| Time |
Body
function description |
| 00.00 |
AT MIDNIGHT, while our minds are asleep,
our bodies are busy absorbing the fat we have consumed during the day, our
hair growing and our cells are beginning their intricate repair processes.
Midnight is the time when pregnant women are most likely to begin
experiencing labour pains. At this hour, the body experiences a rush in
progesterone - which is the hormone secreted by the ovary during the
menstrual cycle and by the placenta during the menstrual cycle and by the
placenta during pregnancy to bring on labour. This is thought to be the
body's evolutionary way of making sure the mother's partner is with her
when her baby is born. |
| 01.00 |
ANYONE who has suffered from gout will
tell you that the worst attacks often come around this time of night. This
is because the concentration in joints causes pain - peaks between
midnight of the night. |
| 02.00 |
LEVELS of the hormone
vasopressin, which
suppresses bladder activity, increase, so you should not need to go to the
loo in the middle of the night. |
| 03.00 |
ASTHMA sufferers are 300 times more likely
to have a severe asthma attack now then at any other time. Adrenaline and
anti-inflammatory hormones are at their lowest between 3am and 4am, which
causes airways to narrow. Spasm-triggering compounds called leukotrienes
and also at their highest.
Some doctors recommend taking vitamin C and vitamin B before bedtime to
help to support the adrenal glands and reduce the risk of getting an
asthma attack during the night. |
| 04.00 |
YOU are most likely to die at this time in
hospital, according to figures from the Harvard Medical School. The reason
could be that blood pressure reaches a low during deep sleep. Sudden
infant death syndrome is also most likely to occur at this time for the
same reason. On a more positive note, more women give birth naturally
between 4am and 6am than at any other time. |
| 05.00 |
GROWTH hormones are secreted through the
night to repair tissue and strengthen bones, so at this time the body does
not want to be awake. Those working the night shift are at their least
alert now because of the high levels of melatonin, which make us want to
sleep.
According to Dr Russell Foster, from Imperial College, London, if
you're driving a car or operating
equipment, your performance would be
'worse than if you were drunk'. It is no coincidence that many of the
world's major accidents - such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island -
happened at this time. |
| 06.00 |
ANYONE wanting to become pregnant should
try to conceive now. You are most likely to conceive a few hours after
ovulation, which usually starts around midnight. Fortunately, this
coincides with the time that our libidos are at their peaks. In the early
morning, the male sex hormone testosterone, which is responsible for sex
drive in both males and females, surges. Women are most likely to start
menstruation at this time. |
| 07.00 |
YOUR joints and body feel stiff in the
morning because anti-inflammatory hormones are at their lowest level and
your muscle temperature is low after a night of sleep. This is why
sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis usually feel more pain in the early
morning.
It is also the time you are most likely to get migraine because of
fluctuations of the 'feel good' hormone serotonin. The trigger for an
attack is a lack of this chemical, which occurs naturally in the brain. It
is this chemical imbalance that makes the blood vessels constrict in the
head, causing the eyes to widen and leading to extreme pain and
sensitivity to light. |
| 08.00 |
AS YOUR body wakes up, blood pressure and
temperature start to rise and there is a surge in the stress hormone
cortisol. It is at this time that heart attacks, angina and sudden cardiac
deaths are most common because the combination of cortisol and the
increase in heartbeat puts pressure on the heart.
When you are sleeping, the average human heart beats about 60 times per
minute. As soon as you get out of bed, it rises to between 72 and 78
beats. According to American research, acute heart attacks are three times
more common in the early morning than in the late evening.
Research has also found that on a Monday morning you are 40 per cent
more likely to have a heart attack than at any other time - possibly
because of the higher levels of stress hormones in the morning, combined
with a weekend excess of food and drink which will increase blood
pressure. Your blood clots the most at this time, which also makes your
risk of stroke highest at 8am. |
| 09.00 |
YOUR digestive system is working at its
peak now, so first thing in the morning is the best time to eat a big
meal. Metabolism is most active in the morning, which means fats absorbed
from foods are less likely to be deposited in the body than in the
evening.
If you need to have an
injection, now is the time to have it because
you are least likely to feel pain. The hormone adrenaline which helps us
to endure pain, peaks now. |
| 10.00 |
THIS is the best time to take an exam or
interview because wakefulness peaks mid-morning so concentration,
shirt-term memory and logical reasoning are at their best. The body's
glucose levels are also high, giving the brain and body good energy
levels. |
| 11.00 |
YOUR immune system is at its most
vulnerable now because the helper T lymphocytes of the immune system are
at their least active during this time. T lymphocytes are the crucial
white blood cells that move around the body fighting infection and
disease, including cancer. |
| 12.00 |
THE risk of stroke due to clot formation
and blood vessel blockages is at its highest because blood pressure peaks
around midday. Strokes known as cerebral infarctions are 50 per cent more
likely to strike between 6am and midday that at any other time. High blood
pressure puts extra pressure on blood vessels that are already narrowed by
fatty deposits - often caused by cholesterol - and can cause the vessel to
rupture and bleed into the brain. |
| 13.00 |
YOUR urinary production is reaching a high
point after a morning of liquid consumption, and your kidneys are working
at maximum efficiency to wash out any toxins in the body. |
| 14.00 |
AS your body works to digest lunch,
physical efficiency and energy drops - which is why most of us would like
a siesta now. You are more likely to be in a road accident at this
time,
because the body slows down dramatically and concentration levels can dip. |
| 15.00 |
RESEARCH shows that toothaches are at
their least painful in the late afternoon. It could be that endorphins
that protect against pain reach a peak now.
The skin is at its most porous mid-afternoon because your body is warm.
With heat pores open, this is the most effective time to rub cream into
your skin. |
| 16.00 |
A GOOD time to have an aerobic workout.
The body is at its strongest, most flexible and responsive now because it
is warm and adrenaline levels are at a high. Adrenaline is pumping around
your body, increasing your heart rate and dilating blood vessels and
airways. Most Olympic records have been set at this time.
Hair and nails grow quickest between 4pm and 5pm and lung function can
change by up to 50 per cent over the course of a day. |
| 17.00 |
YOU can give your firmest handshake as
tests have shown grip strength is at its peak now. This could be because
the little muscles in the figures - the intrinsic hand muscles and finger
flexors - are at their strongest after a day of constant use. |
| 18.00 |
AS
THE body begins to tire, muscle tone is lessening and heart rate and blood
pressure are gradually reducing. By early evening, your stomach is
producing more acid. The more food that is in the stomach, the more acid
it produces. The acid build-up can sometimes be pushed up the oesophagus,
causing acid reflux. It can also aggravate any existing stomach ulcers. |
| 19.00 |
AS
daylight fades, your body is starting to secrete melatonin to prepare for
sleep. As the body relaxes, your sense of smell and taste are at their
most acute - making it the ideal time for a delicious meal. |
| 20.00 |
LIVER
enzymes increase now, meaning that they are best able to break down
alcohol - so treat yourself to a drink. They decrease again by 10pm. |
| 21.00 |
YOU
are most likely to suffer from pain as your pain threshold is at its
lowest. This is because levels of pain-blocking endorphins are falling. |
| 22.00 |
YOUR
immunity is at its optimum level because levels of interlukin 1, one of
your body's immune system regulators increases at this time. |
| 23.00 |
YOUR
sensitivity to allergies is at a peak. By 11.30pm, high melatonin levels
make us feel ready to sleep. Ten minutes after we fall asleep, the heart
rate slows and brain waves reduce. Twenty-five minutes later, we are in a
deep sleep. |
