Should You Be Drinking A Protein Shake Before Bed? Even though you’re working out, if your protein intake isn’t where it should be, you’ll be stuck in a catabolic state. You can also think of this as a state of negative protein balance. One way around this is to make sure you’re consuming several well-timed protein meals/shakes throughout the day, including post-workout. But what about at night before bed? After all, you’re about to fast from your last meal until you consume protein in the morning. That could be quite a while. In this article, we’ll tackle that question. Let’s get started!
Protein Timing
Why even take a protein shake before bed? Can’t you just consume all your protein in 1-2 meals for the day? Here’s the thing. Your body doesn’t store protein for a considerable length of time the way it does carbs and fat. Yet, protein (in the form of amino acids) is required for thousands of daily functions. It will only be used for muscle growth after these needs have been met.
With that in mind, current research-backed thinking suggests you should evenly divide your protein intake throughout the day over 5-6 meals(1). As a side note, I suggest consuming a minimum of 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. Given that, why would you want to ingest that level of protein over just a couple of meals? It makes good sense to divide it up over several meals.
Consuming protein every few hours provides a steady flow of amino acids (the “building blocks” of protein) into your bloodstream. This keeps you in an anabolic state and stimulates protein synthesis(1).
Protein Shake Before Bed
We know that protein (and carbs) right after your workout supports muscle growth. One reason for this is that it supports protein synthesis(2).
But what about drinking a protein shake before bed? Somewhat recently, the idea of a protein shake before bed has been recommended by various nutritional authorities. It’s not only a way to help you reach your daily protein goal, but also, as noted, a way to stay in an anabolic state while sleeping.
Protein And Recovery During Sleep
Research shows that protein synthesis rates were as much as 22% higher during sleep if the lifter drank a protein shake before going to bed. It’s even higher if you happen to train in the evening – up to 37%(3, 4). Of course, your training schedule depends on a number of factors, and evening training might not work for everyone. Besides you can’t (or shouldn’t) load up on a high stim Pre a few hours before bed!
How Much Protein Should I Drink Before Bed?
In terms of a protein shake before bed, the magic number seems to be 40 grams. In one clinical study, researchers compared a 20g casein shake with a 40g casein shake. The 40g shake improved protein synthesis rates more than the 20g shake. This was especially true for older lifters. (5, 6)
What Kind Of Protein Is Best?
You have several options in terms of what to use in your protein shake before bed. They are:
Whey
Whey is very high quality but also fast-digesting. While this makes it ideal in certain situations like post-workout or first thing in the morning, it’s not the best choice for the hours you spend sleeping.
Casein
This is a milk protein that’s the slowest-digesting protein available. This makes it the ideal choice for use in your protein shake before bed.
Plant-Based
If you’re vegan, you’ll want to go with a plant protein. This might be a single plant source, or a blend of plant-based proteins. Pea and brown rice are two common options. This is a medium-digesting protein, making it not as desirable as casein, but better than whey for this application.
For a non-vegan protein, I would suggest a Blend, which provides fast, medium, and slow digesting proteins, covering all the bases: Beverly International UMP. This protein provides 20 grams per scoop of 6 types of protein (Milk Protein Isolate, Calcium Caseinate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate, Micellar Casein, Egg White), plus extra arginine, glutamine and BCAAs.
What about a vegan protein? I suggest PEScience Vegan Series Select Protein. This protein powder provides 20g of pea and brown rice protein per serving.
When Should I Drink My Shake?
The best idea here is to drink your shake about an hour before bed. This can help prevent getting up multiple times during the night to use the bathroom. I suggest that, even though you’re drinking a 40 gram shake, don’t go nuts on water. In addition, this further supports the case for casein protein, which stays in your system for 6-7 hours.
Summary
It should be clear that drinking a protein shake before bed will keep you in an anabolic state and stimulate protein synthesis. This is where you want to be if you want muscle growth to occur. As noted, while whey protein is usually the best choice, you need a slower digesting protein at night. My suggestion of Beverly’s UMP protein provides the best of all worlds, and with 2 types of casein, it has you covered for the long haul.
For users of plant protein, PEScience has the product for you, as I suggested. Finally, drinking a 40 grams of protein shake about an hour before bed will let you sleep soundly and get the positive benefits you need. Now that we’ve dealt with that question, all that’s left is to stop by illpumpyouup.com and stock up!
References:
- Schoenfeld, B.J., Aragon, A.A. How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution.J Int Soc Sports Nutr 15, 10 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-018-0215-1
- Wall, B. T., Cermak, N. M., and van Loon, L. J. (2014) Dietary protein considerations to support active aging. Sports Med 44 Suppl 2, S185-194
- Res, P. T., Groen, B., Pennings, B., Beelen, M., Wallis, G. A., Gijsen, A. P., Senden, J. M., and LJ, V. A. N. L. (2012) Protein ingestion before sleep improves postexercise overnight recovery. Med Sci Sports Exerc 44, 1560-1569
- Trommelen, J., Holwerda, A. M., Kouw, I. W., Langer, H., Halson, S. L., Rollo, I., Verdijk, L. B., and LJ, V. A. N. L. (2016) Resistance Exercise Augments Postprandial Overnight Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates. Med Sci Sports Exerc 48, 2517-2525
- Kinsey, A. W., and Ormsbee, M. J. (2015) The health impact of nighttime eating: old and new perspectives. Nutrients 7, 2648-2662
- Holwerda, A. M., Kouw, I. W., Trommelen, J., Halson, S. L., Wodzig, W. K., Verdijk, L. B., and van Loon, L. J. (2016) Physical Activity Performed in the Evening Increases the Overnight Muscle Protein Synthetic Response to Presleep Protein Ingestion in Older Men. J Nutr 146, 1307-1314