Before Thomas Edison and the light bulb, our ancestors arose early in the morning and went to sleep in the late evening; this was to make full use of daylight as little could be done once the moon came out. Nowadays we know that sleep is very important to our overall health, a lack of it can result in obesity, high blood pressure, and even death.
Now that we have the light bulb, the majority of people tend to rest when it suits them. The theory that smart people go to bed later than their counterparts has been widely investigated. It is based on the idea that those who go to sleep later, wake up later and therefore shows signs of high cognitive behaviour during peak times of the day. In contrast, those of you who fall asleep earlier in the night wake up earlier allowing intelligence and creativity to form early in the day. Studies have shown this is especially true for art students.
This theory also received merit from studies in which those who scored a higher IQ admitted to going to bed later than those who didn’t score as high. Not all is positive though, as Psychologist Marina Giampietro says that night owls are more prone to being emotionally unstable, depressed and have addiction problems with things such as cigarettes and alcohol.