Exercise during Ramadan: training, eating and sleep while you fast
By DinFit · Published 29 October 2026 · How these articles are made
Every claim on this page names its source. It has been checked against those sources, not reviewed by a health professional.
A 2020 review that pooled 11 studies found that most measures of physical performance, strength and aerobic performance among them, did not change with Ramadan fasting, while power in sprint tests fell, and so did sprinting in the morning.1 A 2023 sports medicine guideline for healthy people suggests training after iftar where you can, keeping sessions before iftar light and short, and not training in the morning after suhoor.2 This page gathers what those sources say about training, eating, drinking and sleep, and points to a page on each.
If you would like a plan of your own that works around fasting days, DinFit's free plan builds one from your answers and sends it by email.
Can you keep training while you fast?
In the 2020 review, strength, jump height and aerobic performance were not affected by the fast, and its authors concluded that athletes appear able to compete while fasting with little effect on their performance.1 A 2012 review of practical recommendations for high-level athletes found that performance can be kept up through Ramadan when training, food and drink, and sleep are well managed.3 A 2024 overview of 14 systematic reviews linked training through Ramadan with shorter sleep, changes in mood and lower results in high-intensity exercise tests among athletes.4
Who this research is about
The reviews in that overview were rated low to critically low in quality, and the studies behind them were of athletes and physically active people, so they may not hold for anyone else.4
When should you train?
The 2023 guideline's expert panel saw the evening, about three hours after iftar, as the best time to stay fed and hydrated through a session, and placed hard or long sessions there, while warning that doing them often at that hour can disturb sleep.2 For the hour or two before iftar it suggests light to moderate sessions, or short strength sessions, finished in time to eat and drink straight after.2 It does not recommend training in the morning after suhoor, because recovery then waits until sunset for food and drink.2 For people new to training, it suggests the evening after iftar.2 The 2012 review adds that training close to or after sunset may have advantages, which vary between individual and team sports, and between places where most people are Muslim and places where most are not.3
The best time to work out in Ramadan goes through each option.
Who this research is about
Every recommendation in that guideline is expert opinion, the lowest of its three levels of evidence, and it is written for healthy people, most of it for athletes.2
What should you eat and drink?
The International Society of Sports Nutrition describes protein doses of about 20 to 40 grams, ideally spread every 3 to 4 hours, for healthy people who exercise.5 When you can eat only between iftar and suhoor, sharing your protein between those two meals fits that advice to the hours you have, which is DinFit's own suggestion rather than the Society's.5 The 2024 overview linked Ramadan with lower energy, carbohydrate and water intake in adult athletes.4
A registered dietitian writing for the British Dietetic Association suggests splitting your drinks evenly between iftar and suhoor, since drinking a lot at once fills you up and takes away your appetite.6 The 2023 guideline suggests drinking well between iftar and suhoor, and avoiding coffee and tea in that time, because they make you pass more water.2
What to eat at suhoor when you train and staying hydrated in Ramadan cover each in more detail.
How does sleep change?
Across 24 studies, total sleep fell from about 7.2 hours a night before Ramadan to 6.4 hours during it, while daytime sleepiness rose only slightly.7 The 2023 guideline suggests daytime naps of about 30 to 40 minutes alongside night sleep, and moving your bedtime gradually to suit whether you are a morning or an evening person.2
Sleep in Ramadan looks at why sleep shortens and what helps it.
Who this research is about
The people in those 24 studies had a median age of 23.7 years, and 73 percent of them were men.7
Where can you read more?
- The best time to work out in Ramadan: before iftar, after iftar or after suhoor.
- What to eat at suhoor (sehri) when you train.
- Sleep in Ramadan: why you feel tired, and what the research found.
- Staying hydrated in Ramadan.
- Strength training in Ramadan, and keeping your muscle.
- Running in Ramadan.
- Preparing your body for Ramadan: caffeine, sleep and a lighter first week.
- A Ramadan training plan: fitting your week around iftar and suhoor.
- Back to training after Ramadan.
If you live with a health condition, take regular medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have had an eating disorder, talk to your doctor about training and eating while you fast.
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- Abaïdia AE, Daab W, Bouzid MA. Effects of Ramadan Fasting on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2020;50(5):1009-1026. PMID 31960369. Record on PubMed
- Chamari K, Guezguez F, Khalladi K, et al. Aspetar clinical guidelines: Ramadan fasting and exercise for healthy individuals. Tunis Med. 2023;101(1):1-14. PMID 37682254. Full text on PMC
- Maughan RJ, Zerguini Y, Chalabi H, et al. Achieving optimum sports performance during Ramadan: some practical recommendations. J Sports Sci. 2012;30 Suppl 1:S109-17. PMID 22769241. Record on PubMed
- Trabelsi K, Ammar A, Boukhris O, et al. Ramadan intermittent fasting and its association with health-related indices and exercise test performance in athletes and physically active individuals: an overview of systematic reviews. Br J Sports Med. 2024;58(3):136-143. PMID 37923379. Record on PubMed
- Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:20. PMID 28642676. Full text on PMC
- Frascina C. Ramadan and diet. British Dietetic Association, 1 April 2022. On bda.uk.com
- Faris MAE, Jahrami HA, Alhayki FA, et al. Effect of diurnal fasting on sleep during Ramadan: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Breath. 2020;24(2):771-782. PMID 31832984. Record on PubMed
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