People say the early bird catches the worm. This means people who wake up early do many things. They also say: "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." This may be true. Scientists found that people who go to bed early do better in tests. People who sleep and wake up early (early birds) have an advantage over people who sleep and wake up late (night owls). They found differences in the brains of early birds and night owls.
The scientists tested 38 people. They answered questionnaires about sleep and tiredness. All of the people had MRI brain scans and did tests during the day. The early birds said they felt less sleepy. They did the tests quicker than the night owls. There were big differences between the groups. The researchers said night owls have to get up early for school and work. They always want to sleep late, so they have to fight their natural rhythm.