Benefits Of Protein Shakes Before Bed

You may have had a glass of milk before bed as a kid to build strong bones, but did you ever think that a night-time drink may also be useful for better gym gains? Here, we take a look at the evidence surrounding protein shakes before bed, discuss the potential benefits of consuming protein before bed, and provide some practical guidelines to avoid any potential pitfalls.

• Benefits of protein before bed.
• Which protein to have before bed.
• Recommended bedtime protein shakes.
• Bedtime protein recipe.
• FAQs

Benefits of Protein Before Bed

1. Weight Loss

Protein is the main nutrient that stimulates the growth of new muscle tissue; it also helps to protect your hard-earned muscle mass during weight loss.¹⁰ However, the power of protein doesn’t stop there, as research shows that protein intake before you hit the hay can boost metabolism (the process of converting food into energy) and help keep hunger pangs at bay.

Protein intake also keeps us feeling full and may help to reduce those late-night, high-calorie cravings that can be damaging to weight loss success.²

2. Muscle Growth

While many people train in the evening and consume protein in the post-workout period, how many of us consider protein shakes before bed? This is especially important given that the stimulation of muscle growth is typically low when you sleep, and so you may be at risk of muscle protein breakdown throughout the night.^3,15

Luckily, researchers have shown that your gut is still able to function normally throughout the night while you sleep, which means you can still properly digest and absorb any protein consumed before bed.⁵

This gives you a clear opportunity to stimulate muscle growth as you sleep — by slurping down protein shakes before bed. So how much do you need? Researchers have shown that 40g casein protein before bed stimulates muscle protein synthesis (the process of building muscle mass) by around 20%.¹²

3. Sleep

Sleep is generally recognised as an important recovery tool and a constant lack of sleep may result in changes to performance, immunity and protein absorption.⁶ Although more research in this area is required, we currently know that consuming a high-protein diet may improve overall sleep quality.⁷

On top of this, the intake of protein prior to sleep may increase the availability of the amino acid L-tryptophan. When consumed with carbohydrates, tryptophan uptake into the brain is increased and may improve the time taken to fall asleep, as well as overall sleep quality.⁶

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 (BCAAs), 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 maximise 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 (because it takes the body longer to digest) and so maintains amino acid availability throughout the night.⁴

If you’ve just finished your workout in the evening, whey might be the best choice for quick recovery; if it’s a rest day or you just want a bedtime protein dose, casein may be a better fit due to its slow digestion.

Despite this, more research is needed to provide clear guidelines on the best form of protein to take before bed. For now, we should keep in mind that most studies listed above commonly use doses between 40-50g protein. It may be that the dosage is a more important consideration than the type of protein being consumed.

Myprotein’s recommended bedtime protein shakes 

Overnight Recovery Blend

Overnight Recovery Blend is a slow-release protein blend that contains five different proteins: whey, micellar casein, milk isolate and egg white protein. There’s evidence to suggest combining whey and casein can have the best effect on muscle protein synthesis as whey helps to spike levels quickly while casein helps prolong it.¹⁷

Protein blends in general are a good option before bed. A further advantage to this blend is the added zinc and magnesium, which have both been shown to have the potential to enhance recovery from exercise and improve sleep quality.^18,19

Slow-Release Casein 

Casein is a protein that is digested slowly, meaning the amino acids enter the blood stream in a slow, sustained way. This results in muscle protein synthesis rates being elevated for a longer period, preventing muscle protein breakdown rates from exceeding synthesis rates.⁵

This slow digestion makes it a good choice before bed as it may help to prevent a net loss of muscle during an overnight fast.¹⁶ Another benefit of Slow-Release Casein is that it’s also suitable for vegetarians.