10.10pm... best bedtime for a sound night’s sleep

LIVING strictly by the clock is the best way to ensure a healthy lifestyle, people told a survey.

Bedtime should be early, at 10.10pm which allows for 20 minutes to nod off then gives 90 minutes of the most restorative sleep, prior to midnight.

Best time to wake up is 6.45am, ideally after between seven and nine hours of sleep.

At 7am it’s time to exercise, perhaps with a brief run. Then at 7.15am, eat breakfast, around 30 minutes after waking.

Breakfast however may get in the way of the best time for sex, ideally at 7.30.

There’s the commute to be dealt with but by 9.45am you should be at your mental peak for working, with concentration, memory, focus and creativity all at their best.

By 10.45am, relax at least briefly as your stress levels will be at their highest.

Then at 12.15pm take lunch. And don’t skip it. Three-quarters of those surveyed found they benefited from always having a midday meal.

Dieters should dinner at 6pm.

But for others 6.10pm is Wine O’Clock, best time for a drink to aim to have unwind, because your body needs at least four hours afterwards to recover from alcohol before sleep.

Then at 10.10pm it’s bedtime all over again.

The survey, by vitamin manufacturers Forza Supplements, came up with the guidelines after questioning 1,000 UK adults.

A key finding is that enough sleep is essential.

Not getting eight hours a night impacted throughout the day, said 56 per cent.

Lee Smith, Forza managing director, said: “While no two people are the same, these were found to be the very best times for the average person.”