Have you ever thought of how easy it is for many of us to fall asleep at night ? Do you know why that happens ? How about why are many people sleepy after having lunch ?
All this happens because of our internal clocks. Our internal clocks regulate everything from our body temperature and heart rate to our reaction time and memory. The morning light tells the brain to reset the clock. Light hitting the eye sends a signal to the brain to get the body clock going to trigger hormone release, temperature shifts and melatonin release.
Sunlight and darkness are closely linked to our 24 hour cyclic rhythm. Levels of melatonin rises and falls from dawn to dusk. Melatonin is released as the sun goes down, triggering a feeling of relaxation. Daylight stops melatonin production, which causes the person to wake up and be alert.
Body temperature also has a great effect on our inner clock. Our temperature lowers at night, slowing metabolism. It rises in the wee hours of the morning and continues to rise throughout the day to peak in late afternoon or early in the evening.
Body temperature determines how we act and react during the day. Humans are usually more alert in the late morning when the body temperature is rising. Muscle flexibility and aerobic endurance peak later in the afternoon. So an afternoon jog about 4 p.m. woudl be a great idea.
The San Diego Union Tribune mixes biology and common sense and came up with some practical tips for the most efficient and best time to perform some of life's tasks and chores. Research has shown that most people are on approximately the same body clock schedule. Depending on our inner clock we handle life's tasks better at certain times. Here is a list of The Best Times:
To Get Creative - Developing new ideas and finding solutions to problems comes the easiest from 9 to 10 a.m. when the body's temperature is rising and creativity is at its peak.
To Cram For An Exam - As the temperature starts to rise in the morning our minds are the sharpest. Studying at 10 a.m. causes you to remember more because that is when short term memory peaks.
To Focus - Alertness peaks before noon
To Take a Nap - The natural sleepy time for us is between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Guess what, it is not the lunch that you had that made you sleepy it is this natural sleepy period that is wired into the brain. This explains the Siestas that take place in the middle of the day in many parts of Europe.
To Exercise - Body temperature reaches its daily peak in the late afternoon and evening giving maximum muscle strength, flexibility, endurance and faster reaction time. It also helps to zap the stress of the day.
To Schedule Surgery - First thing in the morning. In a study of more than 90,000 operations analyzed by Duke University found that deleterious events were more common between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. and least common between 9 a.m. and noon. This may be due to the fact that cortisol and adrenaline drop due to the body's dip in circadian rhthym in the afternoon.
It's 8 a.m. and I am feeling very sleepy. Maybe I better wait till 9 a.m. to do anyting creative.