Night Owls Have Cognitive Advantage Over Early Risers

Scientists at Imperial College London found that people who stay up late score better on tests that measure intelligence, reasoning, reaction time and memory. This new finding contrasts previous research that links being a night owl to increased risk for diabetes, heart disease and mental health issues.

According to The Guardian, the researchers studied more than 26,000 men and women. They examined how their duration of sleep, quality of sleep and chronotype (which determines the time of day an individual performs best mentally), affects brain performance.

The results showed that people who stayed up later at night or moderately late scored higher in cognitive performance than those who went to bed early. In addition, people who went to bed later were more likely to be creative types, like artists or musicians, according to the study. However, sleep duration was very important for brain function and researchers found that individuals who enjoyed seven to nine hours of sleep each night were the best performers on cognitive tests.

“We found that sleep duration has a direct effect on brain function, and we believe that proactively managing sleep patterns is really important for boosting, and safeguarding, the way our brains work,” said the study authors. (Read more from “Night Owls Have Cognitive Advantage Over Early Risers” HERE)