Breaking News English

Going to bed early is better for us

Night Owls - Level 0

The early bird catches the worm. This means people who wake up early do many things. This may be true. Scientists found that people who sleep early do better in tests. People who sleep and wake up early (early birds) do better than people who sleep and wake up late (night owls). Their brains are different.

The scientists tested 38 people. They answered questions about sleep and tiredness. They had brain scans and did tests. The early birds were less sleepy. They did the tests quicker than the night owls. The scientists said night owls have to get up early for school and work. They always want to sleep late.

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3

MORE

11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Night Owls - Level 1

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.

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3

MORE

11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Night Owls - Level 2

Slowest

People say: "The early bird catches the worm." It means people who wake up early do many things. U.S. President Benjamin Franklin said: "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." These sayings may be true. Scientists in the U.K. found that people who go to bed before 11pm may do better in life. They added that 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 brain function of early birds and night owls.

Mistake: Benjamin Franklin was a Founding Father of the USA, not a President.

The scientists tested 38 people. The people answered questionnaires about their sleep and when they felt tired. They were then put into an early bird or night owl group. All of the people had MRI brain scans and did tests throughout 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 two groups. The researchers said night owls have to get up early for school and work. They are always fighting against wanting to sleep late and their natural rhythm.

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3

MORE

11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Night Owls - Level 3

The phrase, "The early bird catches the worm" may be true. It means people who wake up early get more done than people who don't. Another saying is from former U.S. President Benjamin Franklin. He said: "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Scientists have found that people who go to bed before 11pm may do better in life than people who sleep around 2:30am. The researchers are from Birmingham's Centre for Human Brain Health in the U.K. Their research showed that people who slept and rose early (early birds) had an advantage over people who slept and woke up late (night owls). There were differences in the brain function of early birds and night owls.

Mistake: Benjamin Franklin was a Founding Father of the USA, not a President.

The scientists tested 38 people in their research. The people answered questionnaires about their sleeping pattern and when they felt tired during the day. They were then put into an early bird or night owl group based on their answers. All of the people had MRI scans on their brain and did different tests throughout the day. The early birds said they felt less sleepy and were able to do the tests quicker than the night owls. The researchers said there were big differences between the two groups. The researchers said: "Night owls during school have to get up earlier, then they go into work and they have to get up earlier, so they're constantly having to fight against their preferences and natural rhythms."

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3

MORE

25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson