Taking Casein Protein Before Bed
To this day the myth of the importance of meal timing is still being pushed heavily.
Trainers still spurt nonsense like "don't consume any calories within an hour before going to bed" and "no carbohydrates after 3pm"
Before we delve into the importance and benefits of casein protein before bed let it be known that you can have protein, carbohydrates, fats... whatever makeup of nutrients you desire before bed and it won't make a difference if you consume it then or earlier in the afternoon.
Focus on calories and macronutrient breakdown over a 24 hour basis without setting silly rules dictating what you can and cannot eat every other hour.
Eat more calories in a 24 hour than you body burns? you'll be in a surplus.
Eat fewer calories than your body burns? You'll be in a deficit and as such be in a position to lose weight/fat if performed consistently.
Now that we've established that eating/drinking right before bed isn't a cardinal sin let's delve into the big benefits of casein protein before bed.
"SJ, first of all what IS casein protein?"
Casein protein is a form of protein derived from milk - casein makes up 80% of milk protein with whey making up the remaining 20%.
Unlike whey protein which is digested reasonably promptly by the body casein protein is a slow release protein, hence the popularity of taking casein protein before bed in order to 'drip feed' our muscles and repair them overnight.
Casein is fantastic for repairing damaged and fatigued muscle as casein is a complete protein, meaning it contains all of the required essential amino acids our body needs to heal.
The two forms of casein protein include:
Casein Hydrolysate - rapidly absorbed casein due to being pre-digested.
Micellar Casein - the slow time release protein we've discussed above (casein protein powder is micellar casein).
What Does Science Say? (Studies on Casein Protein)
Daytime and nighttime casein supplements similarly increase muscle size and strength in response to resistance training earlier in the day: a preliminary investigation
Background
Casein protein consumed before sleep has been suggested to offer an overnight supply of exogenous amino acids for anabolic processes. The purpose of this study was to compare supplemental casein consumed earlier in the day (DayTime, DT) versus shortly before bed (NightTime, NT) on body composition, strength, and muscle hypertrophy in response to supervised resistance training.
Methods
Thirteen males participated in a 10-week exercise and dietary intervention while receiving 35 g casein daily. Isocaloric diets provided 1.8 g protein/kg body weight.
Conclusions
Both NT and DT protein consumption as part of a 24-h nutrition approach are effective for increasing strength and hypertrophy. The results support the strategy of achieving specific daily protein levels versus specific timing of protein ingestion for increasing muscle mass and performance.
Pre-Sleep Consumption of Casein and Whey Protein: Effects on Morning Metabolism and Resistance Exercise Performance in Active Women
Our study is the first to investigate the effect of pre-sleep consumption of two doses (24 and 48 g) of CP or WP, on next morning RE performance in physically active women. Our findings suggest that pre-sleep CP at a dose greater than the previously investigated 30 g, may be an effective strategy to maximize the overnight window of opportunity for the provision of nutrients for improving RMR, and possibly morning RE performance. Future, studies should investigate pre-sleep protein at a dose relative to body-weight, as well as the effect of long-term pre-sleep feeding.
The Impact of Pre-sleep Protein Ingestion on the Skeletal Muscle Adaptive Response to Exercise in Humans
The more long-term effects of pre-sleep protein ingestion on skeletal muscle conditioning has also been assessed in healthy young men during a 12-week resistance type exercise training program. In this study we showed a greater increase in skeletal muscle mass and strength when participants ingested 27.5 g protein (50% casein + 50% casein hydrolysate) compared with a non-protein placebo prior to sleep (on both training as well as non-training days) during 12 weeks resistance type exercise training in healthy young men (12). These results provide evidence that ingesting a moderate amount (~30 g) of protein prior to sleep represents an effective intervention strategy to augment gains in skeletal muscle mass and strength during a resistance-type exercise training program in young men.
How Soon Before Bed Should You Take Casein Protein?
I recommend consuming your casein protein shake 20 to 30 minutes before going to bed.
As casein protein is quite thick and can be hard to mix well in your shaker from time to time I'll make some casein sludge before bed.
I know, sludge isn't the most appetizing word but that's definitely the best way to describe the consistency. If you'd prefer a dessert style casein treat before bed over a protein shake give my recipes below a try...
Casein Sludge Recipes
Casein Vanilla Sludge Recipe
1 scoop vanilla casein protein
1 tablespoon of peanut butter
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Mix ingredients listed above with a sufficient amount of water or milk in a small bowl.
Mix until sludge like consistency and enjoy!
This recipe contains 32 grams of protein (24 grams of slow release micellar casein).
Casein Cookie Dough Sludge Recipe
1 scoop cookie dough casein protein
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
Mix ingredients listed above with a sufficient amount of water or milk in a small bowl.
Mix until sludge like consistency and enjoy!
This recipe contains 35 grams of protein (24 grams of slow release micellar casein).
Casein Double Choc Sludge Recipe
2 scoop chocolate casein protein
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
2 tablespoons of sugar free chocolate syrup
Mix ingredients listed above with a sufficient amount of water or milk in a small bowl.
Mix until sludge like consistency and enjoy!
This recipe contains 57 grams of protein (48 grams of slow release micellar casein).
Here's The Casein Protein I Use & Recommend...
I've used casein protein on and off over the last 6 years and when I do I notice a genuine increase in recovery and how 'fresh' my muscles feel in the morning after a gruelling workout the previous day. There aren't a ton of manufacturers out there for casein protein like there are for whey protein, but I've always found Optimum Nutrition's Gold Standard Casein to be the best in terms of protein percentage (with 24 grams per scoop) as well as taste and mixability (casein protein is substantially thicker and a little harder to mix than whey protein).
You can check out Optimum Nutrition Casein Protein here.
