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Whether you exercise in morning or evening makes all the difference, study shows

Study suggests everyone has an optimal exercise time - some are most effective between 8am and 11am, while others see greater benefits working out between 6pm to 9pm

[woman out jogging]

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Morning people are better getting that jog in before work, research suggests(Image: Getty Images)

Exercising at the right time of day that suits your body could be key to slashing heart attack risk, research suggests.

Researchers have looked at the importance of the so-called circadian rhythm and whether someone is an early bird or a night owl. A trial showed exercising at the right time of day for your body boosted a host of heart health measures, particularly improving blood pressure and sleep quality.

Experts say the findings, published in the journal Open Heart, suggests the NHS could perform genetic tests on heart patients to advise whether they should exercise in the morning or evening.

[Young female runner warming up before running at morning forest trail]

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Exercising at the time best suited to your body could work muscle and fat tissue more effectively(Image: Getty Images)

Dr Rajiv Sankaranarayanan, of the British Cardiovascular Society, said: "From a UK perspective, this study's findings are highly relevant to preventive cardiology within the NHS, where scalable, cost-effective interventions are essential. Incorporating simple chronotype assessment into lifestyle advice could enhance adherence and outcomes, particularly in patients with hypertension or cardiometabolic risk.

The study by researchers in the UK and Pakistan looked at the chronotypes of 150 middle aged people between 40 and 60 with at least one heart risk factor such as high blood pressure, obesity or a lack of exercise. Participants filled out detailed lifestyle questionnaires and had their 48-hour core body temperature tested.

Participants were randomly assigned to groups for exercise that either matched their chronotype or did not, with workouts scheduled between 8am and 11am, or 6pm to 9pm. Measures such as blood pressure and fasting glucose levels were taken before the trial and three days after. The study found that risk factors for heart problems, aerobic fitness and sleep quality improved in both groups over the 12 weeks.

But improvements were greater when exercise time was matched to chronotype, so that for example morning people went to the gym before work. This group of exercisers saw blood pressure reduced more and greater improvements for functions such as heart rate, aerobic capacity and sleep quality.

[Gym-goers working out]

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Gym-goers working out(Image: Getty Images)

Researchers said that exercising at the time best suited to your body could work muscle and fat tissue more effectively as well as reducing harmful inflammation in the body. Study lead Dr Arsalan Tariq, of the University of Lahore in Pakistan, said: Integrating the principle of chrono-exercise - scheduling workouts according to an individuals internal biological clock - may offer a novel and impactful approach to enhancing outcomes in preventive cardiovascular and metabolic health.

It comes after the Mirror reported a previous study which showed how physically active people are less likely to die from a range of conditions, including heart disease, stroke and cancer. Experts who reviewed 85 studies on the benefits of being active said their findings showed it is never too late.

The review, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, showed that people who were consistently physically active throughout their life had a 30% to 40% lower risk of dying from any cause. People who switched from being physically inactive to being active were still 22% less likely to die from any cause than those who remained inactive.

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