Your Body’s Best Time For Everything

 您身体的最佳时间 

Nín shēntǐ de zuì jiā shíjiān

Your Body’s Best Time For Everything

I wondered if timing plays a big role in other things we do every day.

我想知道时间是否在我们每天做的其他事情中起着重要作用。

Wǒ xiǎng zhīdào shíjiān shìfǒu zài wǒmen měitiān zuò de qítā shìqíng zhōng qǐ zhuó zhòngyào zuòyòng.

So I looked into how our body responds to timing and how we can utilize that knowledge. It turns out that we actually have a very sophisticated internal body clock that governs almost everything we do, without us even realizing it. Read on to find out your body’s best time for everything.

How the body clock works

Our body clock is a small group of cells made up of unique ‘body clock’ genes. These cells turn on and off and tell other parts of the body what time it is and what to do. In fact, most of our individual organs have their own internal body clock cells as well.

Here is a short animation that shows your internal body clock tells cells to turn on and off:

So let’s take a look at how the internal body clock affects everything we do, and what the best time is for our body to engage in different daily activities.

Eating – Which meal at what time?

By far one of the trickiest topics to tackle is the optimal timing for eating. A quick search on Google reveals that there are as many viable diets as there are people. And yet, there are some great, general guidelines that we can follow.

A recent study in Cell Metabolism tried to find out, given all things equal, if timing actually makes a difference. 2 groups of mice were put onto the exact same diet in terms of caloric intake. The only difference was that the first group had access to the food all day round, whilst the second group only for 8 hours during peak activity.

The result according to the researchers was stunning:

"The mice that ate only while active were 40% leaner and had lower cholesterol and blood sugar."

So, limiting your food intake to your 8 most active hours during the day could be a good idea. We can also dig a bit deeper into the optimal time for eating dinner in particular:

When you should eat dinner:

When it comes to dinner, eating late generally conflicts with our internal body clock because it’s starting to wind down and get ready for sleep. If we’re simply not set up to process the food we’re taking in, it’s probably not the best time for a big meal.

See how efficient we are at processing food at night compared to in the morning. Experiment: where participants were given the exact same foods at night and in the morning. And then tested their blood glucose levels to see how much glucose their bodies were hanging onto. The

blood glucose levels indicate how efficiently your body is processing and storing glucose, and high levels of glucose in the blood after a meal can point out future risks like diabetes. The experiment found that blood glucose levels after an evening meal were much higher than when the exact same meal was eaten earlier in the day.

This means we should try to eat most of our food calories earlier in the day, and have lighter, earlier evening meals when possible.

Sleeping – How long and at what time?

While some of us identify as night owls or morning larks, most of us actually have a fairly regular time when sleep benefits us most. 

We’re naturally designed to have two sleeps a day: a long one at night and another one in the early afternoon. Early afternoon is when our energy naturally dips lower than usual and we have a harder time focusing. 

In fact, lots of cultures around the world break up their sleeping patterns:

The idea that we should sleep in eight-hour chunks is relatively recent. The world’s population sleeps in various and surprising ways. Millions of Chinese workers continue to put their heads on their desks for a nap of an hour or so after lunch, for example, and daytime napping is common from India to Spain.

We tend to be susceptible to micro sleeps around this time—that is, tiny moments where we nod off before shaking ourselves awake. This is our internal body clock saying it’s a good time to go to sleep, so if you’re planning a nap—slot it into this part of your day!

Although everyone is different to some degree, we actually all start out as morning people, and continue this way until around age 10.

From ages 10–20 we start to sleep and wake up later and later until around 20 years old, when the pattern starts to reverse again and we start waking up earlier. Eventually, around age 55, we are going to sleep and waking up at roughly the same times we did when we were 10 years old.

So, age has a huge bearing on how our body clocks operate and what our optimal sleep times are. You’re probably familiar with how teenagers prefer to sleep in late and go to bed late, but it turns out it’s not just teenage laziness (although it is “just a phase,” since these tendencies lessen as we get older).

Teenagers are biologically predisposed to sleep and wake later than anyone else. This means they’re often struggling with important cognitive work at school during their least optimal times. A study of school students’ memory function in the UK actually showed that students performed 9% better on the same type of memory tests in the afternoon as they did in the morning.

Another myth, similar to teenagers’ laziness when going to sleep is the fact that we need 8 hours of sleep each night. Daniel Krypke famously eliminated that myth recently with a study showing that, we don’t in fact need that amount of sleep to reach our body’s best performance.

Exercising:

When choosing a time of day to exercise, paying attention to your body clock can improve results, as well as overall happiness through exercising. A general rule: later is better.

For runners, cyclists and other endurance athletes, the morning is the worst performance time. Almost every world record in track-and-field athletics and cycling events has been broken in the afternoon or evening. Like to know why. 

This could be a result of our body temperature being at its peak later in the day, giving us a natural ‘pre-game warmup’ in a sense. Our receptiveness to pain is also lower in the afternoon, meaning we can push further in endurance sports.

Blood pressure is also a factor in our exercise routines. In the first three hours after we wake up, our blood pressure rises the most out of any point in the day. Our blood vessels open up more to allow for blood flow later in the day, our blood is not as sticky then and we have a natural drop in blood pressure in the afternoon.

Exercising in the morning was found in an experiment to either increase blood pressure or not make a difference at all. In the evening, however, exercise was found to reduce blood pressure by 10–11%.

所以我研究了我们的身体如何响应时间以及我们如何利用这些知识。 事实证明，我们实际上有一个非常复杂的内部生物钟，它几乎支配着我们所做的一切，而我们甚至没有意识到这一点。 继续阅读以找出您身体的最佳时间。

Suǒyǐ wǒ yánjiūle wǒmen de shēntǐ rúhé xiǎngyìng shíjiān yǐjí wǒmen rúhé lìyòng zhèxiē zhīshì. Shìshí zhèngmíng, wǒmen shíjì shang yǒu yīgè fēicháng fùzá de nèibù shēngwùzhōng, tā jīhū zhīpèizhe wǒmen suǒ zuò de yīqiè, ér wǒmen shènzhì méiyǒuyìshí dào zhè yīdiǎn. Jìxù yuèdú yǐ zhǎo chū nín shēntǐ de zuì jiā shíjiān.

 生物钟的工作原理Shēngwùzhōng de gōngzuò yuánlǐ

 我们的生物钟是由独特的“生物钟”基因组成的一小组细胞。 这些细胞会打开和关闭，并告诉身体的其他部位现在是什么时间以及该做什么。 事实上，我们的大多数个体器官也有自己的内部生物钟细胞。

Wǒmen de shēngwùzhōng shì yóu dútè de “shēngwùzhōng” jīyīn zǔchéng de yī xiǎozǔ xìbāo. Zhèxiē xìbāo huì dǎkāi hé guānbì, bìng gàosù shēntǐ de qítā bùwèi xiànzài shì shénme shíjiān yǐjí gāi zuò shénme. Shìshí shàng, wǒmen de dà duōshù gètǐ qìguān yěyǒu zìjǐ de nèibù shēngwùzhōng xìbāo.

 这是一个简短的动画，显示您的内部生物钟告诉细胞打开和关闭：

Zhè shì yīgè jiǎnduǎn de dònghuà, xiǎnshì nín de nèibù shēngwùzhōng gàosù xìbāo dǎkāi hé guānbì:

 那么让我们来看看内部生物钟如何影响我们所做的一切，以及我们的身体从事不同日常活动的最佳时间。

Nàme ràng wǒmen lái kàn kàn nèibù shēngwùzhōng rúhé yǐngxiǎng wǒmen suǒ zuò de yīqiè, yǐjí wǒmen de shēntǐ cóngshì bùtóng rìcháng huódòng de zuì jiā shíjiān.

 吃——什么时候吃哪顿饭？Chī——shénme shíhòu chī nǎ dùn fàn?

 到目前为止，最棘手的话题之一是进食的最佳时机。 在谷歌上快速搜索一下，就会发现有多少人就有多少可行的饮食。 然而，我们可以遵循一些很棒的通用指南。Dào mùqián wéizhǐ, zuì jíshǒu de huàtí zhī yī shì jìnshí de zuì jiā shíjī. Zài gǔgē shàng kuàisù sōusuǒ yīxià, jiù huì fāxiàn yǒu duōshǎo rén jiù yǒu duōshǎo kěxíng de yǐnshí. Rán'ér, wǒmen kěyǐ zūnxún yīxiē hěn bàng de tōngyòng zhǐnán.

 最近一项关于细胞代谢的研究试图找出在所有条件相同的情况下，时间是否真的有所不同。 就热量摄入而言，将两组小鼠置于完全相同的饮食中。 唯一的区别是第一组全天都可以吃到食物，而第二组在活动高峰期只能吃 8 小时。Zuìjìn yī xiàng guānyú xìbāo dàixiè de yánjiū shìtú zhǎo chū zài suǒyǒu tiáojiàn xiāngtóng de qíngkuàng xià, shíjiān shìfǒu zhēn de yǒu suǒ bùtóng. Jiù rèliàng shè rù ér yán, jiāng liǎng zǔ xiǎo shǔ zhì yú wánquán xiāngtóng de yǐnshí zhōng. Wéiyī de qūbié shì dì yī zǔ quán tiān dū kěyǐ chī dào shíwù, ér dì èr zǔ zài huódòng gāofēng qī zhǐ néng chī 8 xiǎoshí.

 根据研究人员的说法，结果令人震惊：

Gēnjù yánjiū rényuán de shuōfǎ, jiéguǒ lìng rén zhènjīng:

 “只在活动时进食的老鼠瘦了 40%，胆固醇和血糖也更低。”

“Zhǐ zài huódòng shíjìnshí de lǎoshǔ shòule 40%, dǎngùchún hé xiětáng yě gèng dī.”

 因此，将食物摄入量限制在白天最活跃的 8 小时内可能是个好主意。 我们还可以更深入地研究晚餐的最佳时间：Yīncǐ, jiāng shíwù shè rù liàng xiànzhì zài báitiān zuì huóyuè de 8 xiǎoshí nèi kěnéng shìgè hǎo zhǔyì. Wǒmen hái kěyǐ gēng shēnrù dì yánjiū wǎncān de zuì jiā shíjiān:

 你应该什么时候吃晚餐：Nǐ yīnggāi shénme shíhòu chī wǎncān:

 说到晚餐，吃晚饭通常会与我们体内的生物钟发生冲突，因为它开始放松并准备睡觉。 如果我们根本没有准备好处理我们摄入的食物，那么这可能不是一顿大餐的最佳时间。Shuō dào wǎncān, chī wǎnfàn tōngcháng huì yǔ wǒmen tǐnèi de shēngwùzhōng fāshēng chōngtú, yīnwèi tā kāishǐ fàngsōng bìng zhǔnbèi shuìjiào. Rúguǒ wǒmen gēnběn méiyǒu zhǔnbèi hǎo chǔlǐ wǒmen shè rù de shíwù, nàme zhè kěnéng bùshì yī dùn dà cān de zuì jiā shíjiān.

 看看与早上相比，我们在晚上加工食物的效率如何。 实验：参与者在晚上和早上得到完全相同的食物。 然后测试他们的血糖水平，看看他们的身体有多少葡萄糖。Kàn kàn yǔ zǎoshang xiāng bǐ, wǒmen zài wǎnshàng jiāgōng shíwù de xiàolǜ rúhé. Shíyàn: Cānyù zhě zài wǎnshàng hé zǎoshang dédào wánquán xiāngtóng de shíwù. Ránhòu cèshì tāmen de xiětáng shuǐpíng, kàn kàn tāmen de shēntǐ yǒu duōshǎo pútáotáng. 这Zhè

 血糖水平表明您的身体处理和储存葡萄糖的效率如何，餐后血液中的高水平葡萄糖可以指出未来的风险，例如糖尿病。 实验发现，晚餐后的血糖水平远高于当天早些时候吃完全相同的一餐时的血糖水平。xiětáng shuǐpíng biǎomíng nín de shēntǐ chǔlǐ hé chúcún pútáotáng de xiàolǜ rúhé, cān hòu xiěyè zhōng de gāo shuǐpíng pútáotáng kěyǐ zhǐchū wèilái de fēngxiǎn, lìrú tángniàobìng. Shíyàn fāxiàn, wǎncān hòu de xiětáng shuǐpíng yuǎn gāo yú dàngtiān zǎo xiē shíhòu chī wánquán xiāngtóng de yī cān shí de xiětáng shuǐpíng.

 这意味着我们应该尽量在当天早些时候吃掉大部分食物卡路里，并在可能的情况下吃清淡的晚餐。

Zhè yìwèizhe wǒmen yīnggāi jǐnliàng zài dàngtiān zǎo xiē shíhòu chī diào dà bùfèn shíwù kǎlùlǐ, bìng zài kěnéng de qíngkuàng xià chī qīngdàn de wǎncān.

 睡觉——多长时间和几点？Shuìjiào——duō cháng shíjiān hé jǐ diǎn?

 虽然我们中的一些人认为自己是夜猫子或早起的百灵鸟，但我们大多数人实际上都有相当规律的时间，睡眠对我们最有益。

Suīrán wǒmen zhōng de yīxiē rén rènwéi zìjǐ shì yèmāozi huò zǎoqǐ de bǎilíng niǎo, dàn wǒmen dà duōshù rén shíjì shang dōu yǒu xiāngdāng guīlǜ de shíjiān, shuìmián duì wǒmen zuì yǒu yì.

 我们天生就被设计成一天睡两次：晚上睡很长时间，下午早些时候睡一觉。 下午早些时候，我们的精力自然会比平时低，我们很难集中注意力。Wǒmen tiānshēng jiù bèi shèjì chéng yītiān shuì liǎng cì: Wǎnshàng shuì hěn cháng shíjiān, xiàwǔ zǎo xiē shíhòu shuì yī jué. Xiàwǔ zǎo xiē shíhòu, wǒmen de jīnglì zìrán huì bǐ píngshí dī, wǒmen hěn nán jízhōng zhùyì lì.

 事实上，世界各地的许多文化都打破了他们的睡眠模式：Shìshí shàng, shìjiè gèdì de xǔduō wénhuà dōu dǎpòle tāmen de shuìmián móshì:

 我们应该以八小时为单位睡觉的想法相对较新。 世界人口以各种令人惊讶的方式睡觉。 例如，数以百万计的中国工人在午饭后继续将头放在办公桌上小睡一小时左右，从印度到西班牙，白天小睡都很常见。Wǒmen yīnggāi yǐ bā xiǎoshí wèi dānwèi shuìjiào de xiǎngfǎ xiāngduì jiào xīn. Shìjiè rénkǒu yǐ gè zhǒng lìng rén jīngyà de fāngshì shuìjiào. Lìrú, shù yǐ bǎi wàn jì de zhōngguó gōngrén zài wǔfàn hòu jìxù jiāng tóu fàng zài bàngōng zhuō shàng xiǎoshuì yī xiǎoshí zuǒyòu, cóng yìndù dào xībānyá, báitiān xiǎoshuì dōu hěn chángjiàn.

 在这个时候，我们往往容易受到微睡眠的影响——也就是说，我们在摇醒之前打个盹儿的微小时刻。 这是我们体内的生物钟，它说这是睡觉的好时机，所以如果你计划小睡，把它放在你一天的这个部分！Zài zhège shíhòu, wǒmen wǎngwǎng róngyì shòudào wēi shuìmián de yǐngxiǎng——yě jiùshì shuō, wǒmen zài yáo xǐng zhīqián dǎ gè dǔn er de wéixiǎoshíkè. Zhè shì wǒmen tǐnèi de shēngwùzhōng, tā shuō zhè shì shuìjiào de hǎo shíjī, suǒyǐ rúguǒ nǐ jìhuà xiǎoshuì, bǎ tā fàng zài nǐ yītiān de zhège bùfèn!

 虽然每个人都在某种程度上有所不同，但我们实际上都是从早起的人开始，一直这样一直到 10 岁左右。Suīrán měi gèrén dōu zài mǒu zhǒng chéngdù shàng yǒu suǒ bùtóng, dàn wǒmen shíjì shang dōu shì cóng zǎoqǐ de rén kāishǐ, yīzhí zhèyàng yīzhídào 10 suì zuǒyòu.

 从 10 岁到 20 岁，我们开始睡觉和起床的时间越来越晚，直到 20 岁左右，这种模式再次开始逆转，我们开始更早地醒来。 最终，在 55 岁左右，我们的睡眠和醒来时间将与我们 10 岁时大致相同。

Cóng 10 suì dào 20 suì, wǒmen kāishǐ shuìjiào hé qǐchuáng de shíjiān yuè lái yuè wǎn, zhí dào 20 suì zuǒyòu, zhè zhǒng móshì zàicì kāishǐ nìzhuǎn, wǒmen kāishǐ gèng zǎo de xǐng lái. Zuìzhōng, zài 55 suì zuǒyòu, wǒmen de shuìmián hé xǐng lái shíjiān jiāng yǔ wǒmen 10 suì shí dàzhì xiāngtóng.

 因此，年龄对我们的生物钟如何运作以及我们的最佳睡眠时间有很大影响。 您可能熟悉青少年喜欢晚睡晚睡的情况，但事实证明，这不仅仅是青少年的懒惰（尽管这“只是一个阶段”，因为随着年龄的增长，这些倾向会减弱）。Yīncǐ, niánlíng duì wǒmen de shēngwùzhōng rúhé yùnzuò yǐjí wǒmen de zuì jiā shuìmián shíjiān yǒu hěn dà yǐngxiǎng. Nín kěnéng shúxī qīngshàonián xǐhuān wǎn shuì wǎn shuì de qíngkuàng, dàn shìshí zhèngmíng, zhè bùjǐn jǐn shì qīngshàonián de lǎnduò (jǐnguǎn zhè “zhǐshì yīgè jiēduàn”, yīnwèi suízhe niánlíng de zēngzhǎng, zhèxiē qīngxiàng huì jiǎnruò).

