Early risers may be thinner, happier

Bad news for those who love a good lie in: a new study finds that people who get out of bed by 7 a.m., on average, do better in the workplace and have a lower chance of being depressed, stressed and overweight.

"Morning people tend to be healthier and happier as well as having lower body mass indices," researcher Dr. Joerg Huber of Roehampton University in London said in a British Psychological Society conference, according to the UK's Telegraph last week.

In a study of 1,068 adults, evening people were found to get out of bed by 8:54 a.m., on average. On weekends, everyone enjoyed an extra hour under the covers: early risers awoke at 7:47 a.m., compared to 10:09 a.m. for late risers.

Another study in the US found that Americans who habitually stay up later and sleep in later eat more fast food and overall calories and less fruits and vegetables, and have a higher body weight and more difficulty with weight loss than people who have more normal sleep routines.