Athletes, bodybuilders, and active individuals love protein shake because they help them gain muscles, lose weight, and enhance their general wellness. The beverages are also inexpensive, come in various flavours, are great for breakfast, and are delicious to snack on.
Many people believe that drinking a protein shake after a workout helps to enhance muscle growth and recovery. Taking an extra protein shake is also recommended before sleeping, as this will help you gain power, bulk up your muscles, quicken your recovery, and promote weight loss.
- Builds and Maintains Muscle Mass
Protein is essential for the development and maintenance of lean muscle. Muscle Protein Breakdown (MPB) and Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) are continuous processes in the body. MPS is a biological process that helps muscles develop, heal, and strengthen, whereas MPB is the inverse. Workout speeds up MPB, and protein ingestion boosts MPS.
The body undergoes MPB while sleeping; therefore, drinking a protein shake before bedtime increases MPS and helps grow muscle.
Your body system has a low muscle tone when there are insufficient amino acids due to inadequate diet or the tension imposed on it by activity or way of life. Although the fundamental cornerstone of muscle development—amino acids—is continually exhausted, a favourable protein balance is required to achieve maximum muscle development. On the other hand, high-protein diets and protein drinks can restore your body’s muscular mass.
Nevertheless, merely consuming more protein can not help you gain lean mass. Muscular development and maintenance are aided by protein ingestion combined with a strength-training routine and enough recovery.
- Enhanced Athletic Performance
Protein consumption promotes strength and muscular development, which increases exercise capacity—consuming protein before bedtime boosts strength training. Ingesting a protein shake before sleep will also help you train longer and develop more muscles.
- Heightened Muscle Recovery
Consuming a protein shake is advisable before bedtime, as this reduces discomfort and mends injured muscles after sporting or weight training. In a 2012 research, different teams of athletic males who trained in the evening were examined. Before bedtime, one team received casein protein, while another received a placebo beverage. The group that ingested protein had higher MPS and a better protein ratio, which helped them recover faster afterwards.
- Aids Weight Loss
When trying to lose weight, drinking a protein shake before sleeping will aid in burning more calories by increasing your body’s basal metabolic rate. Furthermore, the body expends more energy metabolising protein than carbs, resulting in additional calories burned while sleeping.
Protein also helps you stay full for longer, reducing late-night hunger pangs. You won’t consume more food if you’re not starving, which will help you lose even more weight.
Additionally, protein promotes muscle building, assisting in burning calories when combined with a proper diet and exercise. To lose weight effectively, you must have a lower calorie mass, which means you need to burn more calories. The most excellent way to lose weight is by physical exercise.
Protein has four calories per gram, and some protein supplements also include carbohydrates and fat. Protein shakes typically contain 100 to 300 calories per serving, but so many individuals use it — along with fruits, milk and nuts — in smoothies to increase their calorie consumption. Although the extra calories could help increase mass, your calorie intake could become too high.
Recommended Protein Intake
As per the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, protein should account for 10-34% of an adult’s overall daily consumption. It should be consumed in the range of 200 to 700 calories per day, or 50 to 170 grams per day, for a person who consumes 2000 calories.
Protein consumption is influenced by various factors such as genetics, weight, height, level of physical activity, and muscular mass. You don’t need to take a lot of protein if you have a sedentary lifestyle. However, if you’re an active person or seeking to develop muscle, you should take 0.7 to 1 gram of protein content per kg of your body mass.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What Type of Protein is Best?
Whey, casein, pea, rice, and soy are the most common forms of protein powder. While casein is the most consumed, there is nothing to distinguish the advantages of soy, whey, and casein. However, casein, soy, and whey provide all necessary amino acids, making them the only high protein suppliers.
Select a high-quality protein supplement, preferably fermented and vegetarian-based, because many individuals are sensitive to whey and lactose in standard protein powders. According to Brittany Ford, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, protein shakes to boost their digestibility. You should use high-quality products such as full-fat organic spinach, coconut milk, and fruits with low sugar content like berries.
Casein is beneficial since it’s slowly metabolised by the body, stimulating MPS for a more extended period. Besides, it can also help you feel more energised and satisfied. On the other hand, whey is readily absorbed, resulting in a shorter MPS phase.
If you’re lactose intolerant, vegetarian, or vegan, you can use plant-based protein sources such as soy, pea, and rice. Soy is the sole plant-based source of all necessary amino acids and has a moderate absorptivity.
- Does a Protein Shake Before Bed Disrupt Sleep?
Protein consumption before bedtime has no impact on sleeping satisfaction. Nevertheless, if a protein shake contains too much sugar, the sugar surge may disrupt your sleep patterns. Therefore, you need to consume low-sugar protein smoothies to avoid this.
If you’re lactose sensitive, avoid consuming too much at once or ingesting the wrong type of protein, like a whey protein shake. It might make you feel bloated or agitate your stomach, thus disrupting your sleep.
- Is it Fine to Have Multiple Protein Shakes in a Day?
Yes, enhancing your protein is perfectly OK, especially if you have trouble getting adequate protein from meals. A protein shake is a convenient and healthy snack; however, the quantity of protein you require each day may vary depending on your weight, height, gender and activity.
- What Happens if You Have too Much Protein?
While some individuals appreciate the advantages of a high-protein intake, there is a maximum amount you should ingest. Your body should absorb at most 2 grams of protein per pound. For example, a 150-pound person should consume less than 300 grams of protein each day.
Excessive protein intake over an extended period can result in weight gain, renal damage, calcium depletion, cardiovascular diseases, and a higher likelihood of developing cancer. Too many fats can also elevate your cholesterol if you regularly get protein from foods like red meat.
Consult your health professional about any possible complications when you’re concerned that you’ve been ingesting too much protein. If you consume a lot of protein, you should balance it out by eating lower-fat and processed foods.
- What Foods are Good for Muscle Growth?
High protein diets are vital while working on developing and strengthening your muscles. It’s easier to grow muscle when you have excessive calories or consume extra calories that your body cannot conveniently burn. To enhance your regular protein consumption, include meals like fish, lean meats, tofu, lentils, beans, Greek yogurt and nuts, and protein shakes.
Conclusion
A protein shake is not only a nutritious late-night snack, but it also has additional health advantages when taken before bed.
Even though some individuals get enough protein from meals in the daytime, some extra protein from a protein shake can be helpful, especially when you do frequent exercise.
Consumption of protein before sleeping helps to lengthen Muscular Protein Synthesis (MPS) and maintain a good protein level, ultimately promoting muscle development and calorie burn.
