and count sheep all day
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and put up a prayer that it even gives me a slight chance of falling asleep faster.
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So for that reason, I'm going to put this one in C tier.
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Sometimes it works for me.
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Sometimes my brain just gets bored
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or you could just visualize anything a place where you're like I guess in your element
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or whatever the hell people say you could visualize yourself I don't know like LeBron dunking the ball
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if you want to feel like you're the goat of basketball
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Or maybe you could visualize yourself as curry Splashing a three
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or just your ideal future in ten years or a day on the beach if that that relaxes you.
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Whatever will help you take your mind off the fact that the clock is ticking and you're somehow not asleep yet.
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This one's a little bit better than the counting sheet method, but once again, it's not really gonna work for everybody though.
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It's definitely a lot less boring, but still it's hard to get your brain to focus on that, especially when you've been doom scrolling all day.
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So I'll throw it in B tier, I guess.
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And for those of you watching this like right before bed, one thing that helped me was drinking warm milk or taking a warm shower.
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The warm shower water will just relax you.
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I don't know if any of you have also experienced this, but in the morning when I shower, if the water's too warm, sometimes I will almost fall asleep.
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I will just sit in the shower and just stare at a whole lot of nothing for five minutes.
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And the same thing with warm milk, it's the same type of thing.
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It will help relax your body.
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And it can also help your body produce more serotonin and melatonin, according to Google.
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And I feel like every single time I do this, I'm like in a little cocoon in my bed and I'm just not moving, bro.
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I'm staying there for the rest of the night.
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I'll put this one in the A tier.
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Sometimes it may not help me with like stressful thoughts that I have or anything.
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Another thing I like to do is listen to something as I'm trying to go to sleep.
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Whether it's a YouTube video or rainforest ambient noises, it can be very relaxing.
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But sometimes the noise can be too distracting if it's at too high of a volume.
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But once again, this will focus all of your attention on the video or the sound.
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Some people, it may not work.
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It could be too distracting for you.
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But at least for me, it clears my head of any embarrassing moments or anything like that.
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But I'm gonna have to put this one probably in A tier.
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Sometimes it doesn't really work, but for the most part, it does.
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But what's next will really affect your sleep.
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What if I told you that it all starts with what you do during the day?
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I know, right?
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Crazy groundbreaking discovery, but it's true.
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So first of all, you gotta exercise.
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Go to the gym, go for a run, whatever it is, and you will fall asleep faster.
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Exercising, especially in the morning, will help with melatonin production when it's time to go to sleep.
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Exercising also, of course, reduces things like stress and anxiety, so you should just do it anyway.
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And it will also help with the overall quality of your sleep as well.
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I think about it this way.
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I mean, your body's gonna have to recover if you're putting up crazy weight in the gym.
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And this one, to me, is a given.
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Like, it's pretty obvious, but no caffeine or any other stimulating substances close to bedtime.
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I have caffeine every morning, but I do not drink caffeine like 12 hours before I have to go to sleep.
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Because when I have to go to sleep, I'll be all jittery.
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Or if you're like hitting a vape before bed, you're not gonna be able to go to sleep either.
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Because obviously your brain will get stimulated from the nicotine.
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So you'll be wide awake.
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Sunlight exposure, this one's definitely very important.
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Because it will affect your circadian rhythm.
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If you just sit in a dark room all day and don't go outside, how is your brain gonna know when it's time to go to sleep?
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Creating a bedtime routine.
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Whether it's you read an hour before bed, or you listen to relaxing music, whatever the case is, having a routine will help you fall asleep around the same time every night.
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I'm not going to lie, I still struggle with this one.
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I cannot keep a consistent sleep schedule for the life of me.
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Avoid heavy meals close to your bedtime.
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This one will definitely have you lying awake at night
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because your stomach is working overtime and your stomach works a lot better when you're digesting upright rather than lying down.
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I would experience a lot of acid reflux because I used to eat a lot before bed.
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A light snack is not going to kill you.
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But bro, if you're eating a full course meal before bed, that's kind of crazy.
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Also, don't nap too close to bed.
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If you nap too close to bed, it's just going to mess up your whole circadian rhythm.
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Especially if your nap turns into a deep sleep.
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I wouldn't even nap for more than 30 minutes if you're going to nap.
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Because you'll just wake up and just feel super groggy.
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Limit your screen time.
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Now, don't get me wrong.
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I listen to videos all the time before I go to sleep.
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But I don't stare at my phone.
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There's definitely a huge difference there.
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And I also don't have my phone at max brightness to where it could flashbang me.
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My brightness is all the way down and I have night mode on.
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So even if you do look at your phone for one second, it's not the end of the world.
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So if you like background noise when you fall asleep, it's a lot better to just listen to the video rather than having a TV blaring in your face
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or staring at your screen for a long period of time.
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So all the daytime shit, I'm going to put it in S tier.
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Very important stuff.
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But yes, sleep is very important.
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So don't pull all nighters and make sure you get a sufficient amount of sleep every night.
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So instead of watching another video, go to sleep.
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Or if it's daytime for you though, watch this video on the end screen.
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Speaking Goals for This Clip: Natural Fluency in Casual Conversations
This video is perfect for practicing shadow speak—a technique where you repeat phrases aloud immediately after hearing them—to master the rhythm and tone of everyday English. The speaker uses relaxed, conversational language, making it ideal for learners aiming to sound more natural in informal settings. Focus on matching the pace, pauses, and emphasis to build fluency in sharing personal experiences, like talking about sleep struggles.
Phrase Bank: Reusable Expressions for Daily Chats
- "no matter what you try" – Use to describe persistent challenges (e.g., "I can’t fix this no matter what I try").
- "under your belt" – Means having a skill or tool ready (e.g., "After this course, I’ll have 10 new recipes under my belt").
- "on some nights" – A casual way to talk about occasional situations (e.g., "On some nights, I prefer tea over coffee").
- "without fail" – Emphasizes something that always works (e.g., "Her morning run wakes her up without fail").
- "one-off chance" – A rare occurrence (e.g., "It’s a one-off chance to see the museum for free").
Fix Your Weak Spots: Pronunciation and Rhythm Tips
The dialogue is full of contractions and informal phrases ("it's", "I'm", "bullshit") that can trip up learners. Use the shadowing technique to practice linking words smoothly—for example, "I don't know how" becomes "I dunno how" in fast speech. Notice how the speaker stresses words like "garbage" (to emphasize bad sleep) and "completely" (to highlight importance). Repeat these phrases aloud to improve your pronunciation of reduced sounds and natural intonation. Pro tip: Record yourself shadowing and compare it to the video to spot areas to refine. Learning English with videos like this helps you pick up real-world speech patterns, making your conversations feel less scripted and more authentic.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.