Which Is Better, Running At Night vs Morning?

Although most people opt to go for an early morning run before the day begins, I personally schedule my runs for the evenings after a long day of work to relieve stress and help me sleep. That got me thinking, is an evening or morning run better?

From a purely physical point of view, running in the evenings is considered better than running in your mornings as, for most people, their muscles are more flexible, their body temperatures are higher, and their bodies have more fuel to burn. But morning runs can have certain important benefits.

While there is a lot of evidence to suggest that running in the morning improves performance from a physical perspective, this does not mean it is the correct time for your schedule or your circadian rhythms. Let’s look at the pros and cons of morning and evening runs below:

What Are The Positives Of Running In The Mornings?

Although running in the mornings may not be to everyone’s liking due to the need to get out of bed early and the strain it puts on your body after a night of inactivity, morning runs typically suit people’s schedules more than evening runs.

While mornings are mostly psychological (which will be explored below), there are also physical benefits to early morning runs.

The four most common benefits are:

• Weight loss
• Muscle growth
• Natural mood booster

Weight Loss

Running in the mornings before eating is believed to be an efficient way of burning fat, as it starts burning fat first, rather than burning carbs and proteins that may be present in the body after eating.

There is evidence to suggest that running in the morning affects one’s desire to eat throughout the day.

Muscle Growth

Testosterone, the hormone responsible for building muscle, is said to peak between 5:30 and 8:00 am in the morning. Therefore an early morning run is believed to improve muscle growth.

However, it is important to have a meal consisting of protein after your run to facilitate muscle growth.

Natural Mood Booster

Hate mornings? Well running may help! A morning run can allow one to begin their day on a positive note via the natural release of endorphins. It also helps counteract the natural morning rise of the stress hormone cortisol - making us feel more relaxed.

What Are The Negatives Of Running In The Mornings?

As mentioned above, running in the mornings means that your body is not prepared for strenuous exercise; consequently, the main negative of running in the mornings is the risk of injury.

Due to your body not having become accustomed to movement and core temperature stability throughout the day, early morning runs typically involve cold, stiff muscles that may be prone to injury.

Therefore, stretches are advisable before embarking on early morning runs.

What Are The Positives Of Running In The Evenings?

Although running in the mornings versus running in the evening is relative, the evening typically allows your body to perform at a more intense level physically.

The six most common benefits are:

• Encourages healthier life decisions
• More energy available to burn
• More time available
• Improves sleep
• Relieves stress
• Reduces the risk of injury

Encourages Healthier Life Decisions,

Knowing that you will be embarking on evening runs will likely mean that you are less likely to eat unhealthy food or drink alcohol during the day; as you know, this food and alcohol will need to be digested while running.

Consequently, those who run in the evenings tend to eat and drink better than those that don’t, as they understand the importance of light, healthy meals, and hydration.

More Energy Available To Burn

Running in the evenings means that your body has fuel to burn in the form of food that was eaten throughout the day. Running also assists the digestion process and the burning of carbs and proteins before they are stored as fat.

More Time Available

Because many people have busy schedules in the mornings, evening runs are usually favored over morning runs, as there are fewer time constraints allowing for longer or more leisurely runs.

Improves Sleep

Studies suggest that people that exercise in the evenings tend to fall asleep easier, sleep longer, and have improved quality of sleep overall.

Relieves Stress

Running is a fantastic way of relieving stress after a busy day of work, as getting out in nature, exercising, and socializing with other runners are all great ways to relieve both physical and psychological tension via natural endorphins.

Reduces The Risk Of Injury

Unlike morning runs, where your muscles are stiff, and your core temperature is low, running in the evenings means your body has had the whole day to acclimatize to the weather and move around.

What Are The Negatives Of Running In The Evenings?

Paradoxically, while running in the evenings may reduce your risk of injury, conditions at night time may prove to be dangerous or uncomfortable for the unprepared runner.

Although this is dependent on the area you are running in and the season in question, the setting of the sun during evening runs may leave you more exposed to colder temperatures, motor vehicles in reduced visibility, or advantageous muggers.

As such, it is important to prepare for these risks by wearing high visibility clothing, being prepared for colder temperatures with warm clothing, and avoiding any danger by sticking to set running paths and/or running with a group of people.

_{High visibility clothing; Image courtesy of Amazon.com note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases}

Summary And Conclusion

Although there is no “right time” to run, generally speaking, running in the morning is better for people looking for a psychological boost before work begins, while running in the evening is more focused on maximizing one’s physical performance.