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Want to lose those last few kilos, perform at your peak physically and mentally, or simply recover better from illness? The secret could be to tap into your body's hidden rhythms.

We know that people are often categorised as ''larks'' or ''owls'', those who prefer to sleep in and stay up late or rise with the dawn and turn in early; that teenagers struggle to get out of bed in the morning; that night-shift workers often battle weight gain; and most of us have experienced the energy-sapping effects of jet lag. But did you know that our bodies are so finely tuned into a circadian rhythm that there are better times of day to break an athletics record, schedule a painful medical procedure, sit an exam, or even conceive?

Chronobiologist Dr Gerard Kennedy from Victoria University has spent many years studying why and how our bodies react to time. He says we all have an internal ''master clock'' - the grain-of-rice-sized suprachiasmatic nucleus (try saying that in a hurry) in the brain that is responsible for the synchronisation of the body's essential processes. ''Each cell has its own little clock which ticks away but without the master clock they quickly lose synchronicity,'' he says. ''It's a bit like the maestro of the orchestra conducting all the other instruments, which are the other cells in the body.''

It all starts when you go to bed. Kennedy says there is no set ''best'' sleep and waking time and that it's important to tune into your body's clues. There are two extreme ends of people's body clocks. ''At the one end we've got the larks and at the other the owls but most of us are in the middle,'' he says. ''For the average person, bedtime is around 10.30pm and getting-up time is around seven to eight in the morning.''

Waking and sleeping times also depend on how much sleep you need. ''Some people are short sleepers, needing less than six hours a night whereas others need more than nine, so this affects when you need to go to bed.''

All-day alertness

A leading researcher in body clock function, Dr Michael Smolensky, a professor of environmental physiology at the University of Texas School of Public Health, says that for peak health it's important to get in sync with your body clock. He advises waking up at the same time every day to ensure all-day energy. ''Your internal clock controls your production of the sleep-triggering hormone melatonin,'' he says. ''Keeping the gap between your wake-up time and bedtime constant ensures that melatonin peaks in the evening hours when you really need it.''

The body's ability to control blood sugar is also ruled by our body clock and changes throughout the day. Eating a protein-rich breakfast and lunch will help keep blood sugar steady during waking hours.

Got a lot to get done? Smolensky recommends a half-hour dose of sunlight first thing. ''Morning light exposure sets your internal clock, so your body temperature, energy level and alertness stay high during the day.'' And if you need to solve a tricky problem or do some high-level thinking, plan to strain your brain in the morning. ''Mental alertness peaks around 10am,'' Smolensky says.

Working the night shift

If you're a nurse, doctor or chef, regularly working night shifts can play havoc with your body clock. Kennedy says owls have a more delayed clock so they are better at coping with jet lag and shift work.

To help set yourself up for effective sleep, he recommends wearing dark glasses when you drive home after a shift (apparently, even a short burst of morning sunlight hitting your retinas can turn off melatonin production and reset your body clock) and trying to get a solid sleep of at least six hours. On your day off, get regular exercise and try not to overeat at night.

Speeding up time

Ever wondered why time seems to fly by when you're chewing up the kilometres on a fast freeway? University of Queensland researchers discovered recently that after continued exposure to stimuli such as movement, the brain changes the way we experience time, leading to the conclusion that the body has different clocks for judging speed and time. The researchers stated that we could have ''millions'' of different internal clocks that affect our perception of time in various circumstances and that this could well have implications for understanding a range of conditions from schizophrenia to dyslexia.

By the clock

7am Try for a baby. Hormone levels are highest and sperm counts peak. Blood pressure also rises, making it easier for you to get out of bed and walk around.

9am Schedule a surgical procedure. Medical staff are likely to be less fatigued.

10am Study for or sit an exam. You're most alert from 10-11am; the brain is most rested. Get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked. Their levels can vary throughout the day but high-morning readings are more likely to indicate a health problem.

Noon Take medication. Joint pain, such as osteoarthritis, peaks in the afternoon and evening. Take medication about lunchtime to give it time to work. Negotiate a tricky deal. According to Kennedy, this is the best time for an argument because verbal reasoning skills peak about noon.

1-2pm Visit the dentist. Research shows that local anaesthetics last three times longer if given between 1pm and 3pm, and our pain threshold is at its highest.

2-3pm Take a nap. Your metabolism slows between 2pm and 3pm and this is when our bodies are programmed for a short sleep. ''Human beings are designed to have two sleeps: one nocturnal sleep and one short 20-40-minute nap in the middle of the day,'' Kennedy says.

4-6pm Exercise. More Olympic records have been broken in the late afternoon than at other times. Lung capacity is at its maximum and core temperature is raised, speeding nerve impulses and improving co-ordination. Research shows that strength and endurance climb about 5 per cent between 4pm and 8pm, compared with morning hours, so you can push yourself harder. Your muscles are warmer, too, which will help you avoid injury. ''There is more risk of heart attack early in the morning, so older people, especially, should exercise towards the end of the day,'' Kennedy says.

5-7pm Chow down on carbohydrates. Refuel energy stores up to two hours after exercising and your muscles will thank you. Your muscles can best take up energy consumed and your body is less likely to store kilojoules as fat. This is also the ideal time to enjoy a glass of wine because your liver is more able to metabolise the alcohol.

10pm Enjoy some horizontal dancing! Libidos hit their peak in the late evening.

Are you tuned into your body's natural rhythms, or are you racing against the clock?

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How to master your body clock

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