The best time to do everything

* To sharpen your brain
Pay bills or do a crossword between 10 and 11 am or 8 and 9 pm.
According to our circadian rhythms, that’s when we’re maximally alert. Try not to waste a minute—the brain boost lasts only for about an hour.

* Take a nap at 2 pm
The dip in body temperature that helps ease you into sleep at night also occurs midday, which is why afternoons can be so unproductive.
But if you can catch a catnap around 2 pm (the slump usually hits between 1pm and 3 pm), it should boost your alertness for several hours. Ten minutes will do the trick—nod off for more than 20 and you may wake feeling groggy. If a nap is out of the question, eat plenty of protein at lunch, which will give you longer-lasting energy.
Mid-afternoon is also a good time for “strategic caffeine use”. If you don’t exceed a cup or two per day, caffeine works phenomenally well at increasing your alertness. This should be your last cup of coffee for the day, though—any caffeine consumed within seven hours of bedtime can disrupt your sleep.

To boost your energy

* Follow a sleep schedule
Several studies suggest that obeying your alarm clock can help relieve daytime fatigue. And sleep researchers are finding that people who get at least seven hours of sleep a night are much less likely to be obese—and weight gain can act as an energy drain. Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day also keeps your biological clock on schedule. This clock, a cluster of 20,000 neurons in your brain, regulates your body’s temperature, hormones, blood pressure and other important functions. Throw it off-kilter and you could be looking at serious health problems. Studies on night-shift workers suggest that people with irregular sleep habits have an increased risk of digestive troubles, emotional and mental problems, heart disease and cancer.

* Head to bed at least three hours after eating dinner
It ensures more efficient digestion and—because eating too much food before sleeping can cause heartburn—deeper sleep. If you want a cocktail, have it with dinner to give your body plenty of time to metabolise the alcohol. Even if a drink makes you feel sleepy at first, just one nightcap can cause you to wake up more frequently during the night. Imbibing too late in the evening upsets normal brain pattern. You’ll be more likely to have startling, vivid, or violent dreams, which can also disturb sleep.