It’s an old debate: what time of day is best to exercise? Should you go to the gym early in the morning when you’re half asleep or after a long day at work when you’re exhausted?
An intriguing new study appears to have settled the question.
Researchers at the University of Sydney have shown that people who exercise in the evening have a lower risk of developing heart disease and dying than those who exercise in the morning.
The study found that obese people who exercised after 6 p.m. had a 61 percent lower risk of dying and a 36 percent lower risk of developing heart disease compared to obese people who did not exercise at all.
But obese people who exercised in the morning got about half the benefit: They were only 33 percent less likely to die and 17 percent less likely to develop heart disease.
In this study, nighttime exercise was found to be the most effective method for prolonging longevity.
“Exercise is by no means the only solution to the obesity crisis, but this research suggests that people who can plan their activity at certain times of the day can better offset some of these health risks,” said the study’s author. , Dr. Matthew Ahmadi, of the University of Sydney, said.
Researchers at the University of Sydney analyzed the exercise routines and results of almost 30,000 obese people with an average age of 62 over eight years. At the beginning of the study, they tracked the individual’s physical activity for a week using a 24-hour physical activity tracker.
Her physical activity was not limited to exercise, but also included things like walking and cleaning the house.
Participants were classified into four categories depending on when most of their activity occurred: morning, afternoon, and evening. The morning athletes exercised from 6 in the morning until noon. The afternoon athletes worked out from noon to 6 p.m. The night athletes worked out from 6 p.m. until midnight.
After eight years, scientists analyzed the data, making sure to account for differences in age, sex, smoking habits and dietary intake. They also did not include people with pre-existing heart disease and cancer.
The scientists used an accelerometer, similar to a Fitbit, to determine the participants’ activity level.
The night athletes obtained the best results compared to the other groups. Exercising in the afternoon was also found to be less effective than at night, with a 40 percent lower risk of death and a 16 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
“This study suggests that the timing of physical activity could be an important part of recommendations for the future control of obesity and type 2 diabetes, and of preventive healthcare in general,” said Professor Emmaneul Stamatakis, author of the studio and director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub at the Charles Perkins Center.
The study authors provide some theories as to why this might be the case.
First, blood sugar levels are usually higher at the end of the day. If you exercise when your blood sugar is relatively high, your muscles can extract excess sugar from your bloodstream and use it as fuel, giving you more energy and helping to increase calories burned.
This, over time, could help you maintain more weight and have better health outcomes.
The graph above shows estimates of diabetes cases worldwide.
Below are some evidence that exercising at night could help lower blood pressure overnight, which may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Previous research by Japanese and Dutch researchers found that exercising in the afternoon and evening can better stabilize blood sugar and reduce the risk of insulin sensitivity; a precursor to diabetes.
Meanwhile, other studies have shown that exercising at night can have stress-relieving effects and reduce emotional eating behaviors.
In 2022, WHO It was estimated that there were 890 million adults living with obesity.
Carrying too much weight is associated with a number of lifestyle diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and more. There were 537 million adults living with diabetes in 2021, according to the International Diabetes Federation.
Eating habits, genetics, and medical conditions can contribute to a person’s likelihood of developing obesity. But doctors routinely recommend regular physical exercise as one of the best ways to fight obesity.