5 Reasons to Have Protein Before Bed (Science-Based)

you've been told it's bad to eat before bed but what if having protein before bed can actually help you in many ways while you sleep this is actually supported by some very interesting recent studies that have found strength muscle and metabolic benefits from this very simple practice so in today's video I want to not only give you five reasons why you should consider having protein before bed but I'll also explain what specific type of protein to have the amount you should have and exactly how long before bed you should consume that protein source so one

of the primary reasons for having protein before bed is that it can enhance muscle protein synthesis which promotes muscle growth you see while you sleep your body enters a fasted State and without adequate nutrients the rate of muscle protein breakdown can exceed the rate of muscle protein synthesis when that happens you're in a state of muscle breakdown rather than in a state of Muscle Recovery and growth consuming protein before bed can counteract this by providing a steady supply of amino acids which as I'm sure you already know amino acid are the building blocks of your

muscle tissues this is why there are some older studies such as one published in 2012 in which researchers found that participants who consumed 40 gram of specifically caseine protein before bed experienced a significant increase in muscle protein synthesis compared to those who did not consume any protein at all this study suggested that having a slow digesting source of protein can effectively stimulate muscle growth during the overnight recovery period so many people came to the conclusion that the slow digesting nature of casine protein was especially beneficial unlike other types of protein casine releases amino acids gradually

over several hours maintaining a positive protein balance throughout the night however this was challenged by a more recent study that found that whey protein had an even greater impact on amino acid levels throughout the night researchers divided men into three groups and all three groups consumed a shake before bed one of them consumed 45 G of whey protein another consumed 45 G of casine protein and the final group had a calorie free Placebo Shake as expected the casine group maintained moderately elevated lucing concentration levels throughout the night Lucine by the way is one of the

most important amino acids for stimulating muscle growth now since whey protein digests so much faster than casine it was also no surprise to find that the Wy group experienced a rapid spike in Lucine concentration levels within the first 90 minutes after their Shake which then dropped off rapidly the surprising part was that the Whey Protein somehow still maintained higher amino acid concentration levels for most of the night compared to casin while casine led to an 18% increase in muscle protein synthesis over the placebo whey protein showed a whopping 35% increase in muscle protein synthesis so

this study shows that having really any kind of protein Source before bed is beneficial over not having anything and specifically prior studies may be wrong about sticking only to slow digesting protein sources before bed like casine cottage cheese and yogurt turns out whey actually worked even better in this study so just make sure you're having any kind of protein before bed whether it's whey or casin shake or solid food like chicken eggs or cottage cheese now along with the potential for more muscle growth having protein before bed may also help specifically with muscular endurance aside

from the increase in muscle protein synthesis the researchers observed an increase in mitochondrial protein synthesis by 23% in the casin group and 37% in the Whey group increas mitochondrial protein synthesis can be especially beneficial for endurance athletes and anyone looking to enhance their resistance to fatigue because it directly enhances the efficiency and the capacity of the mitochondria which is the PowerHouse of your cells that's responsible for energy production endurance activities like longdistance running cycling and swimming rely heavily on your aerobic metabolism which occurs within the mitochondria by increasing mitochondrial protein synthesis you can boost the

number and the function of mitochondria within your muscle cells leading to improved oxidative capacity which is the ability of your muscles to use oxygen for energy it also optimizes your muscle ability to utilize oxygen and convert nutrients into ATP also known as adenosin triphosphate which is the primary energy carrier in cells this process helps reduce the production of lactate and other metabolites that cause muscle fatigue this all translates to better endurance since the muscles can maintain activity for longer periods without experiencing fatigue another benefit is that the calories that you get from the protein shake

or the high protein meal will be very unlikely to make you gain fat instead it should largely balance out with the Boost it'll provide to your metabolism contrary to the common belief that eating before bed leads to weight gain consuming protein before going to sleep can actually have metabolic benefits you see protein has a higher thermic effect compared to fats and carbohydrates meaning that your body burns more calories digesting and metabolizing protein this is why a study that was published in the British Journal of nutrition showed that participants who consumed protein before bed had an

