Want to maximize your health and productivity? Here are the best times to eat, sleep, work, exercise – and do everything else.
6AM – 9AM
- When you wake in the morning your metabolism is slow. Your blood vessels are constricted after sleeping.
- Having cold shower in morning can help “shock” your body awake, it will increase your alertness and fight away that drowsiness.
- At this time exercise actually increases your blood pressure, so it is best not to do any heavy exercise. This is the time of the day when most heart attacks occur.
- If you’re watching your weight it’s best to step on the scales first thing in the morning – before you have had anything to eat or drink.
9AM – 12PM
- This is the time of your mental peak. Your concentration, memory, focus and creativity should be best at this time of the day. This is a good time to work on a math problem, to write, to compose music.
- Use this period to do that work that needs your best thinking, rather than using it for other tasks.
- This is also the best time to go for a job interview. You will be at your sharpest, while interviewers are less likely to be tired and will be easier to engage.
- Balance and muscle control are best at this time in the morning.
12 NOON – 2PM
This is the time of day when you want to have your biggest meal, because your body will be able to transform the food you give it into fuel and energy more easily than any other time.
2PM TO 3PM
- Most of us have an energy dip after lunch when the body’s metabolism slows right down.
- Drinking caffeine-rich coffee may be all it takes to get us through this slowdown.
3PM TO 4PM
- It may not go down well with the boss but the best time for a nap is usually mid-afternoon. That’s because naps taken during this time are less likely to interfere with night-time sleep.
- For a quick boost of alertness, experts say a 10-to-20-minute power nap is adequate for getting back to work in a pinch.
4PM – 7PM
- This is the best time for exercise. Athletes can get up to 10% better times and performance during this period of the day.
- 5pm is when most of us reach our the highest cardiovascular strength and 5.30pm is when grip strength is at its best (which could mean the optimum time for a weights workout).
- Blood vessels are most dilated, body temperature is highest, the lungs are working at maximum efficiency.
- Your body is most flexible during this time of the day, and the fewest heart attacks are recorded at this time of the day.
7PM – 9PM
- Eat dinner early and keep it small, and avoid overly fatty and spicy foods, as this will impact your sleep. Eating late when the liver is shutting down could lead to the risk of fat gain.
- A warm shower or, better yet, a bath during this time will help relax and relieve stress.
10PM – 12 MIDNIGHT
- Most people go to bed in this time slot. Your sleep hormone kicks in, body temperature drops down.
- This stage is delayed for the ‘night owls’. If you find you are not able to get to sleep until late at night, then get more sunlight during the day, especially in the morning.
12 MIDNIGHT – 3AM
- It is during this period that you will enter into deep sleep. If you have not gone to bed by this time, you should feel tired.
- This is also the worst time to drive.
3AM – 6AM
- This is the low time of your metabolism, with 4 am usually being the lowest point.
- At this time most people have the lowest blood pressure, skin is repaired during this time.
- This is also the time when most natural births occur.