Do you routinely find it difficult to get going in the morning after a restless nights sleep? Well according to a recent Oxford University study our body clock changes throughout our lifetime, which alters the ideal time to do most things such as eat, sleep, exercise and dare we say it – have sex.
It’s apparently all down to our circadian rhythms, our internal body clock that varies significantly depending on our age. So we thought it might be really useful to outline the best times to do various things at certain stages in our life.
The Best time to Eat and Sleep When in Your Fifties
What’s interesting to note is that we have very little deep sleep during the night so ideally we want to be awake by 7am with breakfast around half an hour later.
According to Dr Paul Kelley, by the time we are in our fifties it’s vital to have regular meal times to help reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. In terms of hitting the pillow then the optimum time to go to sleep is 10:30 pm – and if we have any idea of getting intimate with our partner – well that’s half an hour earlier at 10pm. Other activities include a 1pm lunch and no TV or iPad after 9:30pm.
When to Switch Off Your iPad in your Sixties
Our eyes start to get a lot more sensitive in our 60’s, so we should be turning off our TV or tablet around 9pm. It’s also suggested that we should then do some mental exercise, perhaps a crossword or reading as this prepares our brain for the all-important memory formation and repair during our sleep.
What’s interesting is that according to this study we should be have a mid-afternoon nap at around 2pm (if we are feeling tired), although this should only be for a short period of time, perhaps 10-20 minutes. Later in the day we should be getting ready to hit the sack around 10 pm as the sleep hormone melatonin starts to kick in around this time.
When to Go Walking In Your Seventies
Exercise is vital at this age as it gets all the muscles warmed up and really helps with concentration later in the day. So it’s ideal to go for an early morning stroll at around 7:30am. Dr Kelley also suggests another walk later in the day at around 5pm as a dose of natural light can really help with energy levels for the evening.
The report suggests we shouldn’t really watch TV or use our iPad much later than 8pm as our eyes are now quite sensitive to the blue light emitted from electronic devices. However there’s no need to be dull as its then a great time to have sex as it really helps to relax and aids our sleep. Ideally we should be heading off to never never land at around 9:30pm.