 青少年在生理上比其他人更容易入睡和醒来。 这意味着他们经常在最不理想的时候在学校里为重要的认知工作而苦苦挣扎。 英国一项针对学生记忆功能的研究实际上表明，学生在下午进行的同类记忆测试中的表现比早上好 9%。Qīngshàonián zài shēnglǐ shàng bǐ qítā rén gèng róngyì rùshuì hé xǐng lái. Zhè yìwèizhe tāmen jīngcháng zài zuì bù lǐxiǎng de shíhòu zài xuéxiào lǐ wéi zhòngyào de rèn zhī gōngzuò ér kǔ kǔ zhēngzhá. Yīngguó yī xiàng zhēnduì xuéshēng jìyì gōngnéng de yánjiū shíjì shang biǎomíng, xuéshēng zài xiàwǔ jìnxíng de tónglèi jìyì cèshì zhōng de biǎoxiàn bǐ zǎoshang hǎo 9%.

 另一个神话，类似于青少年睡觉时的懒惰，是我们每晚需要 8 小时的睡眠。 Daniel Krypke 最近的一项研究表明，我们实际上不需要那么多的睡眠来达到我们身体的最佳表现，从而消除了这个神话。Lìng yīgè shénhuà, lèisì yú qīngshàonián shuìjiào shí de lǎnduò, shì wǒmen měi wǎn xūyào 8 xiǎoshí de shuìmián. Daniel Krypke zuìjìn de yī xiàng yánjiū biǎomíng, wǒmen shí jì shang bù xūyào nàme duō de shuìmián lái dádào wǒmen shēntǐ de zuì jiā biǎoxiàn, cóng'ér xiāochúle zhège shénhuà.

 锻炼：Duànliàn:

 在选择一天中的锻炼时间时，注意您的生物钟可以改善结果，并通过锻炼提高整体幸福感。 一般规则：越晚越好。Zài xuǎnzé yītiān zhōng de duànliàn shíjiān shí, zhùyì nín de shēngwùzhōng kěyǐ gǎishàn jiéguǒ, bìng tōngguò duànliàn tígāo zhěngtǐ xìngfú gǎn. Yībān guīzé: Yuè wǎn yuè hǎo.

 对于跑步者、自行车手和其他耐力运动员来说，早上是表现最差的时间。 几乎所有田径和自行车赛事的世界纪录都在下午或晚上被打破。 想知道为什么。Duìyú pǎobù zhě, zìxíngchē shǒu hé qítā nàilì yùndòngyuán lái shuō, zǎoshang shì biǎoxiàn zuì chà de shíjiān. Jīhū suǒyǒu tiánjìng hé zìxíngchē sàishì de shìjiè jìlù dōu zài xiàwǔ huò wǎnshàng bèi dǎpò. Xiǎng zhīdào wèishéme.

 这可能是我们的体温在当天晚些时候达到峰值的结果，在某种意义上给了我们一个自然的“赛前热身”。 下午我们对疼痛的接受度也较低，这意味着我们可以在耐力运动中更进一步。Zhè kěnéng shì wǒmen de tǐwēn zài dàngtiān wǎn xiē shíhòu dádào fēngzhí de jiéguǒ, zài mǒu zhǒng yìyì shàng gěile wǒmen yīgè zìrán de “sài qián rèshēn”. Xiàwǔ wǒmen duì téngtòng de jiēshòu dù yě jiào dī, zhè yìwèizhe wǒmen kěyǐ zài nàilì yùndòng zhōng gèng jìnyībù.

 血压也是我们日常锻炼的一个因素。 在我们醒来后的前三个小时内，我们的血压在一天中的任何时候上升得最快。 我们的血管开放得更多，以便在当天晚些时候血液流动，我们的血液没有那么粘稠，下午我们的血压会自然下降。Xiěyā yěshì wǒmen rìcháng duànliàn de yīgè yīnsù. Zài wǒmen xǐng lái hòu de qián sān gè xiǎo shí nèi, wǒmen de xiěyā zài yītiān zhōng de rènhé shíhòu shàngshēng dé zuì kuài. Wǒmen de xiěguǎn kāifàng dé gèng duō, yǐbiàn zài dàngtiān wǎn xiē shíhòu xiěyè liúdòng, wǒmen de xiěyè méiyǒu nàme zhān chóu, xiàwǔ wǒmen de xiěyā huì zìrán xiàjiàng.

 一项实验发现，早上锻炼会增加血压或根本不会产生任何影响。 然而，在晚上，运动可以将血压降低 10-11%。

Yī xiàng shíyàn fāxiàn, zǎoshang duànliàn huì zēngjiā xiěyā huò gēnběn bù huì chǎnshēng rènhé yǐngxiǎng. Rán'ér, zài wǎnshàng, yùndòng kěyǐ jiāng xiěyā jiàngdī 10-11%.

Physical performance is higher, and risk of injury is lower, between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., according to Michael Smolensky, who wrote (with Lynne Lamberg) “The Body Clock Guide to Better Health.” Click here for full details.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444180004578018294057070544

Additionally, our lungs function 17.6% more efficiently at 5 p.m. than at midday, according to a study of 4,756 patients led by Boris Medarov, an assistant professor of medicine at Albany Medical College in New York.

Afternoon exercise can even help us sleep better:

"The National Sleep Foundation reports that exercise in the afternoon can help deepen shut-eye and cut the time it takes for you to fall into dreamland. But, they caution, vigorous exercise leading up to bedtime can actually have the reverse effects."

For other athletes, however, the morning could be the optimal performance time. Balance, for instance, is higher in the morning, so gymnasts might perform better then.

Working: 

The funny thing I found out about our best time for working is that in some ways, everything I thought I knew about being productive was wrong. It turns out that circadian rhythms really affect how we work as well, so we all have peaks and troughs in our physical and mental capacity to get work done.

The interesting part of this is that the type of work we’re doing makes a difference to which time of the day we should choose to do it in. Here’s how it breaks down:

If you’re a morning lark, say, you’ll want to favor those morning hours when you’re feeling more fresh to get your most demanding, analytic work done. Using your brain to solve problems, answer questions and make decisions is best done when you’re at your peak, according to Scientific American:

"Numerous studies have demonstrated that our best performance on challenging, attention-demanding tasks—like studying in the midst of distraction—occurs at our peak time of day. When we operate at our optimal time of day, we filter out the distractions in our world and get down to business."

