There are many different scenarios around the clock presented to you by your body, your environment and contributed towards by your training which mean that choosing the right thing at that moment is very important.
Typically people look at the pre workout and post workout window as two of the most important times of the day, and they are. However there are also other times of the day which require consideration and thought. One of those times is before you go to bed.
So many people don't even eat before bed, after a certain time because they think it will be stored as fat. NOT true, provided your whole diet and training plan is correct for YOU.
There is not one correct answer to pre bed nutrition, some will need different things to others.
So I'm going to outline some KEY points for you in relation to nutrition at this time of the day and let you think for yourself this time on what might work best for you.
1. Carbohydrates before bed can be a great idea because they will spike serotonin levels which is the "sleepy"hormone. This will obviously help promote a better sleeping pattern if you find this an issue which MANY do. **To further aid sleep, don't consume caffeine within 6 hours of bed as its half-life is approximately that long**
2. Protein before bed to me is a MUST. You are about to enter a fast for 6-8 hours, therefore you want a slow and steady release of amino acids to help sustain protein synthesis and help combat catabolism.
3. Fats before bed will depend on your carbohydrate needs, as they tend to go up if the other goes down (inverse relationship). What fats will do is help slow down the digestion of your pre bed meal which can help stabilise hunger if you find you are always hungry during the night, and as a result struggling to sleep.
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