Protein For Better Sleep
Your diet can undoubtedly affect your sleep quality, and that includes protein ingestion.
However, theres no direct evidence showing that a pre-bed shake, in particular, has any effect on sleep.
That said, numerous studies link overall dietary protein intake to sleep quality:
- The authors of a series of clinical trials published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that consumption of a greater proportion of energy from protein while dieting may improve sleep in overweight and obese adults
- A study of nearly 500 women published in 2020 found that excess calories or inadequate protein consumption increased the risk of insomnia.
- Some researchers think whey protein, which is rich in the amino acid tryptophan, could improve sleep quality if taken close to bedtimebut there isnt strong evidence from trials at this time.
If you arent sleeping well, overall protein intake is one of many factors you may want to experiment with for better sleep. But for sleep, protein timing and whether its slow-digesting protein dont seem to be essential factors.
Benefits For Weight Loss
Protein shakes are not just great for increasing muscle mass, but they also help you burn calories. Even when youre sleeping, protein shakes stimulate your metabolism, making it faster.
When you take protein, your body will require more energy to digest it. In comparison to carbohydrates, the body will be burning extra calories to break down the protein molecules that are digested.
Apart from this, protein also makes you feel full, so you dont get urges to eat every now and then, especially midnight snacks. Avoiding eating at night also helps promote weight loss in your body.
If you maintain a consistent active life and a healthy diet along with drinking protein before bed, you will be able to lose weight easily. In fact, protein will help increase muscle growth which in turn helps burn fat.
Along with a protein shake, its recommended that you eat in a calorie deficit or try to burn more calories than you consume in a day. Ideally, a calorie deficit of 500 calories is recommended. This deficit should be combined with physical activity as well.
Is It Ok To Drink A Protein Shake Right Before Bed Time
Before we get started, its important to note that if you eat a well-balanced diet, you should be able to get the protein your body needs from your food, and wont need a protein shake at all.
We should also note that some protein shakes have as many calories and as much sugar as a standard milkshake and so could potentially derail any weight loss efforts rather than help me.
However, as we mentioned, there is some research that suggests that very active people, those who work out on a very regular basis and want to try protein supplementation to achieve faster gains may indeed benefit from a protein shake before bed. Heres a look at some of those potential benefits:
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Are There Downsides To Having Protein Before Bed
If youre worried about drinking protein before bed and gaining weight or ruining your sleepdont fret.
All protein that is ingested prior to sleep is used for protein synthesis, Snijders said. When exercise is performed earlier that evening, a large part of ingested protein is directed to muscle protein synthesis and is not stored. In fact, he said, they didnt observe any gains in fat mass when young adults consumed protein before bed.
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Not to mention, no studies that Snijders and his colleagues reviewed showed that participants had trouble falling or staying asleep when consuming casein before catching shut-eye. Its important to note, though, that there have only been studies done on casein shakes, so Snijders and his colleagues arent sure if other protein sources have the same effect. One study published in 2018 did look at women who ate cottage cheese before bed compared to those who had casein protein or a placebo. They found that the resting energy expenditure was the same between the cottage cheese and casein protein group, leading the scientists to believe both might have a positive effect on protein synthesis while sleeping.
If Your Main Goal Is To Get Lean
A large consensus of scientists believes consuming calories before bed is detrimental to shedding body fat as you are not allowing your body to enter into a fasted state, heres why.
When we sleep, our body enters a natural fast. After you wake, if you remain in a fasted state for long enough, you will enter into a bodily process called autophagy.
Autophagy is the bodys way of clearing out dead and damaged cells so that it can regenerate newer, healthier ones. Its an essential bodily process that contributes to your overall mental and physical well being, which is why you must give your body a chance to reach this state from time to time. On that note, even if your goal is to gain muscle mass and improve strength, its recommended to skip the protein shake before bed at least once or twice a week so you can allow your body the chance to enter into autophagy.
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Which Protein To Consume Before Bed
There are three primary types of protein you might use before bed whey, casein, or plant-based options. Both whey and casein proteins are made from milk, but have different amino acid profiles.
Whey protein digests quickly and is shown to be the most effective at building muscle, which is why it is so commonly used after a workout. It also contains more branched chain amino acids , essential for muscle building and recovery.8
Casein protein is made from milk solids. This means it takes longer for our body to digest and break down, but it releases protein more slowly into our system over time. It is especially high in leucine.
Plant-based protein powders may or may not be complete proteins meaning they do not contain all of the amino acids. Choosing a plant-based protein blend can help maximize the amino acids that you can benefit from.