For night owls, this is obviously a much later period in the day.

On the other hand, if you’re trying to do creative work, you’ll actually have more luck when you’re more tired and your brain isn’t functioning as efficiently. This sounds crazy, but it actually makes sense when you look at the reasoning behind it. It’s one of the reasons why great ideas often happen in the shower after a long day of work.

If you’re tired, your brain is not as good at filtering out distractions and focusing on a particular task. It’s also a lot less efficient at remembering connections between ideas or concepts. These are both good things when it comes to creative work, since this kind of work requires us to make new connections, be open to new ideas and think in new ways. So a tired, fuzzy brain is much more use to us when working on creative projects.

This Scientific American article explains how distractions can actually be a good thing for creative thinking: ( Click here, full details: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/your-best-creative-time-not-when-you-think/ 

Insight problems involve thinking outside the box. This is where susceptibility to “distraction” can be of benefit. At off-peak times we are less focused, and may consider a broader range of information. This wider scope gives us access to more alternatives and diverse interpretations, thus fostering innovation and insight."

在下午 3 点到下午 3 点之间，身体表现更好，受伤风险更低。 下午 6 点，据迈克尔·斯莫伦斯基（Michael Smolensky）说，他（与琳恩·兰伯格（Lynne Lamberg））撰写了“改善健康的生物钟指南”。 点击此处查看详情。

 https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444180004578018294057070544

Zài xiàwǔ 3 diǎn dào xiàwǔ 3 diǎn zhī jiān, shēntǐ biǎoxiàn gèng hǎo, shòushāng fēngxiǎn gèng dī. Xiàwǔ 6 diǎn, jù màikè'ěr·sī mò lún sī jī (Michael Smolensky) shuō, tā (yǔ lín ēn·lán bó gé (Lynne Lamberg)) zhuànxiěle “gǎishàn jiànkāng de shēngwùzhōng zhǐnán”. Diǎnjī cǐ chù chákàn xiángqíng.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444180004578018294057070544

 此外，我们的肺在下午 5 点的效率提高了 17.6%。 纽约奥尔巴尼医学院的医学助理教授鲍里斯·梅达罗夫 (Boris Medarov) 领导的一项对 4,756 名患者的研究显示，比中午时分多。

cǐwài, wǒmen de fèi zài xiàwǔ 5 diǎn de xiàolǜ tígāole 17.6%. Niǔyuē ào'ěrbāní yīxué yuàn de yīxué zhùlǐ jiàoshòu bào lǐsī·méi dá luō fū (Boris Medarov) lǐngdǎo de yī xiàng duì 4,756 míng huànzhě de yánjiū xiǎnshì, bǐ zhōngwǔ shífēn duō.

 下午运动甚至可以帮助我们睡得更好：Xiàwǔ yùndòng shènzhì kěyǐ bāngzhù wǒmen shuì dé gèng hǎo:

 “美国国家睡眠基金会报告说，下午锻炼有助于加深睡眠，缩短进入梦境所需的时间。但是，他们警告说，睡前剧烈运动实际上可能会产生相反的效果。”

“Měiguó guójiā shuìmián jījīn huì bàogào shuō, xiàwǔ duànliàn yǒu zhù yú jiāshēn shuìmián, suōduǎn jìnrù mèngjìng suǒ xū de shíjiān. Dànshì, tāmen jǐnggào shuō, shuì qián jùliè yùndòng shíjì shang kěnéng huì chǎnshēng xiàng fǎn de xiàoguǒ.”

 然而，对于其他运动员来说，早上可能是最佳表现时间。 例如，平衡在早上更高，所以体操运动员可能会表现得更好。Rán'ér, duìyú qítā yùndòngyuán lái shuō, zǎoshang kěnéng shì zuì jiā biǎoxiàn shíjiān. Lìrú, pínghéng zài zǎoshang gèng gāo, suǒyǐ tǐcāo yùndòngyuán kěnéng huì biǎoxiàn dé gèng hǎo.

 在职的：Zàizhí de:

 我发现关于我们最佳工作时间的有趣事情是，在某些方面，我认为我所知道的关于高效的一切都是错误的。 事实证明，昼夜节律也确实会影响我们的工作方式，因此我们完成工作的身心能力都有高峰和低谷。

Wǒ fāxiàn guānyú wǒmen zuì jiā gōngzuò shíjiān de yǒuqù shìqíng shì, zài mǒu xiē fāngmiàn, wǒ rènwéi wǒ suǒ zhīdào de guānyú gāoxiào de yīqiè dōu shì cuòwù de. Shìshí zhèngmíng, zhòuyè jiélǜ yě quèshí huì yǐngxiǎng wǒmen de gōngzuò fāngshì, yīncǐ wǒmen wánchéng gōngzuò de shēnxīn nénglì dōu yǒu gāofēng hé dīgǔ.

 有趣的是，我们所做的工作类型会影响我们应该选择在一天中的哪个时间完成它。Yǒuqù de shì, wǒmen suǒ zuò de gōngzuò lèixíng huì yǐngxiǎng wǒmen yīnggāi xuǎnzé zài yītiān zhōng de nǎge shíjiān wánchéng tā.

