Working out can beat jetlag

at certain times of the day can help combat the worst effects of jet lag, a study suggests.

Researchers found that a work out in the morning or afternoon shifts the human body clock to an earlier time, while exercising in the evening delays it to a later time.

The findings suggest exercise could also counter the effects of shift work and other disruptions to the body’s internal clock, such as military deployments, helping people to adjust to changing schedules.

The “circadian body clock” is the 24- hour cycle that regulates many physiological processes including sleeping and eating.

Factors such as light and time cues affect the internal body clock and although exercise has been known to cause shifts in it, little is known about this effect. The study found exercising at 7am or between 1pm and 4pm advanced the body clock to an earlier time, and between 7pm and 10pm delayed it to a later time.

But exercising between 1am and 4am and at 10am had little effect on the body clock, the study published in The Journal Of Physiology showed.

Body clocks were examined in 101 participants following exercise for up to five and a half days.

Study co- author Professor Shawn Youngstedt, of Arizona State University, US, said: “This could open up the possibility of using exercise to help counter the negative effects of jetlag and shift work.”