Can Exercising at Night Help You Lose Weight?

If your goal is to lose weight, developing an exercise routine is crucial. But does timing matter — for instance, does working out before bed contribute to weight loss more or less than other times of day?

Whether or not you partake in night workouts specifically, there's no doubt that regular exercise does help you lose weight. Case in point: A January 2014 study in ‌Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases‌ evaluated various types of exercise and their effect on weight loss, and found that a combination of cardio and resistance training was most effective, especially if you do high volumes of cardio.

The study found that cardio can help you lose weight by itself, but throwing in some strength training can help you build muscle and burn fat. As an added bonus, it'll give your workout a little more variety.

Now, does working out before bed enhance this weight loss? Here's how evening exercise could affect your efforts to shed pounds.

Exercise at night could indirectly support your weight-loss efforts. For instance, running before bed (or whatever activity you chose) could help you cut back on habits that contribute to weight gain, like snacking.

In fact, cardio before bed — specifically, high-intensity interval training — has been linked to decreased production of grehlin, the hormone that triggers hunger, per a February 2019 study in ‌Experimental Physiology‌. However, only 11 people were included in this research, so larger studies are needed to better establish this connection and the link between working out before bed and weight loss.

While you may assume that nighttime exercise — like a run before bed — will keep you up later than planned, it's actually the opposite. If you exercise at night to lose weight, it may also benefit your sleep.

For instance, a February 2019 study in ‌Sports Medicine‌ found that evening exercise helped people fall asleep faster and spend more time in deep sleep.

And while this isn't necessarily the key to how to lose weight at night, getting better sleep could support your weight-loss journey indirectly. According to a February 2022 study in ‌JAMA Internal Medicine‌, getting a solid snooze can help reduce your overall calorie intake the next day, which can contribute to weight loss.

On the flip side, lack of sleep can mess with your metabolism (which can disrupt fat burning overnight and during the day), stimulate your appetite (especially for high-calorie, high-carb foods) and is linked to a increased risk for obesity, per the Sleep Foundation.

The key to building an exercise routine and losing weight is consistency, so you need to build a schedule that gives you time to move your body. And if that means midnight workouts, that's OK.

Indeed, an April 2015 study in the ‌Journal of Behavioral Medicine‌ found that exercising at least four times a week for six weeks was the minimum requirement for establishing an exercise habit.

While people who exercise in the morning tend to be more consistent than those who work out at night, you can certainly exercise at night if that's what works best for you, according to the American Council on Exercise.