Exercising at night work for most people or not? I end up feeling groggy in the morning.

[Anonymous]

Cardio at 8PM-ish (and in bed by 10PM) is so much more ideal for my schedule, but every time I do, I feel so groggy in the morning. Just wondering if this is common. My first thought was dehydration but I'm pretty good about drinking a lot of water.

[Anonymous]

I can’t sleep if I exercise late in the day.

[Anonymous]

Give your body some time to adjust.

[Anonymous]

It wouldn't work for me. I have enough trouble relaxing after my weekly yoga class that ends at 7:30. By the time I get home and eat, it's super late and that makes it hard to sleep.

I'm a 5:45/6:00 a.m. exerciser.

[Anonymous]

I prefer morning. I can't work up any motivation at the end of the day.

[Anonymous]

I sleep better if I exercise right before bed, but drinking lots of water and making sure I don’t need to wake up for a full 8 hours is key, otherwise I end up groggy. I wish I liked morning exercise but I just can’t make myself do it. :-/

[Anonymous]

It works for me but I do prefer morning workouts when they fit my schedule.

[Anonymous]

It works for me. But, I hate waking up early. I am a night owl. This way, I work out, shower and go to bed. I usually have more energy in the morning if I exercise in the evening. But, around 7, 8pm, not 10pm.

[Anonymous]

I can't exercise in the morning (I wish I could! I just need to be awake and active before exercising), so I exercise in the evenings. Typically around 5-7 pm, though. I like exercising, making dinner & shower, then getting in bed and watching something on Netflix or reading before sleep. I actually think it helps me sleep better if I exercise in the evening (provided I'm not trying to sleep immediately after I conclude my exercising). Maybe you need to move it up an hour or two, if possible? I think exercising at 7pm vs 8pm would give you a little more time to wind down before sleeping.

[Anonymous]

OP, have you had your iron levels checked? I have iron deficiency anemia and my doctor told me that people with this who exercise actually feel tired from exercising instead of energized which is a bit depressing but at least it’s an explanation.

[Anonymous]

If that is the only time you have, then do it. But if it is at all possible to do in the morning, even if you have to wake up at 4:30am, it is better for you and more natural for your body.

Exercising in the morning energizes you for at least half the day and gets you started in a very productive manner that often carries over to other things you are doing that day. You will miss this benefit by exercising at night and it will also make it harder to go to sleep at night.

I have three young kids and go to the gym at 5 am 3-4 mornings per week. Waking up is hard, but I feel so much better for the rest of the day.

[Anonymous]

I can't exercise past like 5 pm or I don't sleep well at night. I feel like such an old lady (I'm 37).

If it doesn't work for you, and you don't have a medical explanation (having low ferritin really can make exercise terribly hard), try to figure out a way to do it in the morning or afternoon.

[Anonymous]

I work out at 10pm and yes, it makes me groggy. It is the only time I can make it work though!

[Anonymous]

It is the best way to shake your head of the stress from the day. I can't do it now with kids but miss it.

[Anonymous]

It works for me, but I’m not a morning person. In fact, when I do an early morning workout, I usually crash around 10 am.