If lunch is left too late, the organs start to draw on the body's glucose reserves, making us feel irritable.ģ.40pm, Nap: If you're a new parent lacking in sleep, now is the time to sneak away for a 20-minute power-nap.Ħ.40pm, Finish work: Stopping in the early evening makes the most of the afternoon spike in concentration that a late lunch provides.ħpm, Exercise: In this stage of life, muscles still work better later in the day, when they've fully warmed up.ħ.45pm, Socialise: 'Early evening is when your mood improves and your capacity for thinking and communicating is highest,' says Dr Kelley.Ĩ.10pm, Dinner: A 30-year-old needs food around 90 minutes after finishing work. 'Your brain, lungs and muscles have started to age, so your body clock shifts earlier'Ĩ.40am, Breakfast: Just avoid sugary or starchy foods, which will make your blood sugar levels spike then dip.ġ0.40am, Start work: The hormone cortisol reaches a natural peak, giving the 30-year-old brain a boost of alertness.Ģ.10pm, Lunch: Have something rich in protein now. 'There's quite a jump between 20 and 30,' says Dr Kelley.

Why not make the most of that mid-afternoon spike in energy? 'There aren't enough metabolic processes happening in a twentysomething's body for them to need much energy from food.'īut caffeine will help them shake off this inertia, by binding to nerve cells in the brain.ġ2 noon, Start work: It won't please the boss, but at this age, midday is when the brain starts being productive.ģpm, Have sex: The 20-year-old libido can experience desire at any time of day. 'For around two hours after waking, we're in a state called sleep inertia,' says Dr Kelley. In a 20-year-old, orexin doesn't override melatonin until mid-morning.'ġ0am, Drink coffee: There's a reason lots of young people don't eat breakfast - they simply aren't hungry at this time.

'This is balanced by the release of different hormones: melatonin, the sleep hormone, and orexin, the wakefulness hormone. According to sleep expert Dr Paul Kelley, of Oxford University, circadian rhythms vary over a lifetimeĩ.30am, Wake up: 'Your wakefulness is controlled by two processes in the brain - one that alerts you and another that drives you towards sleep,' explains Dr Kelley.

Best sleep and wake up time