Most of the available research to date supports the use of casein protein, although the differences between casein, whey, and soy are very small. The theory behind the use of casein protein is that it provides a more sustained release of amino acids and so maintains amino acid availability throughout the night.4
If youve just finished your workout in the evening, whey might be the best choice for quick recovery if its a rest day or you just want a bedtime protein dose, casein may be a better fit due to its slow digestion.
Promotes Muscle Growth And Preservation
Leading nutritionists found that drinking a protein shake at night is the best way to grow muscles. This is because it’s important to have consistent muscle protein synthesis throughout the day and night to sustain muscle protein growth.
Keeping active is great, but it can come at a cost. Exercise causes your body to go through cycles of muscle protein synthesis and breakdown . While MPS is important for building and repairing muscle tissue, MPB increases with resistance training, which leads to the depletion of glycogen stores in the periphery.
If you want to build muscle, drinking a protein shake before bed is your best bet. This lets your body recover from muscle loss that occurs throughout the night.
Luckily, there’s a scientifically proven way to avoid MBP, and you don’t even have to get up in the middle of the night. Before going to sleep, make sure you’ve consumed a sufficient amount of protein within the hour before bedtime.
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Which Type Of Protein Shake Is Best Before Bed
There are plant-based proteins and there are animal-based proteins.Animal-based proteins contain all the essential amino acids needed to increase muscle mass, whereas standalone plant-based proteins do not.However, that does not mean that plant-based proteins are ineffective in fact, consuming plant-based proteins before bed has been shown to increase muscle protein synthesis rates during sleep! This is likely due to the high levels of leucine present in certain plant-proteins like peas. And as far as plant proteins go, it’s pretty easy to achieve the same PDCAAs score of animal-based proteins by simply combining multiple protein sources. For example, the proper ratio of pea protein + rice protein is an easy way to ensure you get the full range of amino acids required for muscle building and recovery.
The Problem With Whey Protein Before Bed
There are many different opinions on whether or not whey protein is good before bed.Some people believe that it can help with weight gain and muscle mass, while others have found it to cause gastric distress if consumed close to bedtime. But regardless of whether or not you can “tolerate” whey protein, it’s not the best option to consume before bed because it is quickly absorbed by the body.For this reason, casein protein has been the go-to choice, but it too comes with some undesirable side effects
Casein Protein: A Better Choice?
Possible side effects of casein protein:
- Gas and bloating
What makes casein a slow-release protein?
Synthetic Vitamin And Mineral Blend
Premier Protein Shake contains a blend of vitamins and minerals. Food companies often do this to beef up the nutrition label on their product. This is especially common in the alternative milk industry. Consumers will think their almond milk is significantly more nutritious than whole milk because the almond milk manufacturer added synthetic vitamins so the Supplement Facts label looks impressive.
There is no benefit to taking synthetic vitamins if youre not deficient, and supplementation should only be used to correct a deficiency or maintain optimal levels based on testing.
Regular multivitamin use has been conclusively proven to provide no benefit in medical research, and may slightly increase risk of cancer.
Its evident to us based on some of the vitamin choices that Premier Protein was looking to use the cheapest rather than the most effective compounds for this blend. Vitamin K1 is included instead of Vitamin K2 which is about 10x better absorbed. Vitamin K1 is also easy to obtain through diet while K2 isnt.
For Vitamin B9, Premier Protein Shake chooses folic acid rather than the superior methylated form of folate, which is much better absorbed and arguably safer.
As we discussed in our review of the wildly popular Goli ACV Gummies, folic acid is synthetic and has a weak association with cancer because it can be hard for the body to clear unlike dietary folate.
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Who Should Have A Protein Shake Before Bed
Many people could benefit from adding protein to their bedtime routine. It may be good for you if you meet any of the following criteria:
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You exercise regularly with the goal of improving health & fitness
A protein shake before bed is a good way to ensure you recover from your workouts.
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Its hard for you to get enough protein in your diet
A quick protein shake is an easy way to boost your daily protein intake and hit your targets.
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You struggle with nighttime food cravings
Substituting a protein shake for an unhealthy snack is a good way to satisfy your sweet tooth without compromising your fitness.
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Its hard for you to eat enough calories
While overeating is a big problem, some people struggle to eat enough. Especially those trying to gain weight. An extra 150 calories at the end of the day can go along way to reaching your calorie target.
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You work out in the morning or in the middle of the day
If you work out late in the evening, its likely that your post-workout meal and dinner will contain enough protein before you go to bed. But when you work out earlier in the day, your protein synthesis could drop at night. So a bedtime shake ensures your body has the nutrients it needs to recover overnight.
Protein Before Bed Won’t Make You Fat
It’s usually said that eating/drinking certain foods at night can cause weight gain. While there are some benefits to not consuming food after sunset, the claim that protein powder will make you fat isn’t one of them. This meal replacement drink is made up of lean protein, digestive enzymes, and amino acids, all of which contribute to its ability to help people lose weight.
