Time of Day and Chronotype-Dependent Synchrony Effects Exercise-Induced Reduction in Migraine Load: A Pilot Cross-Over Randomized Trial

Elias M. Malek, James W. Navalta and Graham R. McGinnis ()
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Elias M. Malek: Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
James W. Navalta: Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
Graham R. McGinnis: Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-12

Abstract: Migraines are the most common cause of chronic pain. Effective, non-pharmacological strategies to reduce migraine load, like exercise, are needed, but it is unclear how exercise timing and chronotype modulate the effects. We sought to determine the effects of time-of-day of exercise, and synchrony with one’s chronotype, on migraine load. We performed a pilot cross-over randomized trial where participants with chronic migraine completed two one-month exercise interventions, consisting of either morning exercise (before 09:00 a.m.) or evening exercise (after 7:00 p.m.) in a randomized repeated measures cross-over design (Clinical Trial #NCT04553445). Synchrony was determined by exercise time and chronotype (i.e., a morning type participant exercising in the morning is ‘in-sync,’ while an evening type participant exercising in the morning is ‘out-of-sync’). Migraine burden, and anthropometric assessment occurred before and after each month of exercise. Data was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with significance accepted at p < 0.05. When comparing morning and evening exercise, there was no significant improvements in any migraine-related parameters. However, when comparing in-sync and out-of-sync exercise, we found that migraine burden was only improved following in-sync exercise, while no benefits were seen in out-of-sync exercise. Our data suggests that exercise timing has limited impact, but synchrony with chronotype may be essential to decrease migraine load in chronic migraineurs.

Keywords: exercise; circadian; chronotype; migraine; headache; chrono-exercise; time-of-day (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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