Best time to have sex, dinner and go to bed revealed in ideal daily schedule
Healthy and active people logged the times they carried out key activities to create the timetable.
The best time of day to have sex? At 7.30am - or half an hour after you wake up, new research has found.
This is because energy levels are higher in the morning, which means you have more stamina. Plus, the endorphins from being intimate first thing can lower blood pressure and stress levels to give you a bounce in your step for the rest of the day. Better than a bowl of porridge, eh?
Additionally, 10am is the most productive time to work; snack cravings typically come at 3.30pm and 8.15pm and the best time to have a glass of wine is 6pm, four hours before the optimum bedtime of 10pm.
To compile the ideal daily schedule, health and wellbeing firm Naturecan asked 1,000 healthy and active people to log the optimum times of the day they carried out key activities. The findings resulted in a timetable of the ideal times to work, rest and play.
The ideal daily schedule for living a healthy life
7am – wake up
You should ideally be having between seven to nine hours of sleep per night so 7am allows you to reach that range comfortably with a pre-midnight bedtime.
7.15am – go for a run
Doing cardio exercise before breakfast (i.e. in a fasted state) can lead to an increase in the amount of fat being burned.
7.30am – have sex
If you miss your morning run, why not get your cardio in by way of other means instead? The best time for sex is around 30 to 45 minutes after waking to get over that nighttime grogginess. Male testosterone levels also peak in the morning meaning more stamina, and the endorphins gained will leave you in a good mood for the rest of the day.
7.45am – have breakfast
Breakfast should be eaten around 45 minutes after you wake up. In fact, 84% of the survey respondents said sticking to defined mealtimes was the best way to lose weight.
10am – work
We reach our mental peak around three hours after waking, so make sure you’ve started your work day by 10am as this is when your concentration, memory and focus should be at its peak.
10.45am – take a break
Stress levels reach their highest point by 10.45am, so this is a nice time to take a five to 10-minute break to relax.
12.45pm – have lunch
Lunch should be had five hours after eating breakfast. Three quarters of those surveyed said they saw benefits from never skipping lunch.
3.30pm – resist snacking
The dreaded afternoon slump is when we’re most likely to crave something sweet, meaning it’s the perfect time to resist these temptations.
6pm – have a drink
Your body needs at least four hours for your liver to recover from alcohol consumption before sleep, so this is the best time to have a cheeky glass of wine.
6.15pm – have dinner
The best time to have dinner is around four hours before you go to bed too, and your dinner should be around the same portions as what you had for lunch.
6.30pm – do weights
It’s important to do strength training a few times a week, and studies show that you are generally stronger in the evening.
10pm – go to bed
Lights should be off at 10pm to allow yourself 20 minutes to get to sleep and a further 90 minutes of that important and restorative non-REM sleep which is best achieved before midnight.
