In 2018, Cell Metabolism Journal published research showing that eating late further disrupts our circadian rhythms. If you are serious about self-optimisation you should be sitting down for your last meal of the day around now. 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). 7.11am: time for breakfastĪccording 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 Prof Tim Spector, eating after 11am ensures you have at least 14 hours of fasting (as long as you’ve stopped snacking by 9pm the night before), which growing evidence suggests is best for the metabolism. 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. Post 50, most of us are brightest in the morning. Even in the short term, it can hobble our mental agility, dulling our reasoning and decision-making, damaging our mood and our social interactions.Ĭould 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? Set your alarm an hour earlier in the morningĮarly 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 twenties. Long-term disruption of our circadian clocks by our lifestyles can raise our risk of chronic illness. “We’re eating at unpredictable times, sleeping at erratic times, working or socialising online at odd times too. “Our modern, erratic lifestyles are the villain of the piece,” says Goodwin. Or they did, before we stopped winding them properly. 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. In 2017, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three scientists for their research on circadian rhythms.
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.
Charles Darwin considered the stretch between 8 and 9.30am his most productive. Isaac Newton rarely drifted off before 2am.
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