increased resting metabolic rate all the way to the following morning actually compared to those who did not on top of that overall protein can help reduce nighttime appetite by increasing the release of satiety hormones like leptin and peptide YY while reducing levels of The Hunger hormone gin this can help you better control your caloric intake over time so having protein before bed can not only be useful for gaining muscle while while you're in a calorie Surplus trying to bulk up but it can also be useful for maintaining muscle while you're in a calorie deficit trying

to cut down another great reason to have protein before bed is that it can have a positive impact on Sleep Quality this is because certain amino acids found in proteins such as trypt toin play a role in the production of sleep regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin and melatonin for fat loss sleep is super important because it keeps your hormones in check when you don't get enough sleep your body produces produces more cortisol which is your stress hormone and you lose insulin sensitivity which makes you hungrier and more likely to store fat on the muscle growth side

sleep is when your body is busy as repairing and building muscle tissue during the Deep Sleep stage your body also releases growth hormone and it's the time when protein synthesis is working most effectively so the amino acid trypt toin serves as a precursor to serotonin serotonin is then further converted into melatonin which is the hormone responsible for regulating your sleep wake cycle ultimately by providing your body with adequate tryptophan pre-sleep protein consumption can enhance the production of these sleep promoting compounds leading to improved Sleep Quality this is supported by a study in which researchers found

that participants who consumed a higher protein diet including pre-sleep protein reported better sleep quality and experience a reduction in the number of times they woke up in the middle of the night next is a potential benefit that applies to all of us as we get older after you turn 30 years old you begin to lose about 3 to 5% of your muscle every 10 years as we age maintaining muscle mass becomes increasingly important for our overall health and everyday function sacren is a medical term that refers to age related loss of muscle and strength and

it's a big concern for older adults older adults are far more likely to experience anabolic resistance this is where the muscle building response to protein intake decreases so it becomes harder to stimulate muscle protein synthesis however consuming protein before bed bed can help overcome this resistance by providing a prolonged and steady supply of amino acids enhancing muscle protein synthesis during sleep a study actually examined older participants who consumed protein before bed and it showed that they experienced greater muscle mass retention and improved muscle strength compared to those who did not now one extra reason to

consume protein before bed is that it may improve recovery and reduce muscle soreness I save this for last because this has shown mixed results in studies some prior Studies have found that people who had protein before bed reported less muscle soreness and quicker recovery times compared to those who didn't but more recent studies found that there were no significant differences in performance levels or muscle damage biomarkers after consuming protein before bed so it may not benefit soreness or the speed of recovery if you're already consuming enough protein daily so let me summarize all of this

with applicable tips if you want to try adding some protein before going to bed first of all the most recent evidence shows that the type of protein does not have to be slow digesting like myself and many others previously thought a way protein shake may be even more beneficial than casine and Whole Foods like Greek yogurt salmon or chicken will likely be just as effective second most of the research has participants consuming 30 to 45 grams of protein before bed so it's a good idea to aim for roughly a minimum of 35 g of protein

and lastly most of the studies have the participants consume their protein anywhere from 30 30 minutes to an hour before going to bed with all of that said having a protein shake before bed will always be far less important than consuming enough protein throughout the day on a daily basis it doesn't matter if you have exactly 45 gram of protein every night before bed if you don't consume enough protein for the rest of the day to meet a total of at least 3/4 of a gram of protein for every pound of body weight that you

weigh you will be at an extreme disadvantage to someone that does so make sure your primary concern is always meeting that minimum daily protein requirement and then treat your pre-bed protein meal or Shake as the cherry on top in relation to your results I really hope this video has taught you something new and I hope it winds up helping you out on your fitness journey if you've enjoyed it make sure you subscribe to the channel and also if you've tried to build muscle before and burn fat on your own without seeing the results that you

were hoping for I highly suggest you try my free 6 we shred it's a done for you plan that motivates you from day 1 to day 42 to follow through and do your part and guess what when you follow the personalized meal plan and you complete your three workouts every week you'll get amazing results I know shocking you'll also get a full recipe book so you can always have a large variety of foods to choose from and you'll have a coach to answer any questions and help you every step of the way to find out

more you can click the link below in the description or you can head straight on over to my website at gravity transformation.com I'll see you guys soon [Applause] he