Protein (casein, 40g) ingested by athletes immediately before sleep is effectively digested and absorbed. KB.

If protein is consumed not as a drink but in a more traditional form, for instance, as a piece of meat, nocturnal digestion may interfere with sleep by spiking body temperature and cortisol levels. Higher cortisol increases muscle breakdown. Several studies found that higher cortisol levels resulting from large meals consumed late in the evening produced an increase in abdominal adiposity. We should, therefore, take the results of the study (1) with caution.