它是如何分解的：Tā shì rúhé fēnjiě de:

 比如说，如果你是一个晨起的百灵鸟，你会喜欢那些让你感觉更新鲜的早晨时间来完成你最苛刻的分析工作。 根据《科学美国人》的说法，最好在处于巅峰状态时使用大脑来解决问题、回答问题和做出决定：Bǐrú shuō, rúguǒ nǐ shì yīgè chén qǐ de bǎilíng niǎo, nǐ huì xǐhuān nàxiē ràng nǐ gǎnjué gēng xīnxiān de zǎochén shíjiān lái wánchéng nǐ zuì kēkè de fēnxī gōngzuò. Gēnjù “kēxué měiguó rén” de shuōfǎ, zuì hǎo zài chǔyú diānfēng zhuàngtài shí shǐyòng dànǎo lái jiějué wèntí, huídá wèntí hé zuò chū juédìng:

 “许多研究表明，我们在一天中的高峰时间完成具有挑战性、注意力要求高的任务（例如在分心的情况下学习）时的最佳表现。当我们在一天中的最佳时间工作时，我们会过滤掉注意力分散的注意力。 世界，开始做正事。”

“Xǔduō yánjiū biǎomíng, wǒmen zài yītiān zhōng de gāofēng shíjiān wánchéng jùyǒu tiǎozhàn xìng, zhùyì lì yāoqiú gāo de rènwù (lìrú zài fēn xīn de qíngkuàng xià xuéxí) shí de zuì jiā biǎoxiàn. Dāng wǒmen zài yītiān zhōng de zuì jiā shíjiān gōngzuò shí, wǒmen huì guòlǜ diào zhùyì lì fēnsàn de zhùyì lì. Shìjiè, kāishǐ zuò zhèngshì.”

 对于夜猫子来说，这显然是白天更晚的时期。

Duìyú yèmāozi lái shuō, zhè xiǎnrán shì báitiān gèng wǎn de shíqí.

 另一方面，如果你想做创造性的工作，当你更累并且你的大脑没有那么有效地运作时，你实际上会更有运气。 这听起来很疯狂，但当您查看其背后的推理时，它实际上是有道理的。 这就是为什么伟大的想法经常在经过一整天的工作后在淋浴间出现的原因之一。

Lìng yī fāngmiàn, rúguǒ nǐ xiǎng zuò chuàngzàoxìng de gōngzuò, dāng nǐ gèng lèi bìngqiě nǐ de dànǎo méiyǒu nàme yǒuxiào de yùnzuò shí, nǐ shíjì shang huì gèng yǒu yùnqì. Zhè tīng qǐlái hěn fēngkuáng, dàn dāng nín chákàn qí bèihòu de tuīlǐ shí, tā shíjì shang shì yǒu dàolǐ de. Zhè jiùshì wèishéme wěidà de xiǎngfǎ jīngcháng zài jīngguò yī zhěng tiān de gōngzuò hòu zài línyù jiān chūxiàn de yuányīn zhī yī.

 如果你累了，你的大脑就不能很好地过滤掉干扰并专注于特定的任务。 记住想法或概念之间的联系的效率也低得多。 这对创造性工作来说都是好事，因为这种工作需要我们建立新的联系，对新想法持开放态度并以新的方式思考。 因此，在进行创意项目时，疲倦、模糊的大脑对我们更有用。Rúguǒ nǐ lèile, nǐ de dànǎo jiù bùnéng hěn hǎo de guòlǜ diào gānrǎo bìng zhuānzhù yú tèdìng de rènwù. Jì zhù xiǎngfǎ huò gàiniàn zhī jiān de liánxì de xiàolǜ yě dī dé duō. Zhè duì chuàngzàoxìng gōngzuò lái shuō dōu shì hǎoshì, yīnwèi zhè zhǒng gōngzuò xūyào wǒmen jiànlì xīn de liánxì, duì xīn xiǎngfǎ chí kāifàng tàidù bìng yǐ xīn de fāngshì sīkǎo. Yīncǐ, zài jìnxíng chuàngyì xiàngmù shí, píjuàn, móhú de dànǎo duì wǒmen gèng yǒuyòng.

 这篇《科学美国人》文章解释了分心实际上如何对创造性思维有益：（单击此处，完整详细信息：https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/your-best-creative-time-not-when-you-think/

Zhè piān “kēxué měiguó rén” wénzhāng jiěshìle fēn xīn shíjì shang rúhé duì chuàngzàoxìng sīwéi yǒuyì:(Dān jī cǐ chù, wánzhěng xiángxì xìnxī: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/your-best-creative-time-not-when-you-think/

 洞察力问题涉及跳出框框思考。 这就是对“分心”的敏感性可能有益的地方。 在非高峰时间，我们不太专注，可能会考虑更广泛的信息。 这种更广泛的范围使我们能够获得更多的选择和多样化的解释，从而促进创新和洞察力。

Dòngchá lì wèntí shèjí tiàochū kuāngkuāng sīkǎo. Zhè jiùshì duì “fēn xīn” de mǐngǎn xìng kěnéng yǒuyì dì dìfāng. Zài fēi gāofēng shíjiān, wǒmen bù tài zhuānzhù, kěnéng huì kǎolǜ gèng guǎngfàn de xìnxī. Zhè zhǒng gèng guǎngfàn de fànwéi shǐ wǒmen nénggòu huòdé gèng duō de xuǎnzé hé duōyàng huà de jiěshì, cóng'ér cùjìn chuàngxīn hé dòngchá lì.

How sunlight affects our body clocks.

Light is the single biggest external factor that affects our internal body clocks.

Each of us has a slightly different internal time, which can range from a 22 hour cycle (a fast body clock, associated with morning larks) to a 25 hour cycle (a slow body clock, which night owls would have). The average is around 24.5 hours.

Sunlight helps us to adjust this internal time cycle each day to synchronize it with the world’s 24-hour cycle. It works like this: light hits the back of our eyes and travels into our brains, triggering the release of chemicals onto our body clock cells. This tweaks our internal time to be either slower or faster, making it exactly 24 hours.

This also means that the more sunlight your eyes receive during the day can affect your clock by slowing it down or speeding it up when you don’t want it to. If you get lots of light in the morning, this will speed up your body clock and help you wake up earlier. Getting lots of light in the afternoon and around sunset will do the opposite—slow down your body clock and help you stay up later into the night.

This is probably the best trick I know for helping your body to adjust to a new timezone after flying halfway around the world, so it’s great to understand how it really affects our bodies!

Our dependence on light to keep our body clocks synchronized with the day’s 24 hour period is affected by our age, just like our sleep patterns are. As we get older, two main things happen that relate to this:

•Our eyesight worsens, and we receive less light into our eyes.

•Our body clock becomes less active.

Both of these things make our body clocks run slightly out of sync with the world. We start waking up a lot during the night, and often waking up far earlier than we’d like to. This is because the lack of light coming into our brains through our eyes gives a much weaker signal to our body clock cells to adjust them to a 24-hour period.

