Training in the Evening – Yes or No?

“Early birds” and “night owls”

Some of us prefer to start the day early in the morning, rest in the afternoon, and simply go to bed in the evening. Others feel better when they can get up later and their activity is highest in the evening hours. These differences are due to our chronotypes, i.e. the patterns of circadian rhythm that regulate organisms. The setting of our biological clock may or may not be due to family or work obligations – it is an individual issue, related to brain function. Clearly, the social organisation of reality is more friendly to “early birds”, for whom early wake-ups to go to work, university or school are much easier than for “night owls”.

So, since there are two radically different chronotypes, choosing the morning as a training time is not necessarily the only right one. Above all, it is important to match the timing of physical activity to the individual’s daily rhythm and schedule. This involves the crucial issue of rest and recovery for our well-being and good shape.

Time to take care of the quality of your sleep

Whether you consider yourself an “early bird” or a “night owl”, you need at least seven hours of sleep a day. It doesn’t matter much what time you go to bed. It is definitely more important that sleep – if possible – be regular and uninterrupted. While physical activity has an overwhelmingly positive impact on the quality of sleep, workouts done at the wrong time can cause sleep problems and disrupt the circadian rhythm. To understand why this happens, it is worth remembering the two hormones our bodies produce.

Cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone”, is produced during exercise, but it also accompanies our daily activities. It supports adrenaline production and stimulates the nervous and circulatory systems. Its levels naturally drop in the evening when it gets dark. This involves the production of melatonin, or the “sleep hormone”. Under normal conditions, this is your body’s natural reaction to the reduced amount of light falling on the retina. Melatonin lowers blood pressure and levels cortisol, making it easier to fall asleep and sustain sleep.

So, if the exercise is done late in the evening or even at night, and there is not enough time between the training session and the resting time to calm down – sooner or later, sleep problems may arise. What is more, elevated cortisol levels for too long can lead to problems with carbohydrate and fat metabolism, resulting in fat accumulation. Too much stress and too little sleep are not conducive to the health effects of physical activity. So is it even worth training in the evenings?

Training in the evening? Yes, but...

If you consider yourself a “night owls”, but still try to take care of the correct circadian rhythm, training in the evening should not harm you. Its effects should be similar to those of physical activity at any time of the day. One can also hear opinions arguing that the evening is a time more conducive to strength training aimed at building muscle mass, due to elevated levels of anabolic hormones.

Problems begin, however, when the evening is not our natural peak of activity, and we treat evening workouts in the wrong way – as catching up, escaping from everyday life, or some other substitute activity. Such approach leads to more mistakes that push us into a vicious cycle of frustration, stress and poorly slept nights. Here are some examples from life – as a warning:

1. A hard day is behind me, but I have to do the workout. And not just any kind. You hit the evening crossfit session after 10 hours at work. It’s going hard – and no wonder, because fatigue takes its toll and the body simply has had enough. Instead of joy, there are nerves and feelings of frustration. You wonder why it went so poorly, and a flurry of thoughts keeps you awake.
2. Everything else can wait. Family and friends should understand that training is an important part of your lifestyle, and some evenings you just have to have to yourself – sounds familiar? If your return from training after 10 pm affects other household members, it is worth discussing the topic with them and finding a mutually satisfactory solution. Otherwise, these types of activities can take a toll on relationships with loved ones and, as a result, impair the quality of your sleep.
3. I’ll relax in front of the screen. After an evening workout, are you catching up on work, browsing social media or watching a film? This is not the best way to calm down, and the feeling of fatigue can linger long after waking up. Why is that? Melatonin “dislikes” the blue light of the screen, which blocks its production, and this makes it difficult to fall asleep.
4. I’ll eat something... or not. Does it happen to you that after returning from an evening workout, you eat everything you have in the fridge or absolutely nothing, because “it’s unhealthy to eat at night”? Both overeating and not replenishing nutrients after a workout can negatively affect your sleep.

If you want to train in the evening, be sure to get enough sleep (at least seven hours) and plan for a quieting period (one to three hours after training, depending on your needs). Also avoid heavy endurance training, interval training and other high-intensity workouts – rather opt for calmer sessions. These two rules will allow you to train in the evening and at the same time not interfere with your body’s recovery. It is also worth mentioning a few good habits that will save you stress and allow you to rest more effectively:
 

1. Get ready for the workout. If possible, take the things you need for training with you to work. This will avoid nerve-wracking shuttles between the office, home and the sports centre, as well as last-minute repacking and preparation of food, drink and equipment.
2. Make sure to calm down, stretch and take a warm shower. This will allow your body to smoothly transition from an excited state to a resting state. It will only take you a few minutes, but will translate into several hours of good sleep.
3. Screen? No, thank you. Avoid prolonged sessions in front of electronic device screens after an evening workout. Let melatonin work and don’t irradiate your eyes unnecessarily.
4. Avoid stimulants. To improve sleep quality, avoid coffee, energy drinks, as well as alcohol and tobacco products!
5. Consider supplementation. If your workouts are having a negative impact on your sleep, think about melatonin or gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) supplementation. You can also use natural remedies to improve the quality of sleep – lemon balm, valerian or hops. Consult your choice with a specialist!

_References:

_{1) Fischer D., Hilditch C. J., Light in ecological settings: Entrainment, circadian disruption, and interventions, Progress in Brain Research, 2022.
2) Chtourou H., Chaouachi A., Driss T. i inni The effect of training at the same time of day and tapering period on the diurnal variation of short exercise performances, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2012.
3) Küüsmaa m., Schumann M., Sedliak m. i inni, Effects of morning versus evening combined strength and endurance training on physical performance, muscle hypertrophy, and serum hormone concentrations, Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, 2016.
4) https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/apnm-2013-0140#.XpXjYshKhPZ, dostęp: 2.07.2024.
5) https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-much-sleep-do-you-actually-need-202310302986, access: 2.07.2024.}