Should I take protein before sleep?

Many people eat dinner at 7 p.m. Usually nothing more is eaten until breakfast. Especially if you want to build muscle, this is the wrong approach. Protein before sleep is important for muscle building. In this article you will learn how to do it better.

How does muscle building work?

Your muscle is in constant buildup and breakdown. Even now, while you are reading this article, your body is building up or breaking down muscle. The balance between buildup and breakdown is called protein balance. If it is positive, you build muscle; if it is negative, you break down muscle. So if you want to build muscle, make sure your protein balance is positive as often as possible during the day. You can achieve this through your protein dose. If protein or amino acids are missing, you enter a so-called catabolic metabolic state. In this state, the body's own proteins are broken down, because amino acids have many important, vital tasks in the body. One of them is the production of enzymes and hormones.

Protein before sleep for muscle building.

Again and again, so-called experts claim that everything eaten before sleep turns into fat. Digestion supposedly does not work during sleep, so everything becomes fat. Forget this myth.

Protein buildup, like protein breakdown, fluctuates in a rhythm of 3 – 4 hours. Despite a constant amino acid infusion over 24 hours, it has been scientifically shown that the muscle protein synthesis rate, after a maximum increase, falls back to its baseline level after 3 – 4 hours each time.

For muscle building, as mentioned above, you need a positive protein balance. The buildup rate should therefore be higher than the breakdown rate. That is why it makes sense to consume a protein-rich meal or a protein shake before sleep.

Which protein is best suited before sleep?

In a scientific study in 2009, the effects of whey protein, soy protein and casein protein on the muscle protein synthesis rate were examined. All study participants consumed whey protein, soy protein or casein protein in random order immediately after strength training. Each portion contained about 10 g of essential amino acids. 3 hours after protein intake, the researchers took a muscle tissue sample each time and determined the mixed muscle protein synthesis rate.

Whey protein led to a greater increase in the muscle protein synthesis rate than soy protein, and soy protein in turn led to a greater increase than casein protein. The “digestion speed” significantly determines the increase in the muscle protein synthesis rate. The faster and higher the increase, the greater the rise in the muscle protein synthesis rate.

Whey protein leads to a higher increase in the muscle protein synthesis rate. Casein protein is released slowly into the blood and therefore leads to a less pronounced increase. However, the amino acids remain in the blood longer than, for example, with whey protein. It is scientifically unclear whether whey protein, due to the high increase in muscle protein synthesis followed by a drop, achieves a greater effect than casein protein. Casein protein leads to a less pronounced increase, but the amino acids are available for longer.

Source: Tang, Jason E.; Moore, Daniel R.; Kujbida, Gregory W.; Tarnopolsky, Mark A.; Phillips, Stuart M. (2009): Ingestion of whey hydrolysate, casein, or soy protein isolate. Effects on mixed muscle protein synthesis at rest and following resistance exercise in young men. In: Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) 107 (3), pp. 987–992. DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00076.2009.

CONCLUSION

The important thing is that you consume a portion of protein before sleep. Which protein source is the best has not yet been conclusively determined.

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