Get in sync with your brain's power hours

It's time to figure out your naturally sharpest moments

Most popular

By Sara Reistad-Long

updated 8:48 a.m. ET May 20, 2008

Your energy level isn't the only thing about your body that varies over the course of the day.

Your brain obeys its own rhythm, too — based largely on your sleep pattern, exposure to light, and genetic makeup — and getting in a groove with its tempo can make you healthier, happier, and more productive.

For example: "Since adults over 40 are generally morning types, they would most likely score better on an IQ test at 9 a.m. than at 4 p.m." says Lynn Hasher, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Toronto.

Story continues below ↓

As cutting-edge research by Hasher and other brain experts shows, you can burn more calories from exercise, work more efficiently, and even have better sex by learning how to sync up to your brain's power hours. Here's your daily guide.

7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Prime time for: Passion

"The perfect moment for bonding with your spouse is right when you wake up," says Ilia Karatsoreos, PhD, a neuroscientist at Rockefeller University. The reason: Levels of oxytocin (known as the "love hormone" to some) are sky-high upon waking, explains Karatsoreos, making it the best time for intimacy of all kinds.

Tap into it:

Make love or cuddle
Remind your partner how much you love him
Call your child at college (so long as it's not the weekend!)
Write a thank-you note to a friend or relative

These are the hours to strengthen your relationship with the most important people in your life. And if you wake up feeling frisky and need more than just cuddling, there's good news. Your husband's brain is on nearly the same wavelength; British researchers found high morning oxytocin levels in men — whether they were age 25 or 70 — that gradually decreased as the day wore on.

9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Prime time for: Creativity

Find your best hour to exercise
Your ideal time of day for working out "depends on if you're a morning lark or a night owl," says neuroscientist Ilia Karatsoreos, PhD. According to researchers, there are at least two distinct chronotypes, a term that describes your body's response to circadian rhythms and in large part determines your optimal exercise hour. Want to switch yours? If you've never been a morning workout person but that's the only time you can do it, convert with these tips from Prevention's fitness director, Michele Stanten:
1. Exercise with a friend — you're less likely to hit the snooze button if it means standing up someone.
2. Lay out your gym attire the night before. Some people even sleep in their workout clothes!
3. Keep a similar sleep and wake schedule on the weekends, to avoid slipping out of routine come Monday morning.
4. Put your alarm clock across the room, so you're forced to get out of bed to turn it off.
5. Cancel your newspaper delivery so you'll have to walk (briskly) to the store in the morning to pick it up.
Your brain now has moderate levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which in reasonable amounts can actually help your mind focus, says Sung Lee, MD, secretary of the International Brain Education Association. It's present at any age: A University of Michigan study found that college students and retired adults were mentally quick in the morning — but among older subjects, sharpness declined in the afternoon.

Tap into it:

Develop a new idea
Write a presentation
Brainstorm solutions to challenges large or small
Have an important conversation with your doctor

Take on tasks that require analysis and concentration. "From middle age on, you're more alert early in the day," says Carolyn Yoon, PhD, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Michigan who worked on the study. Schedule discussions that involve personal or family matters, as others will be sharp during these hours as well.