Diet is
very essential for building muscle, and many bodybuilders point out that eating
a bedtime meal is better than not eating anything but provided that this meal
has a set of specifications and conditions that we explain in this article.
-Why a bedtime meal for bodybuilding?
The
concentration of HGH with a structural effect of muscles increases with the
onset of sleep But it decreases during the night, unlike the hormone cortisol,
which has a destructive effect on muscles, which increases its concentration at
night and remains so until the early hours of the morning, so the body remains
overnight in the case of the demolition of muscle protein.
A good
bedtime meal is of great importance as it can reduce the effects of cortisol
when well chosen, and it will help you to:
- Limit the breakdown of muscle protein during the night.
- Increases calorie burning during the night.
- Reduce the effect of feeling very hungry in the morning.
- Promotes the process of muscle recovery, especially for those who train and exercise weight lifting exercises in the evening or afternoon.
· A meal rich in protein:
Protein
intake promotes muscle building, especially Whey-proteins and casein, and
scientific research has shown that eating a protein shake or casein before bed
speeds up metabolism, speeds up fat burning, and reduces hunger in the morning.
It is very
advisable to focus on the casein protein because the digestion and absorption
of the casein is slower than that of the whey protein, so digestion continues
throughout the night, which reduces muscle protein breakdown that may occur
throughout this period.
Casein
protein can be taken as supplements or from foods containing it, especially
milk and white cheese.
· A meal rich in magnesium:
Magnesium
is an essential mineral that improves sleep time and sleep quality. It enhances
the effects of GABA neurotransmitters with a calming effect.
Magnesium
is found in many foods such as dark chocolate, avocado, bananas, green leafy
plants and almonds.
· A meal rich in zinc:
Zinc is
also a key mineral such as magnesium, because of its ability to promote HGH
production similar to insulin IGF which promotes muscle building. Scientific
researches have shown that supplements containing magnesium and zinc together
promote sleep, especially that getting a good sleep is essential in the life of
the bodybuilder to be able to exercise vigorously the next day without feeling
tired.
Zinc is found in red meat, legumes, milk, cheese and
nuts, such as cashews, peanuts, eggs and dark chocolate.
Take casein or Wi-Protein with a small handful of
nuts, avocados, or bananas and make a protein shake. It is an excellent meal
before bedtime.
Finally, we stress that digestion and absorption
remain the same, both during sleep and on waking, and that the muscles remain
responsive to the processes of building protein and increase its strength, and
therefore can accept the idea of eating a meal before going to sleep and make
it healthier and useful, as mentioned.