A Chronobiologist's Tips for Organizing Your Day
7-8 A.M. If one maintains a regular rising time, it can be the most effective means of maintaining the body rhythms in tune. Exposure to light or an artificial light of equivalent brightness for fifteen minutes of rising will help in instilling these rhythms. Exposure to bright light generally has an energizing effect. Other methods to improve alertness are exercise, which will raise the body temperature, and eating some protein at breakfast.
9A.M. During the morning hours, it is the prime time for organizing, planning, creative thinking, writing, and editing.
11 A.M. This is the best time to schedule a meeting. The majority of people rate themselves as most alert at this hour, with their reasoning skills at their daily high. As well, short-term memory, the need to retain facts and have them readily available, is at a peak.
Noon Complex decision-making skills are at their peak
1-2 P.M. This is the best time for lunch because cheerfulness is at a high.
2 P.M. Daydreaming is most frequently done at this time.
2-3 P.M This time is often referred to as the post lunch dip . The body temperature declines around this time, and sleepiness is experienced. Tasks needing an alert mind should not be done at this time.
3 P.M. The midday dip continues. Performance is high for repetitive tasks requiring motor activity, such as sorting mail.
4 P.M. Alertness returns, making it a good time to work on small projects. Long-term memory is at a high in the afternoon.
5 P.M. During this time, people are more coordinated, and their reaction time is swift. This is a good time for exercise.
8-10 P.M. Alertness remains at a high.
Midnight Going to bed at about the same time each night sets the biological clock to expect good sleep. It reduces night-to-night variability, which helps reduce feelings of anxiety about sleep and perhaps insomnia.
The sleep / wake cycle is the most obvious circadian rhythm. The circadian click controls when people go to sleep, how long they sleep for, and the course of sleep during the night. Sleep is necessary for restoring energy lost throughout the day.
(Lamberg 1994, 42-47)
