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Is It Good to Drink a Protein Shake at Night
Here is a quick question for you - Is it good to drink a protein shake at night?
Some health and fitness magazines recommend that you don't eat anything before going to bed. The rationale is that if you don't eat, there is nothing you can store as fat. Hence, you can't put on weight.
But note that this recommendation doesn't work well if you are working out. Imagine tearing your muscles apart during your workout. When you are resting, your muscles start to grow and repair.
The average adult sleeps between 6 to 8 hours. Some people need more sleep than others. During those long hours, your muscles will need proteins to grow. So is it good to drink a protein shake at night? The answer is yes!
It is important that you choose protein powder with both essential and non-essential amino acids. Some whey protein products contain mostly whey. This isn't a bad thing. But bear in mind that whey is a pure protein that gets absorbed by the body very quickly.
When you are sleeping at night, your body rest for hours. Some types of protein, like casein protein (found in cow's milk), gets absorbed at a much slower rate. This is good for the body because the muscles have a steady supply of amino acids for them to grow and repair.
Don't worry about what you read in the health magazines. Many bodybuilders drink a shake before going to bed. Some even go as far as getting up in the middle of the night to consume a shake.
But the average individual doesn't have to go to that extent. Just know that your muscles get a steady supply of proteins throughout the night.
Here is a more in depth article on drinking protein shakes at night.
