A study has found that in regions where the sun sets earlier, people sleep for longer, which can translate into higher earnings, according to The Guardian.

Research shows that more sleep can lead to us earning more money. A US study has found that in areas where the sun sets earlier, people sleep for longer – and this translates into higher earnings. In the long term, just one extra hour of sleep a week increases wages by 4.9%. So if you live in an area that gets darker earlier, you should be richer. But don’t move house just yet – the higher wages correspond almost exactly with inflated house prices. As Jeffrey Shrader, one of the authors of the study, puts it: “If you want to sleep more, there are better ways to do it than moving house – just buy better curtains.”

This goes against conventional economics. Each extra hour of sleep should take away from working time. So how can sleeping earn you money? The answer is productivity. “The biggest effects come through employees who work on commission,” says Shrader. “If you go to work well rested, you are livelier and happier, and can sell more to increase your earnings.”

Even small amounts of sleep deprivation can have large effects. Annother study found that sleeping six hours a night for two weeks produced the same results in cognitive tests as being totally sleep-deprived for up to two days straight. But a mid-afternoon kip can help. “Naps are great,” says sleep psychologist Dr Hans Van Dongen. If you struggle to get eight hours of sleep a night, a siesta can have a “reset” effect, and your productivity improves afterward. “Roughly speaking, an hour’s nap can make up for an hour in lost sleep at night.”

Get the full story at www.theguardian.com