Keeping Your Body Anabolic Overnight
New research by Van Loon et al. has proven that overnight protein administration stimulates muscle protein synthesis. There were two studies done, the first being in elderly men and the second being done in recreationally active young males and they both showed that protein ingestion prior to sleep stimulated muscle protein synthesis overnight. As it has been shown time and time again that 20-30g of protein (~10-15g EAA) is enough to fully max out MPS. Paddon-Jones et al. compared 30g of high quality protein to 90g of the same source and showed that 90g had no further benefit over the 30g dose.
So the point being that you wouldn’t need more than 20-30g of a high quality protein before bed to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis. But, again not so black and white, this 20-30g dosage will also depend on the size of the individual and their overall total daily macros.
Even though there are basically only two studies for this, it shows that protein ingested immediately prior to sleep or during sleep is effectively digested and absorbed, therefore stimulating muscle protein synthesis overnight. It’s very fascinating and promising research so we highly recommend some sort of high quality protein source before bed or during the middle of the night. Yes! During the middle of the night, you do go to the bathroom don’t you? Just think about it, your body will be entering a 6-9 hour fast and why not have a steady stream of amino acids flowing in the bloodstream overnight and keeping anabolism elevated. Another suggestion we advocate is for those that have their calories at very high levels during bulking and are having trouble consuming all of their macros through their meals during the day.
You can simply have a shake in the middle of the night that contains protein, carbs, and fats and this will be an easy way to ingest some of your daily calories.
