Hi guys,
I’m forced to work out at night (around 9:30PM). Obviously, it is very important to have a good dose of protein after a workout. The problem with me is that when I have a shake it keeps me up all night! I’ve even tried eating tuna fish… same thing. For those of you working out late at night, what do you do for protein and still be able to sleep? ZMA really makes me sleep well but if I have the protein shake as well I’ll still stay up half the night :o(
Do you think it’s the fact that your body is riled up from working out? Testosterone maybe? I’ve never heard of protein keeping someone awake. I drink a protein shake right before I sleep, and I sleep like a baby.
odd case my friend… i drink protein before bed no probs… try crushing up some ambien in your shake that’ll do the trick for sure! Hence you shall become addicted to those shakes…lol
It’s not the workouts, trust me. Everytime I decide to skip the protein shake and just have a small snack I’ll sleep like a baby. The moment I add the shake… boom! I’m screwed.
I just remembered that quite some time ago I bought a casein protein shake mix. I don’t remember if that kept me up. Maybe the fact that it’s slow digesting would help? Guess I’d have to buy another can and give it a try.
So… I’m the only one with this problem? That’s so screwed up…
Take the zma and 3mg melatonin 30 mins or so before you shake…even if this means at the end of your workout. lol There is some controversy of melatonin use you should probably search out before taking. This way you can still take the protein shake or food before bed and pwo and hopefully by then the other stuff will be doing its job to make you tired enough for bed. you can also try coming home and keeping everything dim and dark. Darm rooms supposedly stimulate the brain to secrete more melatonin which puts you to sleep.
its worth a shot if you don’t come up with anything else 
Gerdy
Thanks Gerdy… I actually tried melatonin in the past and it ruined my sleep. With ZMA I sleep like a log… just have to put up with those really vivid dreams that can be a bit of a pain in the ass. I’m going to try some casein again and see if that works since I’m not finding too many other people who have my problem. Weird!
What type of shake are you taking exactly. What brand powder? Is it flavored? What other ingredients are in the powder? And are you adding anything to the shake besides liquid? Im asking because I had a similar problem a couple years ago and read the ingredients closely and saw there were at least two types of stimulants and a lot of sugar in the mix.
Ya dood that sucks that you have this problem. Especially in your situation. lol I seem to be lucky, no weird/vivid dreams with zma and no problems sleeping with protein in my gut. lol…have you tried whey/bcaa post or towards the end of your workout. That way it’s in your system for the drive home from the gym, etc. Then when you get home eat a small amount of cottage cheese? If it’s the protein keeping you up maybe a protein from food source like cottage cheese will help? I posted on another thread about trouble sleeping: benadryl, nyquil, or whiskey, but only kidding. LOL IDK I’m reaching here. Hope you work it out.
Gerdy