{"id":18196,"date":"2022-10-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-10T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=18196"},"modified":"2022-11-02T12:50:54","modified_gmt":"2022-11-02T11:50:54","slug":"owls-vs-larks-when-is-the-best-time-of-day-to-exercise-for-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/2022\/10\/11\/owls-vs-larks-when-is-the-best-time-of-day-to-exercise-for-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"Owls vs larks: When is the best time of day to exercise for sleep?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Owls vs larks: When is the best time of day to exercise for sleep?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

SIENNA HARRIS, VIA EMAIL<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

Exercise has been found to help improve sleep quality. Some of the mechanisms by which there is a positive impact include: reducing factors that can disrupt sleep, such as anxiety and obesity; and assisting the circadian rhythm, the natural sleep-wake cycle (to support consistent patterns). Recommendations, historically, included avoiding exercise close to bedtime in case sleep was disrupted by raising body temperature, for example. However, the evidence is not consistent that working-out late in the day is problematic \u2013 although it might be prudent to avoid vigorous exercise in the hour before you want to fall asleep. <\/p>\n\n

As to whether advice should differ for larks, those \u2018morning types\u2019 who function at their best earlier in the day, as compared to owls, \u2018evening types\u2019 who function best later in the day, the answer depends, in part, on whether there is a desire to shift sleep timing. <\/p>\n\n

Our body clocks are controlled by factors from within our bodies, and tweaked by influences from the world around us, such as the timing of exercise and our light exposure. Less is known about the impact of exercise on tweaking the body clock than light. However, it is possible that if an \u2018owl\u2019 is keen to fall asleep and wake up earlier (because, for example, of a specific work schedule), exercising early in the day \u2013 and with simultaneous light exposure \u2013 may help. On the other hand, if a \u2018lark\u2019 wishes to go to bed later (to allow for a longer evening), they might benefit from exercising later in the day, at some point between 7pm and 10pm, particularly if there is an exposure to light at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

There could be an interaction between exercise timing, whether you\u2019re a lark or an owl, and sleep. One study found that exercising later in the day was more associated with a delayed sleep time for \u2018morning\u2019 than \u2018evening\u2019 types. A busy lifestyle can make it tricky for people to schedule exercise; if evening provides that opportunity, then exercise benefits outweigh the risks. AGr <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

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IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Owls vs larks: When is the best time of day to exercise for sleep? SIENNA HARRIS, VIA EMAIL Exercise has been found to help improve sleep quality. Some of the mechanisms by which there is a positive impact include: reducing factors that can disrupt sleep, such as anxiety and obesity; and assisting the circadian rhythm, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":18195,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"78","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"78","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_78-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_78-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"October-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"October-2022","purple_external_id":"October-2022-78-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"October-2022-78-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000089659||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000089659||","purple_android_product":"com.focus.magazine.issue383","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.focus.magazine.issue383.2","purple_ios_product":"com.focus.magazine.issue383","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.focus.magazine.issue383.2","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"0f422ad1-c939-476d-9f82-a410052ad4c3","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-10-11T10:39:40Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"28bc30c5-22c6-4cf4-b46d-347a4cd8fa83","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-10-12T08:57:33Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAw==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AKLwwxSLGTPS0bTR6TNj6gw","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[30],"tags":[15],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/8c923f0d-d8df-46ed-9c9e-e50427ecc9ba.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"2","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/8c923f0d-d8df-46ed-9c9e-e50427ecc9ba.jpg",1270,980,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/8c923f0d-d8df-46ed-9c9e-e50427ecc9ba-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/8c923f0d-d8df-46ed-9c9e-e50427ecc9ba-300x231.jpg",300,231,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/8c923f0d-d8df-46ed-9c9e-e50427ecc9ba-768x593.jpg",768,593,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/8c923f0d-d8df-46ed-9c9e-e50427ecc9ba-1024x790.jpg",800,617,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/8c923f0d-d8df-46ed-9c9e-e50427ecc9ba.jpg",1270,980,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/8c923f0d-d8df-46ed-9c9e-e50427ecc9ba.jpg",1270,980,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Owls vs larks: When is the best time of day to exercise for sleep? SIENNA HARRIS, VIA EMAIL Exercise has been found to help improve sleep quality. 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