The best time of day to do everything – from eating and exercise to sex and sleeping
WITH endless to-do lists, many of us pay little attention to the order in which we carry out everyday activities.
But the time of day we eat, hit the gym and even have sex can have a significant impact on our health.
Syncing your activities to your body clock can help reduce stress, blood pressure and risk of heart attack.
It can also improve digestion and even help ward off cancer, scientists have found.
Dr Greg Potter, an expert in body clocks, and host of the podcast Reason & Wellbeing, says: “Our bodies have an internal clock that produces 24-hour — or “circadian” — rhythms in many biological processes.
“Understanding when your clock is optimised for different activities, and keeping it on time through cues — like getting plenty of daylight, being active and scheduling meals through the day, then minimising light exposure at night — can affect all aspects of your health.”
You will be familiar with how disruption to your clock feels if you’ve ever had jet lag.
More subtle disruption is common and can contribute to many health problems.
Shift workers, for example, are at higher risk of coronary heart disease, some cancers and asthma.
Even being exposed to lots of artificial light at night can be linked to poorer sleep and increased risk of breast cancer.
Then there’s the clocks — not our body’s one — going forward in spring.
During this transition, we lose sleep and this disrupts our body clocks, leading to a small increase in heart attacks and traffic accidents.
Dr Potter adds: “Every cell has its own clock, with a master clock in the brain that helps keep all other clocks on time — a bit like the conductor of an orchestra.
“The master clock is set by your patterns of light exposure. Others are also set by when you’re active and eating.”
Here, Sun on Sunday Health plans your ultimate daily health schedule, from a 6-7am wake-up.
7-8am: Best time for sex
LEVELS of the sex hormones, testosterone in men and oestrogen in women, are higher first thing.
One study found morning sex helps reduce blood pressure and stress.
But those trying for a baby should wait a few hours.
Dr Potter says: “Sperm quality is higher if you have sex in the first half of the waking day.
“Fertility levels will reach a peak between about 11am and 3pm.”
8am: Eat breakfast
“WAIT at least an hour after waking before having breakfast,” says Dr Potter.
“Many of us set an alarm to get up and eat straight away, when it’s still our biological night-time.
“If we eat too early, we can experience large blood sugar swings.”
Generally, our blood sugar responses to meals will be lower in the morning than in the evening, at around 8pm.
8.45am: Get outside
GOING outside within the first two hours of your day will help align your body clock to daylight.
It helps keep that master clock ticking in time and increases the chances of better rest at night.
10-11am: Schedule work meetings
“ATTENTION peaks twice in the day, between 10am and 11am and 4pm and 5pm,” says Dr Potter.
“Working with your brain’s natural peaks and troughs is important for long-term brain health because it boosts the cognitive reserve that you will rely on to stave off diseases such as Alzheimer’s.”
12pm: A big meal
A 2022 Beijing study showed those who eat lunch at 2pm, rather than at midday, experience a higher glucose peak after their meal, lower insulin sensitivity and an increase in insulin resistance — all factors that raise the risk of diabetes.
Dr Potter explains : “Consuming as much of your daily calorie intake as possible early in the day is better for your metabolic health.”
4pm: Learn something new
“DR Potter says: “The brain’s second attention peak of the day makes this the perfect time to learn an instrument or take a dance class.
“Stretching your mind now will boost cognitive reserves that will stand you in good stead when you’re older.”
5-6pm: Hit the gym
DAILY exercise is key to cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health, and performance is best in the late afternoon.
Dr Potter explains: “There are reasons many world records are set in the late afternoon and early evening.
“It’s not just performance is highest at this time, afternoon exercise may be better for blood sugar control too.”
6pm: Light bite
HAVING dinner at 3pm isn’t practical for most, so a better strategy is to make dinner small.
Dr Potter says: “Research has shown that having a big breakfast and small dinner is better for weight loss and blood sugar than a small breakfast and big dinner.
“Ideally, don’t consume any calories, including drinks, within two hours of going to bed. Herbal teas are fine though.
Early dinner is good for metabolic health and may improve sleep and cardiovascular health.”
10-11pm: Hit the hay
CALLING it a day around now could be the easiest way to heal your heart, found a study in the new European Heart Journal.
Levels of stress hormone cortisol fall, while your body produces a surge of sleep-inducing melatonin which can help eliminate cancer-causing free radicals during the hours of darkness.
Dr Potter says: “A healthy night’s sleep can support physical and mental health.
“Avoiding bright artificial light from bulbs and phones for three hours before bedtime will set you up for restorative rest.
“The best kind of light before bed mimics firelight — like in caveman days.”