- Apr 4, 2009
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A new study suggests that people who identify as night owls are more focused than early risers, The Guardian reports .
Researchers at Imperial College London have studied tests of intelligence, reasoning, reaction time and memory in over 26,000 people in the biomedical database UK Biobank.
The test results were then compared with how the brain's performance was affected by the participants' sleep duration, sleep quality and chronotype, that is, what time of the day you feel most alert and productive.
The results show that those who stay up late and those who were at an intermediate level had "superior cognitive function", while those who are early risers had the lowest function. But since it is possible to change the circadian rhythm, it is more about an overall tendency than that morning people have poorer cognitive functions, according to the study's lead author Raha West.
However, the most important thing for the brain's ability to function is the length of sleep. Those who got between seven and nine hours of sleep each night performed best in cognitive tests, the study showed.
"While it's important to understand and work with your natural sleep tendencies, it's equally important to remember to get just enough sleep, not too long or too short. This is critical to keeping your brain healthy and functioning at its best" , says Raha West in a press release .
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science...ction-superior-to-early-risers-study-suggests
Any comments?
Researchers at Imperial College London have studied tests of intelligence, reasoning, reaction time and memory in over 26,000 people in the biomedical database UK Biobank.
The test results were then compared with how the brain's performance was affected by the participants' sleep duration, sleep quality and chronotype, that is, what time of the day you feel most alert and productive.
The results show that those who stay up late and those who were at an intermediate level had "superior cognitive function", while those who are early risers had the lowest function. But since it is possible to change the circadian rhythm, it is more about an overall tendency than that morning people have poorer cognitive functions, according to the study's lead author Raha West.
However, the most important thing for the brain's ability to function is the length of sleep. Those who got between seven and nine hours of sleep each night performed best in cognitive tests, the study showed.
"While it's important to understand and work with your natural sleep tendencies, it's equally important to remember to get just enough sleep, not too long or too short. This is critical to keeping your brain healthy and functioning at its best" , says Raha West in a press release .
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science...ction-superior-to-early-risers-study-suggests
Any comments?
