Are you a night owl or a morning lark? If you are a night owl, you may have better brain function, according to a new study reported on in Medical News Today.

Apparently, we all have a “chronotype,” which is something that defines what time of the day we are most active based on our sleeping patterns. If you are the type of person who wakes up early and is most active during the morning, then your chronotype is popularly referred to as a morning lark. If you get the most done at night and then sleep in late, you are considered a night owl. Fair enough, but what does that really mean?

Raha West is a National Institute for Health and Care Research Doctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London. When you have 21 words in your title, you must be important. She is the lead author of a new study recently published in the journal BMJ Public Health that found getting between seven and nine hours of sleep each night was optimal for brain health.

Between seven and nine, she found. Hmmm. So, in my simple mind, that is… eight? Haven’t we been told for all our lives that we need eight hours of sleep? Ever wonder who pays for these studies? West and her team apparently analyzed data from more than 26,000 adults ages 53 to 86 listed in the U.K. Biobank. Clearly, somebody needs more work to do.

Anyway, West and her research team also found that people who identify as night owls may have better cognitive ability than morning larks. Now, this I find interesting, as I have been both, and I am not sure which is better. Interestingly, their studies found that not only too little sleep, but also too much sleep, may be detrimental to brain performance.

Now, to the meat of this study. Researchers discovered that night owls performed better on cognitive tests than morning larks. Scientists also found that participants in the middle who did not define themselves as a morning or evening person also had improved cognitive test scores when compared to morning larks. The burning question then is, should morning larks try to become night owls? According to West, they should not.

“Our study found associations, not causality, and there is a wide range of cognitive performance within each chronotype,” she stated. “The key is to focus on getting high-quality sleep and understanding your natural sleep patterns. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and ensuring you get the right amount of sleep is crucial for cognitive health, regardless of whether you are a morning or evening person.”

So, in other words, get eight hours of sleep. Aren’t you glad the researchers cleared that up?

Have a magnificent Monday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com

See Shane Goodman's previous columns here.

WALKS OF LIFE
Curtain call

Compiled from the Iowa Living magazines

For many people, public speaking is their worst fear. They recall suffering from butterflies in the stomach or worse before stepping out on the stage for their elementary school programs and the terror of having to speak in front of their peers in high school speech class. For them, the thought of performing before the public in a stage production sounds as appealing as being tarred and feathered. Others actually seek the spotlight, volunteer to memorize lines and create play props, and eagerly await the day the curtains are drawn back and the show begins. Some of these people share their reasons why center stage is the place they want to be.

[...]

Monday deals. Urban Cellar (640 S. 50th St., West Des Moines) offers $60 wine dinners for two on Mondays including two entrees with soup or salad, a dessert and a bottle on wine... Kathy’s East 14th Street Pub (3418 E. 14th St., Des Moines) offers Bad Dog Burgers on Mondays — three 1/3 pound patties, six pieces of bacon, choice of cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion — for $10.95... Today is lasagna day at Winn’s Pizza and Steakhouse (122 W. Ashland Ave., Indianola)... Monday’s $8 special at Continental (407 E. Fifth St., Des Moines) includes a smash burger with lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions, burger sauce and frites… Centro (1003 Locust St., Des Moines) offers half-priced pizza and Peronis on Monday... Kwik Star's quarter pound bacon cheeseburgers and mushroom and Swiss cheeseburgers are only $3.39 every Monday... Price Choppers have $6 chicken dinners with two pieces of fried, two sides, a roll and butter... McBee Meat Company in Lamoni is offering a free case of beer for every dead deer brought in for processing. 

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

Yards with personality
Residents share how their landscaping choices reflect their style.

By Lindsey Giardino

A plethora of pots. A hillside of hostas. Wildflowers willy nilly. Manicured hedges and straight edges. From wild and unruly to precise and planned, the landscaping around a home often reflects the owner’s own unique style. While some prefer lush, thick foliage, others enjoy succulents among a garden of rocks. From a tropical vibe to the charm of a country cottage. From mad about mulch to mad for magnolias. Whatever their preferences, homeowners with a green thumb and plenty of imagination enjoy creating landscaping masterpieces with pizzazz.

Restoring a native prairie
Chad Johnston and his husband, Jeff Savage, moved into their Polk City home in 2015. A large hill in the backyard that slopes down into a ravine takes up about two-thirds of the space.

When a neighbor who moved in around the same time expressed concern about erosion on the hill, Johnston began researching solutions. He learned that native grasses and flowers, which have deep roots, can help prevent erosion. So, he got to work and started planting native seeds on the hill to restore a natural prairie.

[...]

These celebrities were born on this date:  Danny Glover, David Spade, John Leguizamo, Selena Gomez Willem DaFoe, Albert Brooks, George Clinton, Don Henley, Keegan Allen, Keith Sweat, Rufus Wainwright, Emily Saliers, Madison Pettis, Rhys Ifans

SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

The answer to yesterday's riddle:

What happened when the god of thunder missed the nail with his hammer? HE GOT A THOR THUMB! - Mike Chiston, Rex Post, Gail Tomlinson, Lori Bluml, Ron Sorenson, Peri Van Tassel

Today's riddle

Why should you respect people who wear glasses?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

To advertise in the Daily Umbrella or the Iowa Living magazines, contact:

Jolene Goodman
Vice President
Office: 515-953-4822 ext. 319
Mobile: 515-326-0082
jolene@iowalivingmagazines.com

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