There are two kinds of people in this world: early risers and night owls. For as long as we can remember, debates have raged between these two groups over who has the better lifestyle.
Early risers often believe they have the upper hand, citing old sayings like ‘early to bed, early to rise.’ On the other hand, night owls argue that they can get just as much done by staying up late.
This debate isn’t going away anytime soon, but a new study has brought some surprising evidence to light. When the results were published, people were taken aback by what they revealed about these two groups.
The study involved around 26,000 people, all similar in terms of intelligence. Researchers found that those who stayed up later seemed to have an advantage.
To reach these conclusions, participants underwent cognitive and intelligence tests. The findings were startling and contradicted what many had believed.
The survey was conducted by academics at Imperial College London. Participants completed a series of tests covering intelligence, reasoning, memory, and reaction time.
Researchers also examined several factors related to the participants, including sleep duration, sleep quality, and chronotype.
A chronotype is like a person’s internal clock and influences when they feel most and least alert throughout the day. The study pointed to those who went to bed and got up later performing better on these tests.
This was contrary to popular historical beliefs. While many intelligent figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Barack Obama were known for staying up late, others started their days early.
This might encourage some to consider staying up later. Even then, sufficient sleep is crucial for optimal brain function.
Raha West, the lead author and a clinical research fellow at Imperial College, said, “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.
“We’d ideally like to see policy interventions to help sleep patterns improve in the general population.”
Despite seemingly definitive results, some doctors and researchers remain skeptical. They point out that this topic still needs further exploration.
Ultimately, whether or not this study convinces you to change your bedtime, the key takeaway is to be true to yourself and make the most of your natural rhythms.
