Tweaking your schedule for a healthier, more productive you has never been easier. Photo / Getty Images
Tweaking your schedule for a healthier, more productive you has never been easier. Photo / Getty Images
Isaac Newton rarely drifted off before 2am. Charles Darwin considered the stretch between 8am and 9.30am his most productive. But recent science has revealed rather more about our body clocks and schedules, says James Goodwin, director of the Brain Health Network and author of Supercharge Your Brain.
In 2017, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three scientists for their research on circadian rhythms. From the Latin "circa diem", or "nearly a day", these body clocks help to regulate our blood pressure, body temperature, hormones and general good health. Or they did, before we stopped winding them properly. "Our modern, erratic lifestyles are the villain of the piece," says Goodwin. "We're eating at unpredictable times, sleeping at erratic times, working or socialising online at odd times too. It plays havoc with our rhythms."
Long-term disruption of our circadian clocks by our lifestyles can raise our risk of chronic illness. Even in the short term, it can hobble our mental agility, dulling our reasoning and decision-making, damaging our mood and our social interactions.
Could it be that a slight tweak to your schedule is the only thing standing between you and winning the Nobel Prize (or, at least, the pub quiz)? And if so, what do recent scientific studies suggest are the optimum times at which to wake, work and whatnot, if we are to be our best brilliant selves?
Early bird or night owl? Research (and – for parents – hard-won experience) suggests that most of us show a marked tendency towards the latter during our tweens and 20s. Post 50, most of us are brightest in the morning. Either way, last year, a 2021 study jointly conducted by researchers from the University of Colorado, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University found an association between rising just an hour earlier than normal and a decreased risk of depression by 23 per cent.
7.11am: time for breakfast
According to research by the University of Murcia, the ideal time to break your fast is at 7.11am … unless, of course, you are intermittent fasting, in which case, according to Professor Tim Spector, eating after 11am ensures you have at least 14 hours of fasting (as long as you've stopped snacking by 9pm), which growing evidence suggests is best for the metabolism.
8am: Girls, get working out
US research published this May suggests women who exercise between the hours of 6 and 8am may burn more body fat than those who do so between 6.30 and 8.30pm (evenings count more for men).
9am: have a coffee
Most people understand the importance of a morning coffee. Photo / Getty Images
Cortisol (the hormone that transitions you into wakefulness) peaks when you first wake up, says Goodwin. So resist the temptation to down a shot first thing. Wait until your levels drop and you really need a caffeine boost.
Christopher M Barnes, a professor of organisational behaviour in Washington, has spent much of his career studying circadian rhythms in search of productivity hacks. As he suggested in the Harvard Business Review: "The most important tasks should be conducted when people are at or near their peaks in alertness (within an hour or so of noon and 6pm)."
12.38pm: eat a healthy lunch
According to the University of Murcia, lunching late (post 3pm) "has a deleterious effect on microbiota diversity and composition". The ideal time is, their research advises, 12.38pm precisely.
Afternoon: Back to work
Give yourself a regular break from your screen at work. Photo / 123RF
In 2015, an international group of scientists published guidelines in the BMJ, suggesting we get up from our desks every hour and walk for two minutes to reduce our risk of dying prematurely by 33 per cent. While you're at it, consider practising the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, drag your eyes from the screen and stare at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Ideally not a colleague – that could produce less optimal results.
3pm: Take a power nap
Back to Barnes. According to his research, siestas should be scheduled for points in the circadian rhythm when you're feeling less productive and have low energy. Naps are especially important as we age, adds Goodwin, helping us reach the recommended seven to eight hours when our night-time sleep becomes more disturbed.
5pm: An early dinner
Eat your last meal of the day earlier on than you think. Photo / 123RF
If you are serious about self-optimisation you should be sitting down for your last meal of the day around now. In 2018, Cell Metabolism Journal published research showing that eating late further disrupts our circadian rhythms. And as we age, this body clock weakens. "This age-dependent deterioration of the circadian clock parallels our increased risk for metabolic diseases, heart diseases, cancer and dementia," said the study authors.
At the very least, make sure to eat and drink more than three hours before bed, says Goodwin. The microbes in your gut follow a circadian rhythm too: "stress the bugs out, and you'll stress your brain out".
6.30pm: time for a workout, if you're a man
It seems the optimum time for males to exercise is 6.30 to 8.30pm. For men, strength increases after morning and evening exercise, but evening exercise brings extra benefits with "lower systolic blood pressure and fatigue and stimulates fat oxidation compared to early morning exercise".
9pm: Put your phone down and limit screen time
A Harvard University study concluded that "use of portable light-emitting devices immediately before bedtime has biological effects that may perpetuate sleep deficiency and disrupt circadian rhythms, both of which can have adverse impacts on performance, health and safety."
10pm: go to sleep
Last November, UK research found that SOTs (that's "sleep onset time") earlier than 10pm and later than 11pm were associated with increased cardiovascular risk. So close your eyes at 10. Too stressed by the demands of your self-optimisation-schedule to sleep? Don't be. It's consistency that really matters, says Goodwin. Just pick a routine, and stick to it.
