Should You Drink a Protein Shake Before Bed?

You might think that only professional athletes or bodybuilders drink protein shakes. They sure do, but protein shakes can also benefit anyone looking to boost their fitness routine and health. In fact, protein shakes aren't just for enhancing sports performance. They also help people meet their protein requirements and manage their weight.

Sounds like a versatile and healthy drink, right? Before you rush out to grab some, it's helpful to know how to get the most out of them. Timing matters, with many people opting to drink a protein shake before bed. The type of protein you choose is also important.

This article will guide you through maximizing the benefits of protein shakes and explain why drinking them before bed can be beneficial for your health.

Key Takeaways

• Drinking a protein shake before bed can help with maintaining muscle mass, enhancing muscle recovery, improving sports performance, promoting weight loss and even improving sleep quality.

• Aim to drink a protein shake 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime to allow your body enough time to digest and get a steady supply of amino acids during sleep. Choose slow-digesting casein protein.

• Steer clear of protein shakes with a high sugar or caffeine content, as they may cause sleep disruptions. Avoid protein shakes if you have GERD or kidney issues. You should also consult your doctor before incorporating protein shakes into your diet.

Table of Contents

• Should You Have a Protein Shake Before Bed?

• The Benefits of Drinking a Protein Shake Before Bed

• How Much Protein Should You Have Before Bed

• When Should You Have a Protein Shake Before Bed

• The Best Protein to Take Before Bed

• Conclusion

• Frequently Asked Questions About Protein Shakes Before Bed

Should You Have a Protein Shake Before Bed?

The short of it is, generally yes, drinking a protein shake before bed can be beneficial.

Its benefits include helping you develop and sustain skeletal muscle mass. It also helps enhance muscle repair while you sleep. Drinking a protein shake before bed can also enhance your athletic performance and aid in weight management. It’ll help you sleep better, too.

However, don't get carried away and gulp multiple nighttime protein shakes before bed. Moderation is key. If you’re dealing with existing health issues, consult your doctor before adding protein shakes to your diet.

This brings us to the question of when not to have a protein shake before bed. Here are some instances:

• If you have GERD or acid reflux - Reconsider having a protein shake before bed, as it may worsen the symptoms.

• If you have kidney problems - Too much protein can strain the kidneys.

• If you're allergic to dairy or lactose intolerant - Avoid protein shakes that contain whey and casein.

• If you're counting calories - While drinking a protein shake can enhance weight loss, it can also add to your caloric intake if you're working with a set amount of calories. You may gain weight as a result.

Don't fret if your doctor or nutritionist advises you to nix protein shakes from your nightly routine. A balanced diet containing high-protein foods, such as fish, eggs, poultry, nuts and beans, can help you meet your protein requirements. What's important is finding what works best for you.

The Benefits of Drinking a Protein Shake Before Bed

Let's discuss each benefit of drinking this beverage in more detail.

Building and Maintaining Muscle Mass

Your body enters repair mode during sleep. A protein shake can influence your overnight muscle protein synthesis rates, which refers to how fast your body builds muscle. Protein helps your body rebuild and strengthen muscle by providing the amino acids necessary for the process.

Sleeping also causes you to fast overnight, which can sometimes lead to muscle protein breakdown in a process called muscle catabolism. Your body breaks down muscle tissue to obtain a steady supply of amino acids necessary for bodily functions. Drinking a casein protein shake before bed helps your body maintain a positive protein balance, which promotes muscle retention.

A study in The Journal of Nutrition found that consuming protein before bed increased muscle growth and strength in young men who engaged in resistance training.⁽¹⁾

Protein can also slightly boost your metabolic rate even as you sleep, which aids in muscle building.

Improved Recovery

Apart from providing your body with amino acids, protein intake also helps reduce muscle inflammation. It also helps restore your muscle function.

A study in Current Developments in Nutrition found that increased dietary protein intake, notably plant-based protein, is associated with lower levels of oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.⁽²⁾

So, let's say your workout for the day was particularly grueling. Drinking a protein shake before turning in can support muscle repair and even reduce muscle soreness, which in turn improves your recovery time. A protein shake before bed is super helpful when you're looking to exercise more frequently and increase the intensity dial of your workouts.

Enhanced Performance

Consuming protein before going to sleep can enhance your athletic performance the next day. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that protein supplementation helped boost muscle size and strength in participants who engaged in resistance training. It increased the amount of weight they could lift, lean muscle mass and muscle size.⁽³⁾

Protein kickstarts muscle protein synthesis, the process of building new muscle proteins. Apart from being important for muscle growth and repair, it also promotes increased muscle mass and strength, which are necessary for better athletic performance.

Protein also helps your body adapt to training by improving the growth and repair of muscle fibers. This adaptation helps increase your speed, endurance and power.

Enhanced Weight Loss

Protein consumption can help you lose weight in several ways.

It can help reduce appetite and hunger hormones, such as ghrelin, which helps you control your food intake. Also, protein-rich foods (including shakes) can make you feel fuller for longer compared to fats and carbohydrates. Protein is also known to have a higher TEF (thermic effect of food) compared to the other two macronutrients, meaning your body burns more energy and calories to process it.

According to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, high-protein diets helped control appetite, manage body weight and improve heart health in participants.⁽⁴⁾

If you're trying to lose weight, protein helps you retain muscle mass, which in turn increases your metabolism. Muscle retention ensures weight loss is healthy by helping your body shed fat instead of muscle.