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What Is The Best Night Time Protein For Muscle Growth
The International Society of Sports Nutrition has a specific position on this subject, stating that consuming casein protein prior to sleep can acutely increase MPS and metabolic rate throughout the night without influencing lipolysis.
The difference between casein protein and other types of protein like whey is the way its digested. Casein is digested much more slowly. So instead of giving your body an instant boost of protein during or immediately after a workout, casein gives your body a slow, steady dose of calories and protein.
ISSN also mentions in their statement that consuming casein just before bedtime does not seem to increase insulin levels or interrupt overnight fat burning, but may increase your morning metabolic rate and reduce hunger.
Is It Ok To Make Protein Shake The Night Before
Making your protein shakes the night before saves even more time and generally has no negative effects on either the nutrients or the flavor of your shakes.
Is a smoothie good before bed?
When you think of a smoothie, a quick, healthy breakfast choice comes to mind. Trick out your smoothie with sleep-fueled ingredients and youve just found a flawless bedtime snack. Milk. Calcium ramps up the relaxation while tryptophan helps you fall asleep.
Is it better to add milk or water to protein shakes?
A scoop of whey protein consists of 80 to 110 calories with no or low carbs and fat. So, it is preferable to take protein with water instead of milk if your goal is losing weight or gaining lean muscle mass by minimizing the intake or carbs, fat and hence calories which will help to achieve better results.
Can I drink tea and coffee on SlimFast?
Can I drink tea and coffee on the SlimFast Plan? Yes, of course you can still drink tea and coffee while you are on the SlimFast Plan, you just need to consider the amount of calories and deduct them from your snacks allowance or main meal.
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Rules To Follow For Drinking Protein Shake Before Bed
Now you know that drinking a protein shake before you go to bedhas its benefits, you should remember a few things before you start doing this. Here’s more about it.
1. Be Sure to Exercise Hard
Protein shakes have their benefits when taken before bed, especially when you work out in the evening. Just keep in mind that protein shakes alone are not going to get you ripped you will have to exercise as well. You can lift weight, use your body weight during exercise, or use resistance bands to exercise. Exercise will also help burn excess body fat and protein will give you a leaner more defined look.
2. Opt for Casein
If you’re interested in drinking your protein shake before bed, you will be better off opting for casein instead of whey. Unlike whey, casein protein converts into a gel like consistency when it reaches your stomach, which in turn reduces your digestion and absorption rate. This ensures that your body receives a steady supply of amino acids throughout the night.
3. Pick Your Shakes Carefully
You need to understand that drinking certain types of shakes before you go to sleep add more calories to your system than you actually burn through your workout. This will lead to unwanted weight gain. This usually happens when your protein shake contains added sugar. Moreover, drinking such shakes before going to bed will make you feel charged up and keep you from falling asleep. So, be sure to select your protein shakes carefully.
4. Select Appropriate Protein Sources
Protein Vs Carb Ratios
Many sports nutrition experts recommend a 2-to-1 ratio of carbs to protein for post-workout recovery, especially for athletes. The primary purpose of the carbohydrates is to restore muscle glycogen for better athletic performance.
However, on the keto diet, consuming a protein shake with twice as much carbohydrate as protein content will quickly kick you out of ketosis.Theres also a chance that eating extra carbs before bed could lead to insulin resistance.
If youre using the ketogenic diet for fat loss, you can still achieve progress on your exercise regimen following strict keto.
But if your main goal is to increase your athletic performance instead of lowering your body fat, you can consider the targeted keto diet or cyclical keto diet.
Either way, remember to leave the carbs out of your pre-bed shake if you care about your insulin sensitivity .
Lastly, most of the studies weve discussed here used around 25-40 grams of protein before bed, comparable to the amount of protein many active people eat per meal.
Therefore, as you measure out the protein for your pre-bed shakes, aim for 25-40 grams or an amount equivalent to your typical protein intake at meals, whichever is greater.
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Does The Type Of Protein Matter
In some cases, the type of protein does matter. Historically, protein from dairy has been more bioavailable than plant sources of protein. There are two main types of dairy-based protein: whey and casein. Whey protein is digested quickly while casein is digested more slowly over a longer period of time.
These can usually be used interchangeably. However, if you want quicker absorption, say before or right after a workout, whey protein or a blend of the two, might be the way to go. But, if youre considering taking protein before bed, casein might be optimal because of its more gradual digestion and utilization during sleep.
Preliminary research has compared pea protein to whey protein and found little difference in their effect on muscle adaptation and composition. Although more research is needed in this category, this is a promising area of future growth in the plant protein space.