UK-Pakistan Study Finds Chronotype-Aligned Exercise Reduces Blood Pressure More in Middle-Aged Adults

# UK-Pakistan Study Finds Chronotype-Aligned Exercise Reduces Blood Pressure More in Middle-Aged Adults Researchers in the UK and Pakistan investigated the chronotypes of 150 people aged between 40 and 60. All 150 participants had at least one cardiovascular risk factor, including high blood pressure, obesity, or physical inactivity. The study was published in the journal Open Heart.

Chronotype refers to a person's natural inclination to be more active or wakeful at a particular time of day. Chronotypes are often simplified into morning larks (early birds) and night owls (evening types). Chronotype was determined through questionnaires and 48-hour core body temperature measurements.

Study Design and Participant Assignment Participants were randomly assigned to exercise either in alignment with their chronotype or not.

Workouts were scheduled for either the morning (8am–11am) or evening (6pm–9pm). The study lasted over 12 weeks, with 134 participants completing all 60 exercise sessions.

Improvements in Both Groups Both the matched and mismatched groups showed improvements in heart risk factors, aerobic fitness, and sleep quality.

Participants who exercised in alignment with their chronotype experienced greater reductions in blood pressure. Participants who exercised in alignment with their chronotype demonstrated better improvements in heart rate, aerobic capacity, and sleep quality compared to the mismatched group.

Expert Explanation of Chronotypes Sam Quinn is the personal training lead at Nuffield Health.

““Morning people or early risers are people who find that their energy levels are optimal first thing in the morning and often find that they are more productive during the first part of the day,” says Quinn. > “Whereas, a night owl, or someone who is more of a night person, would be someone whose energy levels are optimal later in the day or the evening. These are generally people who like to stay up late and maybe into the early hours in the morning,” says Quinn.”