What clues do we have about a natural day? In other words,
what does our body anticipate about our daily activities?
Here are some clues:
7am: Protect your immune system
The first hour after waking in the morning is the time when the
immune system is at its lowest ebb, and the cells that defend the
body against invading viruses and infections are at their weakest.
This is why rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, for example, have the
greatest pain of the day in the first hour after waking and need to
adjust their medication to peak at that time. It's also why the
chances of catching a cold from another member of the family are
at their highest around the breakfast table - so avoid morning
kisses.
Early morning is also the peak time for heart attacks, with a 70 per
cent greater risk of having a heart attack between 7am and 9pm
compared to the rest of the day. Even for those without a heart
condition, starting the day gently is good advice. Now's the time
also to drink down a big glass of water to rehydrate your liver after
its night of fat processing (it processes glucose during the day) and
to eat a hearty breakfast to stoke up your defences for the day.
10am: Brain power goes live
Between 10am and 1pm, your brain switches into high gear for its
most active three hours of the day, making it the best time for
complex mental tasks and decision-making. One of the reasons for
this is that adrenalin production has its first peak of the day at 12
noon and it's this that primes the brain to work and react faster.
1pm: Siesta time
Between 1pm and 3pm comes the post-noon dip in hormone
production, and the body is at its lowest daytime ebb during these
two hours.
'We don't know why this is the case, but it is,' says Dr Jim
Waterhouse, lecturer in physiology at Liverpool John Moores
University. 'The 2pm feed, for instance, is the last one that babies
give up before moving on to a 24-hour cycle. It is also the time at
which, as we get older, we have a nap, and why some cultures
have siestas. It is not a good time for mental challenges.'
3pm: Go for repetition
Between 3pm and 5pm, researchers have discovered, is the best
time of the day for peak efficiency in repetitive jobs which do not
require much concentration or memory skills. This is linked to a
second spike in adrenaline around 4pm and gradually increasing
body temperature.
4pm: Leap into exercise
The body reaches its highest temperature of the day around this
time. With increased heat, physical performance rises and
between 4pm and 7pm is the prime time for physical performance.
Most athletic world records are set in the late afternoon and early
evening.
5pm: Now's the time for baby
Both men and women are at their most fertile in the late afternoon.
8pm: Time for sensitivity As dusk descends, hormone production
begins to fall, and the body again becomes more sensitive to
allergens and other invaders of the immune system. Those prone to
asthma are likely yo suffer more attacks, with midnight the peak
time for sneezing. The digestive system winds down, too, getting
ready for sleep - and won't appreciate a large, rich meal. And as
darkness falls, levels of melatonin rise in the brain, telling it to
switch off and sleep.
A suitable time for treatment
One of the spin-offs from the realisation that the body functions
differently during the 24-hour cycle is that some drugs are now
being made to be taken at the optimum time of day.
Such drugs - known as chronotherapeutics - are designed to be
taken just before the symptoms are at their worst. Thus,
rheumatoid arthritis therapies are aimed at the morning pain peak,
osteoarthritis remedies in the late afternoon, and asthma at night.
French studies even suggest that taking antihistamines before bed
better controls hay fever, which tends to be worse first thing in the
morning.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is another area where taking
drugs at the right moment can make a substantial difference. Blood
pressure surges in the early morning hours, so the most recent
drugs are specially coated so that although they are taken at
bedtime, they doesn't reach peak strength until around 6am when
they are most needed.
Anti-cholesterol drugs known as statins are already known to work
better when given in the evening because they target a cholesterol-
affecting enzyme that is most active at night and other forms of
therapy designed to reach high activity around cholesterol
production peaks that occur during the night are also on the cards.
The latest discovery that the late afternoon is the best time for
male potency may also lead to changes in fertility programmes.
Though Italian researchers suggest it is the best time for
spontaneous conception, it may also prove to be the best time for
assisted conception for couples with infertility problems.
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This material is from:
www.guardian.co.uk/
Timing is everything
Roger Dobson
