Night owls are mentally sharper than morning people.
Night owls have better cognitive function than morning people
A new study has found that adults who prefer being up late in the evening are more adept at cognitive tests than early risers.
A team of experts from Imperial College London analysed data from 27,000 people between the ages of 53 and 86 who signed up for the UK Biobank project and were asked to complete tests measuring intelligence, reasoning skills, reaction times and memory.
Participants had the choice when it came to the timing of the tests and night owls tended to do better at the tasks.
Dr. Jessica Chelekis, a sleep expert from Brunel University London who had no involvement in the study, said: "The main takeaway should be that the cultural belief that early risers are more productive than 'night owls' does not hold up to scientific scrutiny.
"While everyone should aim to get good-quality sleep each night, we should also try to be aware of what time of day we are at our (cognitive) best and work in ways that suit us."