Key result
Exercise timing during the day showed no clear evidence of a most favorable effect on cardiovascular parameters such as heart rate and blood pressure.
Why the study?
Whether exercising at a specific time of day elicits a better cardiovascular response than other timings remained to be established.
Does exercising at a specific time of day improve cardiovascular parameters compared to other timings?
Does exercising at a specific time of day improve cardiovascular parameters compared to other timings?
This scoping review suggests that the cardiovascular benefits of exercise are not significantly dependent on the time of day it is performed.
No clear optimal exercise timing for cardiovascular parameters; leaves open whether diurnal effects warrant targeted trials.
The beneficial effects of exercise on cardiovascular health are well known, but increasing epidemiological evidence suggests that certain physical activity timings during the day may be associated with better health outcomes due to diurnal variations in physiological functions. Whether exercising at a specific time of day will elicit a better cardiovascular response than other timings remain to be established. This scoping review aimed to summarise the effects of exercise timings (i.e. morning, afternoon, evening and night) on cardiovascular parameters (i.e. blood pressure [BP], heart rate [HR] and HR variability) from published evidence and to discuss the research gaps and implication for future studies. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Medline, Cochrane and Web of Science up to October 2023. Overall, 49 articles met the selection criteria, involving 914 participants from various age groups and health status. HR was the most frequently studied outcome, followed by BP. Overall, the findings showed no clear evidence for the most favourable exercise timing during the day on cardiovascular parameters. Heterogeneity across studies suggests that the beneficial effects of exercise on cardiovascular parameters may not be significantly altered by time of day for most people.
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Chen et al. (2024) reported a review. Exercise timings (morning, afternoon, evening, and night) vs. Other exercise timings was evaluated on Cardiovascular parameters (blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability). Exercise timing during the day showed no clear evidence of a most favorable effect on cardiovascular parameters such as heart rate and blood pressure.
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