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Scientists at Imperial College London studied data from a study of more than 26,000 adults from the UK Biobank. For the purpose of the study, participants answered questions about tests of intelligence, reasoning, reaction time, and memory. They then looked at the duration, quality, and chronotype of the participants’ sleep, which is a person’s natural tendency to wake up and fall asleep at specific times. There are two main types of sleep: nighttime and morning. The aim of the study was to understand to what extent and how chronotype affects brain function.
After crunching the data, they found that nocturnal birds had “superior cognitive functioning,” scoring better on intelligence, reasoning and memory tests. Unlike them, early risers scored the lowest among all participants, while those who did not define themselves as morning or evening people ranked somewhere in the middle.
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Zagreb: Presentation of the results of the study “Sleep quality and sleep habits in older adults”
“We found that people who were awake longer and more active during the night had better outcomes on cognitive tests than those who woke up in the morning,” said Raha West, lead author and clinical researcher at the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London.
The findings suggest that the time of day when people feel most alert and productive can affect their cognitive performance, especially in older adults. West noted that the relationship between the body clock and cognitive performance may change with age, possibly due to changes in circadian rhythms and neurodegenerative processes.
– Nevertheless, we found that among adults, evening types showed better results in cognitive tests, while among young people, morning types generally showed better cognitive results – say the scientists.
For young adults and teens who stay up late for watching TV shows or socializing, going to bed and waking up early still has benefits, said Michael Scullin, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience who studies sleep at Baylor University but was not involved in the study.
– He added that for older adults who may wake up too early and have trouble falling asleep again, it would be good to try to modify sleep hygiene behaviors.
West and her team found that the optimal amount of sleep for cognitive health, whether someone is a night owl or an early riser, is seven to nine hours per night.
– Both too little and too much sleep can have negative effects on cognitive function – West concluded, she wrote The Haven Post.
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