Background
Being physically active and exercise is one of the most important actions individuals of all ages can engage in to improve their health. Many factors may influence the benefits of doing regular exercise, especially the timing of exercise. However, there remains much debate about when to exercise.
Objective
To examine the best time of day for exercise by collecting and analyzing evidence and conducting a primary study.
Methods
We conducted a network meta-analysis and will conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Medline, Embase, Web of Science, CBM, CNKI, Wangfang, and some exercise related gray Literature sources were searched without restriction of search date and language. Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility, extracted data and evaluated risk of bias and the certainty of evidence. A Bayesian framework through R software informed a series of random effects network meta-analyses to estimate the relative effectiveness of the different times of a day for exercise. The primary outcomes include physical health, mental health, general/ill health, and quality of life. RCT will be conducted by recruiting the students in the Lanzhou university.
Results
The pairwise meta-analysis showed no clear differences between participants exercised in the morning and evening in the sleep quality (MD=0.01, 95% CI -0.85 to 0.87), fatigue (-0.00 95% CI -0.10 to 0.10), and quality of life (MD = -2.18, 95% CI -6.43 to 2.06). Other outcomes are being analyzed, after finishing the meta-analysis, we will conduct a randomized controlled trial, and we will present our results and progression in Evidence 2023 summit.
Conclusion
The network meta-analysis synthesized all available evidence and will conduct an RCT to investigate the best time of day for exercise, so as to provide reference for the public and researchers.
Acknowledgements: The author(s) is solely responsible for the content of this article, including all errors or omissions; acknowledgements do not imply endorsement of the content. The author is grateful to Siziwe Ngcwabe, the content committee and the Africa Evidence Network team for their guidance in the preparation and finalisation of this article as well as their editorial support.
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