Improved Sleep

Yet another good reason to drink a protein shake before going to bed is that it helps improve sleep quality.

Protein is a source of the amino acid tryptophan, which supports the production of sleep-promoting hormones like melatonin and serotonin. These hormones regulate sleep, improving sleep duration and quality.

A study published in Frontiers in Nutrition was conducted on middle-aged and older adults in Singapore. It found that participants who consumed high-protein plant-based diets rich in tryptophan experienced a longer sleep duration than those who didn't.⁽⁵⁾

Protein can also help stabilize blood sugar, preventing sugar spikes and crashes that can disrupt your rest. Protein can also aid in muscle relaxation and repair by minimizing soreness, which can keep you up at night.

A word of caution: There are also instances when a protein shake before bed can disrupt your sleep.

Avoid protein shakes that contain caffeine, as they may make it difficult to drift off. Protein shakes with a high sugar content can cause blood sugar spikes, which might lead to disrupted sleep.

How Much Protein Should You Have Before Bed

There's no hard-and-fast rule on how much protein you should consume before bed. That's because the amount depends on an individual's dietary needs, goals, and level of activity.

Generally, the ideal daily protein intake for a healthy adult is 0.8 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. The amount increases to up to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight if you engage in physical activity or strength training.

Meanwhile, 20 to 40 grams of protein before bed is enough to adequately support muscle recovery and growth for most people, according to a study published in Frontiers in Nutrition.⁽⁶⁾ This amount helps stimulate muscle protein synthesis overnight in those who regularly engage in exercise and strength training.

When Should You Have a Protein Shake Before Bed

As we mentioned earlier, the timing of protein ingestion matters.

Drink a protein shake 30 minutes to an hour before hitting the sack. Pre-sleep protein ingestion works best with this timing because it allows your body enough time to digest and absorb the protein as you're drifting off. The idea here is for the protein shake to supply your body with amino acids throughout the night.

The Best Protein to Take Before Bed

The best protein to take before bed is casein protein. Casein is digested slowly, which means you get a steady and slow release of essential amino acids throughout the night. It helps promote muscle recovery and growth while you rest.

Here are other casein protein sources apart from pre-sleep protein shakes to consider:

• Whole or skim milk

• Cottage cheese

• Greek yogurt

• Cream

Now, you may be wondering about whey protein, another standard plant-based protein option. Research published in the journal Nutrients suggests that whey protein is more beneficial.⁽⁷⁾ However, the consumption timing suited to this type of protein is post-workout, as it's faster-acting and can help support muscle recovery after rigorous exercise.

Conclusion

Drinking a protein shake before going to bed isn’t just for superstar athletes. It can benefit anyone seeking to level up their health and fitness game.

Whether your goal is to build serious muscle, recover from a killer workout, enhance weight loss, or even improve your sleep quality, a protein shake before hitting the hay might be just what you need.

Remember that timing is key. Aim to drink one about 30 minutes to an hour before bed. Also, opt for a slow-digesting protein like casein for a sure and steady release of amino acids while you're sleeping.

Did this article help you determine whether you can benefit from drinking a protein shake before bedtime? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Frequently Asked Questions About Protein Shakes Before Bed

Will Having a Protein Shake Before Bed Keep Me Awake?

In general, having a protein shake won't keep you awake. However, this varies from person to person.

A protein shake might keep you awake if you have digestive issues by causing bloating or stomach discomfort, and potentially worsening the symptoms of acid reflux or GERD.

Ensure your protein shake doesn't contain a lot of sugar or caffeine, which can disrupt sleep or make it difficult to fall asleep. Avoid drinking a large shake before bedtime, or it can cause awakenings to use the bathroom in the middle of the night (also known as nocturia).

Can I Have More Than One Protein Shake a Day?

Yes, you can have more than one protein shake a day, but make sure to consider your dietary requirements.

Drinking multiple protein shakes throughout the day can help if you have a protein deficiency or if your weight loss program requires it. Consuming high-protein foods is essential, rather than relying solely on protein shakes to meet your needs. Ultimately, it's best to consult your healthcare provider or nutritionist before adding protein shakes to your diet.

Should I Only Have a Protein Shake Before Bed if I Work Out?

Anyone can have a protein shake before bed, including pregnant women, older adults, or those trying to lose weight.

Sources:  

(1) “Protein Ingestion before Sleep Increases Muscle Mass and Strength Gains during Prolonged Resistance-Type Exercise Training in Healthy Young MenNitrogen.” The Journal of Nutrition, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316622087429. Accessed 26 September 2025.

(2) “Dietary Protein and Changes in Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort.” Current Developments in Nutrition, cdn.nutrition.org/article/S2475-2991%2822%2913014-3/fulltext. Accessed 26 September 2025.

(3) “A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/6/376. 26 September 2025.

(4) “The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523274274. 26 September 2025.

(5) “Association Between Dietary Protein Intake and Sleep Quality in Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Singapore.” Frontiers in Nutrition, www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.832341/full. 26 September 2025.

(6) “The Impact of Pre-sleep Protein Ingestion on the Skeletal Muscle Adaptive Response to Exercise in Humans: An Update.” Frontiers in Nutrition, www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2019.00017/full. 26 September 2025.

(7) “Effects of Whey, Caseinate, or Milk Protein Ingestion on Muscle Protein Synthesis after Exercise.” Nutrients, www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/8/6/339. 26 September 2025.

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