Dear Dr. Bell, Does Drinking a Protein Shake Before Bed Help Build Muscle? – Hussein

According to a study reported in the Journal of Nutrition, the answer would be yes.

According to the study, a protein shake consumed before sleep, increased muscle synthesis by 22%

The protein drink used in the study was 27.5g of protein and 15g of carbohydrates. I would recommend a source of a healthy fat along with it (2% Milk or even Whole milk as the liquid you mix your protein with, would suffice). The reason for this is, previous studies showed greater assimilation of nutrients when fat, protein and carbohydrates are consumed together.

This study showed that ingesting protein before sleep, increased both muscle mass and strength. The protein shake group showed a 3% increase in strength over the other group in the 12 week study.

It is also highly recommended you not exceed more than 1.2g protein/pound of your body weight. Excess protein consumption could cause problems beyond bad breath and of course, any excess protein consumption will only result in fat storage, not muscle gain.