Morning vs. Evening: Diurnal Variations in Anaerobic Power, Dynamic Balance, and Perceptual Responses in Athletes

This study aimed to examine the effects of circadian rhythm on athletes’ athletic performance parameters (balance, anaerobic power) and perceptual responses (feeling of pleasure, perceived exertion). Twenty-one active athletes (10 females, 11 males) studying at Gaziantep University Faculty of Sport Sciences volunteered for the study. Participants underwent static and dynamic balance tests, the Wingate anaerobic power test, and perceptual response measurements in the morning (08:00–10:00) and evening (17:00–19:00). Since the data violated the assumption of normality, statistical comparisons were conducted using the Wilcoxon and Mann–Whitney U (p .05). However, dynamic balance (p<.05) and peak power values (p<.05) were significantly higher in the evening. Regarding sex differences, males generally exhibited higher power performance values, while females showed increased peak and mean power outputs particularly in the evening. Additionally, females demonstrated higher dynamic balance performance compared to males (p<.05). The feeling of pleasure was significantly higher in the evening (p<.05), whereas no difference was observed in perceived exertion levels. The

Findings: indicate that circadian rhythm has notable effects on sports performance and perceptual responses. These

Results: suggest that scheduling training sessions in the evening may offer distinct advantages in terms of both performance and motivation.