‘Night people’ find it harder to exercise

Are you a lark or an owl? If you are an owl-somebody who’s a night person-you’re more likely to sit around, and find exercising harder to do.

The difference between larks and owls should be recognised and built in to any exercise programme, say researchers.

Owls, who have later bed times, seem to spend more time sitting around, and can’t find the motivation to exercise, say researchers from Northwestern University in Chicago. The behaviour becomes more pronounced at the weekend, when obstacles to exercise seem even higher.

They noticed the difference when they profiled 123 healthy adults who were all active, exercising an average of 83 minutes a week. It could be even greater in people who exercise less than the study group, and trainers, physiotherapists and doctors should consider whether they are talking to an owl or a lark when devising an exercise programme.

(Source: Proceedings of the 28^th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies)

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