How to inhibit muscle breakdown while sleeping?

Learn from A to Zzzzzz of supplements to build muscle mass while you sleep!

If gaining muscle mass is your primary goal, and really what other goal is there? – then you probably already know that eating large amounts of protein frequently is essential. You probably also know that getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night is a must for muscle gain, because that’s when growth hormone (GH) levels peak. However, that goes a long way when you don’t give your body protein. Would you go 7 to 9 hours without eating during the day? Not unless you want to look more like a marathon runner than a bodybuilder.

Going this long without consuming any food puts your body into starvation mode, causing it to extract amino acids from your muscle protein to convert them into glucose to fuel your brain and literally break down your muscle fibers. Although some obsessive-compulsive bodybuilders wake up in the middle of the night to eat to prevent this from happening, a less extreme method is to know what to take just before bed. Sleep with these five supplements: they will not only prevent muscle breakdown, but also boost muscle growth while you sleep.

BUILD MUSCLE WHILE YOU SLEEP

Here are five supplements that will inhibit muscle breakdown and enhance muscle growth while you get your Zs.

CASEIN PROTEIN

Casein protein is the main protein found in milk. It makes up 80% of the drink, the rest being whey protein. Casein protein is a better choice than whey at bedtime due to its slow digestion and absorption rate. Your best bet is to use a protein powder that contains some micellar casein, an undenatured (unaltered) form of casein that will clump together in your stomach and form a gel, significantly slowing your digestion. This allows the protein to provide a slow, steady supply of amino acids to the body for up to seven hours, so you don’t have to remove them from your muscles. And if you take enough casein before bed, the excess will go to your muscles to grow.

Dosage: Mix 40 grams of casein protein in skim milk or water, and drink immediately before bed.

LINSEED OIL

Flaxseed provides essential fats that offer numerous health and performance benefits, including improved joint recovery and fat loss. It’s also a great addition to your pre-bedtime casein protein shake. Healthy fats slow digestion, sparing even more muscle fiber protein overnight.

Dosage: Take 2-3 tablespoons of flaxseed oil with your casein protein.

ARGININE

You probably know arginine as the amino acid to take before workouts to increase nitric oxide levels and get an incredible pump, but did you know that it also increases GH levels? It does this by inhibiting a hormone that normally inhibits GH release. If you take enough arginine, about 5 grams, the result is a greater release of GH during the night.

Dosage: Take 5 grams of arginine in the form of L-arginine, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, arginine ketoisocaproate, and arginine malate or arginine ethyl about 30 minutes before bedtime.

GLUTAMINE

The amino acid glutamine has a multitude of functions, including preventing muscle breakdown, boosting immune function, enhancing muscle recovery, and even increasing fat burning. Additionally, glutamine effectively increases GH release. One study found that it increased GH levels just 90 minutes after ingestion. A study by researchers at Louisiana State University suggests that glutamine’s ability to indirectly stimulate arginine production in the kidneys may be the potential mechanism for increasing GH levels.

Dosage: Take 5-10 grams of glutamine 30 minutes before bed.

ZMA

If you train hard, you are likely to be deficient in zinc and magnesium, important minerals that are depleted more often in athletes. Replacing those lost minerals with ZMA, a combination of zinc and magnesium aspartate plus vitamin B6, can increase levels of testosterone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), two critical components of muscle growth. ZMA also improves sleep quality, which can lead to more optimal GH release at night. Most ZMA products on the market today provide around 30 mg of zinc, 450 mg of magnesium, and 11 mg of vitamin B6.

Dosage: Follow label directions and take ZMA on an empty stomach about one hour before bedtime.