Protein has many benefits and having a certain amount of it before sleep optimizes its advantages. Slow-digesting protein in a bedtime shake prolongs the duration of muscle protein synthesis, building muscles as you sleep. A protein shake at bedtime can preemptively fuel you for the day ahead.
Consuming a protein shake post-workout is often thought to be the best time to maximize your muscle growth and recovery, though drinking protein before bed may provide extra benefits. Drinking an extra protein shake at night can improve strength, muscle size, and speed up recovery.
Prepared Protein Shakes: If you've mixed a protein shake with water or milk, it's best to consume it within 2 hours if kept at room temperature. If refrigerated, it can stay effective for up to 24 hours.
Eating a small amount of protein before bed will not encourage it to burn more fat. It will burn only what it needs to burn, and since the protein itself contains energy and building blocks for reconstruction, eating that protein will reduce your body's need to burn fat.
Research shows that consuming casein protein before bed is a better choice than whey and other popular picks, as it's digested and absorbed by the bloodstream at a slower rate. This keeps your muscles in a non-cannibalizing, anabolic state.
Some research suggests this tactic has the potential to enhance muscle growth, speed up recovery, and increase performance. However, eating before bed could potentially detract from your sleep quality and even your long-term health, especially if you go about it the wrong way.
Some studies find that consuming a higher than usual amount of protein in your diet may offer benefits. For example, eating or drinking products that are high in protein may help you lower body fat, keep lean muscle, feel full and lose weight.
In short, consuming protein before bed after a typical day of eating does not translate to increased weight gain. Research has also shown that your metabolic rate may increase, or at worst, stay the same.
It can Lead to Long Term Health Consequences
It's like having a habit that could affect your body over time. Without exercise, the extra protein from the shakes might not be used well by your body. This could lead to issues like gaining too much weight or not having enough muscle strength.
The timing of your protein intake can influence its effectiveness. It is generally recommended to consume a protein shake about 30 minutes to an hour before going to bed. This allows enough time for digestion and ensures that the amino acids from the protein are available throughout the night.
After consuming protein, the amino acids enter your bloodstream and can remain in circulation for up to six to seven hours. However, the actual digestion and absorption process typically takes much less time, with most of the amino acids being absorbed in the first two hours after consumption.
Consuming protein before bed is a good idea if your goal is to gain weight or build muscle. Older adults may want to consume protein before going to bed to help maintain muscle strength. Consuming 30 to 40 grams of protein before bed can help maintain lean muscle mass and improve muscle recovery.
Make sure that you do not consume protein shakes close to a meal. Similarly, do not consume protein shake hours before or hours after a workout. Usually, the consumption of protein shake within 30-40 minutes of a workout is ideal.
The recommended dietary allowance to prevent deficiency for an average sedentary adult is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For example, a person who weighs 165 pounds, or 75 kilograms, should consume 60 grams of protein per day. If you're over age 40-50.
Quite simply, whey protein is just very insulinogenic — meaning, it breaks down into amino acids very quickly which get quickly absorbed and then rapidly stimulate a whole lot of insulin production. This in turn lowers your blood sugar level which in turn can makes you quite sleepy/fatigued.
On the other hand, if we're eating so much protein that we're getting more total calories than our body burns, those calories will be stored as fat. Whether you're working out or not, it's also important to remember that protein isn't the only nutrient our bodies need to thrive.
Having protein shakes before bed provides a key opportunity to stimulate muscle growth, influence daily energy metabolism, and improve overall sleep quality. Furthermore, when consumed regularly, pre-sleep protein promotes gains in both muscle mass and strength.
Protein contains amino acids that support muscle growth, and having more muscle helps you burn more calories. But don't start drinking protein shakes and keep following your usual diet without exercising. Those extra calories will have the opposite effect and cause you to gain weight.
More research needs to be done to determine whether protein before bed promotes weight loss and weight management, but research in both men and women shows that consuming pre-sleep protein for healthy weight individuals does not seem to negatively impact overnight fat metabolism.
But science keeps learning new things about the human body. How many calories you take in, and how much activity you engage in, still matters… a lot. But several studies over the past decade have shown that eating late meals might make it harder to lose weight.
In a study of 215 overweight/obese subjects randomized to one of 2 hypo-caloric diets for 12 weeks, greater reductions in total and abdominal fat mass were seen in subjects consuming high protein (27% total energy content) diet compared to standard protein (16% total energy content) diet (10).
Regular Exercise and Fitness Routines
In addition to her dietary changes, Kelly incorporated regular exercise into her daily routine. Her workout regimen included a mix of cardio, strength training, and flexibility exercises, each of which contributed to her overall fitness and weight loss success.
Consuming more protein than the body needs can cause symptoms such as intestinal discomfort, dehydration, nausea, fatigue, headaches, and more. Chronic protein overconsumption can also increase the risk of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, blood vessel disorders, liver and kidney issues, and seizures.