No one's saying that working women will scare small children this afternoon, but a new study says that 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays is when a woman looks her most aged.

The survey of British women is, on its face, a bit suspect, having been commissioned by St. Tropez, the tanning people. But some findings strike a chord.

One in 10 women said that Wednesday is their most stressful day of the week, with one in five working through her lunch hour. An energy slump in the afternoon sends women to the vending machines, no doubt contributing to a furtive look.

Fair enough. But in the "gimme a break" category, the study asserts that the visible effects of a few drinks on the weekend may not show up for 72 hours. You guessed it: Wednesday afternoon.

It gets worse: More than one in three said they rarely get a good sleep on Monday nights, and those effects are most evident after — wait for it — 48 hours.

Then the survey, revealing a development it termed "fascinating," said that as women work through the midweek slump and their stress starts to ease, Thursday is the evening they are most likely to have sex.

This, in turn, causes most of them to consider Fridays "their happiest day." Really? No other reason?

The study has its blemishes, being released just when St. Tropez is launching an anti-aging self-tanning lotion. And no mention of how sleepy, stressed-out, Scotch-drinking men look on Wednesday afternoons. Perhaps we'll learn more when a men's line of products is developed.

In the meantime, ladies, here's one way to deal with the impact of 3:30 on Wednesday afternoons.

Skype with your mom.

Kim Ode • 612-673-7185 @odewrites