Milk Before Bed a Bad Idea?

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overweightmike
overweightmike Posts: 10
in Food and Nutrition
I have been drinking a glass of milk with a scoop of whey protein before bed. Some places I have seen said that the milk helps the protein digest slower and is better for an 8 hour span of sleep. Other places have said to stay away from milk before bed because it gives you a big belly.

Anyone have any knowledge in this area?

Replies

  • grassette
    grassette Posts: 976 Member
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    Generally it is not a good idea to eat before you go to bed. There should be at least a 3 hour interval between eating and sleep.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    I have been drinking a glass of milk with a scoop of whey protein before bed. Some places I have seen said that the milk helps the protein digest slower and is better for an 8 hour span of sleep. Other places have said to stay away from milk before bed because it gives you a big belly.

    Anyone have any knowledge in this area?

    makes no difference. and there is no need for a casein/protein shake right before bed unless you were well short of your daily minimums for protein
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
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    some think milk before bed may help you nod off...not sure on that but as far as giving you a big belly? not that alone
  • Classalete
    Classalete Posts: 464 Member
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    I have been drinking a glass of milk with a scoop of whey protein before bed. Some places I have seen said that the milk helps the protein digest slower and is better for an 8 hour span of sleep. Other places have said to stay away from milk before bed because it gives you a big belly.

    Anyone have any knowledge in this area?

    makes no difference. and there is no need for a casein/protein shake right before bed unless you were well short of your daily minimums for protein

    I disagree.

    Casein protein creates that 'gel' coating in your stomach enabling your muscles to feed off of a steady stream of aminos for those 6-8 hours you sleep. Since growth and rehabilitation occurs while sleeping, it's fairly important that your muscles are supplied with all the nutrients they need to maximize regrowth and repair.
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
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    . Other places have said to stay away from milk before bed because it gives you a big belly.

    Is this true for people other than those with a lactose/casein intolerance?
  • gorgeouss9
    gorgeouss9 Posts: 221
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    If i drink a smoothie (milk, nonfat plain yogurt, apple w/skin, pear w/skin, and one other fruit or fruit juice) it does nothing bad for me. In fact, in the morning my stomach is flatter! :happy:
  • manvsfood
    manvsfood Posts: 175 Member
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    Generally it is not a good idea to eat before you go to bed. There should be at least a 3 hour interval between eating and sleep.

    I think this theory is a myth. I have successfully lost about twenty pounds in a month, sometimes eating right before I close my eyes to sleep... it didn't slow down my weight loss nor did I make me feel sluggish in the morning.
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
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    When you sleep, your digestive tract sleeps, no matter what you put in it. (If you have to wake up to have a bowel movement during the night, for instance, there's something wrong.)

    If you fill your stomach and lie down before it has a chance to empty, the mixture of food/beverage/stomach acid may slosh up your esophagus instead, which is called "gastroesophageal reflux." (GERD)

    That can cause heartburn, because the stomach acidifies the food very quickly. You're basically vomiting via gravity instead of via retching. The fluid may even come up far enough to burn your vocal cords (causing hoarseness) or enter your lungs (possibly causing pneumonia).

    Your body stores energy in your liver as "glycogen" for overnight glucose production. And you don't need much energy overnight, since you're just lying there. Nature has this one covered.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Generally it is not a good idea to eat before you go to bed. There should be at least a 3 hour interval between eating and sleep.

    Myth. When you eat doesn't matter.


    When you sleep, your digestive tract sleeps, no matter what you put in it. (If you have to wake up to have a bowel movement during the night, for instance, there's something wrong.)
    Where did you hear this? Never heard this before, in anything I've read. Sleep is more your brain shutting down, not your body. From what I've read about sleep, your brain needs the rest and recharge more than anything, and physically, your body can run forever, if your brain didn't need sleep. Your digestive system turns on and shuts off based on whether you have food or not, it doesn't necessarily follow any set time for on or off. If you eat breakfast, and then eat nothing until dinner, your digestive system shuts down after it';s done with breakfast, and waits until you eat again to turn itself back on. That's why people sometimes feel a burst of energy when they fast, because once the digestive system shirts down, the body has a lot of extra energy that it can spread out to the rest of the body. It's also why you feel sluggish after a big meal, the body diverts all excess energy to the digestive system. It's not as simple as, "it's on when you are awake, and shuts off when you go to sleep."
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Other places have said to stay away from milk before bed because it gives you a big belly.

    < Has chocolate milk before bed most nights. :smile:
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    your tummy does not have a clock. The only danger of eating right before bed is for some folks, it disrupts their ability to get deeply into REM sleep. So you may feel less rested, but that's the only threat. Calories in vs. calories burned is still true!
  • sylvuz323
    sylvuz323 Posts: 468 Member
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    I made the switch to Almond Milk because of the bloating, but I've never read anything about it associated with sleep.
  • jshish8
    jshish8 Posts: 11 Member
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    I have been drinking a glass of milk with a scoop of whey protein before bed. Some places I have seen said that the milk helps the protein digest slower and is better for an 8 hour span of sleep. Other places have said to stay away from milk before bed because it gives you a big belly.

    Anyone have any knowledge in this area?

    makes no difference. and there is no need for a casein/protein shake right before bed unless you were well short of your daily minimums for protein
    casein is a type of protein and it is the slower digesting type. Whey is a fast absorbing protein.
  • grassette
    grassette Posts: 976 Member
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    When you sleep, your digestive tract sleeps, no matter what you put in it. (If you have to wake up to have a bowel movement during the night, for instance, there's something wrong.)

    If you fill your stomach and lie down before it has a chance to empty, the mixture of food/beverage/stomach acid may slosh up your esophagus instead, which is called "gastroesophageal reflux." (GERD)

    That can cause heartburn, because the stomach acidifies the food very quickly. You're basically vomiting via gravity instead of via retching. The fluid may even come up far enough to burn your vocal cords (causing hoarseness) or enter your lungs (possibly causing pneumonia).

    Your body stores energy in your liver as "glycogen" for overnight glucose production. And you don't need much energy overnight, since you're just lying there. Nature has this one covered.

    You've got that one right. I have the scars to prove it. Nothing like not being able to eat because your esophagus is scarred shut.
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
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    You've got that one right. I have the scars to prove it. Nothing like not being able to eat because your esophagus is scarred shut.

    uggghh, that's scary until they've ruled out cancer, too.
  • mike_devo
    mike_devo Posts: 41 Member
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    To OP: I have heard both of those, but I don't simply because I enjoy my precise daily caloric intake and have sufficient proteins etc.

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