And although we don’t lose any of our body clock cells, much fewer of them are actually active as we get older.

What’s also important to consider here is that the importance of lighting in your office or at home is tightly connected to the temperature in your workplace too. Make sure that both are aligned to get an even better focus on your activities.

There’s still hope, though. An experiment that tripled the amount of light dementia and Alzheimer’s patients received during the day saw improvements in mood, better sleeping patterns, improved cognitive functions like memory and slower deteriorate of physical functions.

阳光如何影响我们的生物钟。

Yángguāng rúhé yǐngxiǎng wǒmen de shēngwùzhōng.

 光是影响我们体内生物钟的最大外部因素。Guāng shì yǐngxiǎng wǒmen tǐnèi shēngwùzhōng de zuìdà wàibù yīnsù.

 我们每个人的内部时间略有不同，其范围可以从 22 小时周期（快速生物钟，与早晨的百灵鸟相关）到 25 小时周期（慢速生物钟，夜猫子会有）。 平均时间约为 24.5 小时。Wǒmen měi gèrén de nèibù shíjiān lüè yǒu bùtóng, qí fànwéi kěyǐ cóng 22 xiǎoshí zhōuqí (kuàisù shēngwùzhōng, yǔ zǎochén de bǎilíng niǎo xiāngguān) dào 25 xiǎoshí zhōuqí (màn sù shēngwùzhōng, yèmāozi huì yǒu). Píngjūn shíjiān yuē wèi 24.5 Xiǎoshí.

 阳光帮助我们每天调整这个内部时间周期，使其与世界 24 小时周期同步。 它是这样工作的：光照射到我们的眼睛后部并进入我们的大脑，触发化学物质释放到我们的生物钟细胞上。 这会将我们的内部时间调整为更慢或更快，使其恰好为 24 小时。Yángguāng bāngzhù wǒmen měitiān tiáozhěng zhège nèibù shíjiān zhōuqí, shǐ qí yǔ shìjiè 24 xiǎoshí zhōuqí tóngbù. Tā shì zhèyàng gōngzuò de: Guāng zhàoshè dào wǒmen de yǎnjīng hòu bù bìng jìnrù wǒmen de dànǎo, chùfā huàxué wùzhí shìfàng dào wǒmen de shēngwùzhōng xìbāo shàng. Zhè huì jiāng wǒmen de nèibù shíjiān tiáozhěng wéi gèng màn huò gèng kuài, shǐ qí qià hào wéi 24 xiǎoshí.

 这也意味着，您的眼睛在白天接收到的阳光越多，就会通过在您不希望的时候减慢或加快时钟来影响您的时钟。 如果您早上光线充足，这将加快您的生物钟，并帮助您更早醒来。 在下午和日落前后获得充足的光线会起到相反的作用——减慢你的生物钟，帮助你熬夜到深夜。Zhè yě yìwèizhe, nín de yǎnjīng zài báitiān jiēshōu dào de yángguāng yuè duō, jiù huì tōngguò zài nín bù xīwàng de shíhòu jiǎn màn huò jiākuài shízhōng lái yǐngxiǎng nín de shízhōng. Rúguǒ nín zǎoshang guāngxiàn chōngzú, zhè jiāng jiākuài nín de shēngwùzhōng, bìng bāngzhù nín gèng zǎo xǐng lái. Zài xiàwǔ hé rìluò qiánhòu huòdé chōngzú de guāngxiàn huì qǐ dào xiāngfǎn de zuòyòng——jiǎn màn nǐ de shēngwùzhōng, bāngzhù nǐ áoyè dào shēnyè.

 这可能是我知道的最好的技巧，它可以帮助您的身体在飞过半个地球后适应新的时区，因此了解它如何真正影响我们的身体真是太好了！

Zhè kěnéng shì wǒ zhīdào de zuì hǎo de jìqiǎo, tā kěyǐ bāngzhù nín de shēntǐ zài fēi guòbàn gè dìqiú hòu shìyìng xīn de shíqū, yīncǐ liǎojiě tā rúhé zhēnzhèng yǐngxiǎng wǒmen de shēntǐ zhēnshi tài hǎole!

 我们对光的依赖使我们的生物钟与一天的 24 小时周期保持同步，就像我们的睡眠模式一样，会受到年龄的影响。 随着年龄的增长，会发生两件与此相关的主要事情：

Wǒmen duì guāng de yīlài shǐ wǒmen de shēngwùzhōng yǔ yītiān de 24 xiǎoshí zhōuqí bǎochí tóngbù, jiù xiàng wǒmen de shuìmián móshì yīyàng, huì shòudào niánlíng de yǐngxiǎng. Suízhe niánlíng de zēngzhǎng, huì fāshēng liǎng jiàn yǔ cǐ xiāngguān de zhǔyào shìqíng:

 •我们的视力变差，我们的眼睛接收到的光线变少。

•Wǒmen de shìlì biàn chà, wǒmen de yǎnjīng jiēshōu dào de guāngxiàn biàn shǎo.

 •我们的生物钟变得不那么活跃。

Wǒmen de shēngwùzhōng biàn dé bù nàme huóyuè.

 这两件事都使我们的生物钟与世界略微不同步。 我们在夜间开始经常醒来，而且常常比我们想要的更早醒来。 这是因为缺乏通过眼睛进入大脑的光线会向我们的生物钟细胞发出弱得多的信号，以将它们调整为 24 小时。

Zhè liǎng jiàn shì dōu shǐ wǒmen de shēngwùzhōng yǔ shìjiè lüèwēi bù tóngbù. Wǒmen zài yèjiān kāishǐ jīngcháng xǐng lái, érqiě chángcháng bǐ wǒmen xiǎng yào de gèng zǎo xǐng lái. Zhè shì yīnwèi quēfá tōngguò yǎnjīng jìnrù dànǎo de guāngxiàn huì xiàng wǒmen de shēngwùzhōng xìbāo fāchū ruò dé duō de xìnhào, yǐ jiāng tāmen tiáozhěng wéi 24 xiǎoshí.

