Exercise can have an impact on your body's clock depending on when you do it, according to a new study

Your biological clock, also called circadian rhythm, is one of those things that can work for you or against you when it comes to sleeping well at night. If you have trouble relaxing before going to bed, a circadian rhythm reset may be the answer. Researchers at Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of California at San Diego now claim that the time at which you exercise can actually change the time. clock of your body. This is good news for people who work at night or whose travel schedules are the cause of jet lag.

"The exercise causes some circadian phase shift effects, but additional information is needed," wrote the authors of the study. The senior author of the study, Shawn Youngstedt, a professor at the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at the University of Arizona (ASU), said that He and his colleagues wanted to further explore existing research that shows how exercise can influence the biological clock, according to an ASU press. release on the study. "We know that this can affect the internal clock, but we never knew clearly what time of day the exercise was causing delays and when the exercise was getting the clock going biological. Without knowing this information, it is more difficult to help people suffering from disturbances of the biological clock, "he said.

Posted in Journal of PhysiologyThe study shows that doing physical activity in the morning or afternoon can help to compensate for disturbances in the body's internal clock. The circadian rhythm partially regulates sleep cycles and, by exercising at 7:00 am or between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm, you can adjust your circadian rhythm earlier, making bedtime easier (and getting up earlier). The study showed that exercise between 7 pm and 10 am shifted the body clock later in the day and into the evening.

"We know that exercise alters the body's clock," Youngstedt said in a statement released by Neuroscience News. "We were able to clearly show in this study that exercise delays the biological clock and moves forward. This is the first study to compare the effects of exercise on the body clock and could allow exercise to help counteract the negative effects of jet lag and jet lag. shift work. Although the positive effects of exercise on sleep are well known, according to study authors, deliberately altering the body clock by doing exercise at certain times can make the difference between poor quality sleep and quality rest.

Minimizing sleep disturbances is also important, Youngstedt said, according to the ASU press release. Being sufficiently exposed to the outside light every day, sleeping in total darkness (blackout curtains or a sleep mask can help) and regular physical activity can all facilitate getting out of bed in the morning. Even light from your cell phone can delay your biological clock, Youngstedt said. It is therefore essential to turn it off before going to bed.

Youngstedt said in the press release that although further research is needed to fully understand how exercise can alter your circadian rhythm, these results show that exercise can be a simple and accessible way for people to adapt to shift work and difficult travel schedules. If you know that flying over the country will soon cause a significant time difference or if you manage to work at night, planning your exercise can help you adjust and sleep better at bedtime.