 虽然我们不会失去任何生物钟细胞，但随着年龄的增长，它们中真正活跃的细胞要少得多。Suīrán wǒmen bù huì shīqù rènhé shēngwùzhōng xìbāo, dàn suízhe niánlíng de zēngzhǎng, tāmen zhōng zhēnzhèng huóyuè de xìbāo yào shǎo dé duō.

 这里还需要考虑的是，办公室或家中照明的重要性也与工作场所的温度密切相关。 确保两者保持一致，以便更好地专注于您的活动。Zhèlǐ hái xūyào kǎolǜ de shì, bàngōngshì huò jiāzhōng zhàomíng de zhòngyào xìng yě yǔ gōngzuò chǎngsuǒ de wēndù mìqiè xiāngguān. Quèbǎo liǎng zhě bǎochí yīzhì, yǐbiàn gèng hǎo de zhuānzhù yú nín de huódòng.

 不过还是有希望的。 一项将白天轻度痴呆和阿尔茨海默氏症患者的数量增加三倍的实验发现，情绪有所改善，睡眠模式更好，记忆等认知功能得到改善，身体机能下降速度减慢。Bùguò háishì yǒu xīwàng de. Yī xiàng jiāng báitiān qīng dù chīdāi hé ā'ěr cí hǎi mò shì zhèng huànzhě de shùliàng zēngjiā sān bèi de shíyàn fāxiàn, qíngxù yǒu suǒ gǎishàn, shuìmián móshì gèng hǎo, jìyì děng rèn zhī gōngnéng dédào gǎishàn, shēntǐ jīnéng xiàjiàng sùdù jiǎn màn.

Some other cool facts. 

There are some other areas that are affected by our body clocks that I found interesting. Here are some of the facts that I found out: 

The best time to drink beer or wine:

In the late afternoon/early evening our body clock is at its peak, so alcohol will have a lower effect on our cognitive ability. Lucky for us, this is right about the time for post-work drinks, so we can enjoy alcohol without it knocking us about like it would in the morning, or making us sleepy like it would at lunch.

The best time for medication:

Administering medications like chemotherapy which can kill healthy as well as diseased cells can be hugely affected by our body clocks. This recent study showed that if fewer of our healthy cells are active when the medication is administered, it will hurt less of them and be able to target the diseased cells better.

The best time to have a baby: 

Actually, this distinction is becoming less obvious as more and more births are affected by medical intervention, but the extremely relaxed state of our brains and muscles at this time and our lowered pain sensations mean not only is this a popular time for natural births to occur, but probably the best time you could choose as well.

其他一些很酷的事实。Qítā yīxiē hěn kù de shìshí.

 我发现还有一些其他领域受我们的生物钟影响。 以下是我发现的一些事实：

Wǒ fāxiàn hái yǒu yīxiē qítā lǐngyù shòu wǒmen de shēngwùzhōng yǐngxiǎng. Yǐxià shì wǒ fāxiàn de yīxiē shìshí:

 喝啤酒或葡萄酒的最佳时间：

Hē píjiǔ huò pútáojiǔ de zuì jiā shíjiān:

 在下午晚些时候/傍晚，我们的生物钟处于高峰期，因此酒精对我们的认知能力的影响较小。 对我们来说幸运的是，现在正是下班后喝酒的时间，所以我们可以享受酒精，而不会像早上那样让我们昏昏欲睡，也不会像午餐时那样让我们困倦。Zài xiàwǔ wǎn xiē shíhòu/bàngwǎn, wǒmen de shēngwùzhōng chǔyú gāofēng qī, yīncǐ jiǔjīng duì wǒmen de rèn zhī nénglì de yǐngxiǎng jiào xiǎo. Duì wǒmen lái shuō xìngyùn de shì, xiànzài zhèng shì xiàbān hòu hējiǔ de shíjiān, suǒyǐ wǒmen kěyǐ xiǎngshòu jiǔjīng, ér bù huì xiàng zǎoshang nàyàng ràng wǒmen hūn hūn yù shuì, yě bù huì xiàng wǔcān shí nàyàng ràng wǒmen kùnjuàn.

 最佳用药时间：Zuì jiā yòngyào shíjiān:

 使用化疗等药物会杀死健康和患病细胞，这会受到我们生物钟的巨大影响。 最近的这项研究表明，如果服用药物时我们的健康细胞较少，那么它们受到的伤害就会减少，并且能够更好地靶向患病细胞。Shǐyòng huàliáo děng yàowù huì shā sǐ jiànkāng hé huàn bìng xìbāo, zhè huì shòudào wǒmen shēngwùzhōng de jùdà yǐngxiǎng. Zuìjìn de zhè xiàng yánjiū biǎomíng, rúguǒ fúyòng yàowù shí wǒmen de jiànkāng xìbāo jiào shǎo, nàme tāmen shòudào de shānghài jiù huì jiǎnshǎo, bìngqiě nénggòu gèng hǎo de bǎ xiàng huàn bìng xìbāo.

 生孩子的最佳时间：Shēng háizi de zuì jiā shíjiān:

 实际上，随着越来越多的分娩受到医疗干预的影响，这种区别变得不那么明显，但是此时我们大脑和肌肉的极度放松状态以及我们的疼痛感降低意味着这不仅是自然分娩的流行时间 ，但也可能是您可以选择的最佳时间。

Shíjì shang, suízhe yuè lái yuè duō de fēnmiǎn shòudào yīliáo gānyù de yǐngxiǎng, zhè zhǒng qūbié biàn dé bù nàme míngxiǎn, dànshì cǐ shí wǒmen dànǎo hé jīròu de jídù fàngsōng zhuàngtài yǐjí wǒmen de téngtòng gǎn jiàngdī yìwèizhe zhè bùjǐn shì zìrán fēnmiǎn de liúxíng shíjiān, dàn yě kěnéng shì nín kěyǐ xuǎnzé de zuì jiā shíjiān.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8MHJJuwpn2k

It’s pretty amazing—I’d recommend watching the whole thing if you have time. 

太棒了——如果你有时间，我建议你看整件事。

Tài bàngle——rúguǒ nǐ yǒu shíjiān, wǒ jiànyì nǐ kàn zhěng jiàn shì.