Nutrition and sports: how does an evening meal after a late workout affect sleep and body composition?

Working out late in the evening is a common practice for those who work in the office or remotely until late at night. After intense physical exertion, the body needs building blocks to repair muscles, but a dilemma arises: whether to eat before bed and whether this will affect weight. Modern research shows that a protein-carbohydrate meal after an evening workout is not only harmless, but also necessary for quality recovery.

The main rule of a late dinner is to avoid heavy, fatty, and overly spicy foods that take a long time to digest and can trigger heartburn or insomnia. An ideal choice would be a portion of easily digestible protein and a small amount of carbohydrates. For example, low-fat cottage cheese, an egg white omelet with a single yolk, steamed white fish, or a portion of a protein shake made with water or milk with the addition of a small banana are all great options.

Carbohydrates after a workout help lower cortisol levels—the stress hormone that rises during exercise and after a stressful workday at the computer. Lowering cortisol promotes falling asleep faster and entering a deeper sleep phase. In addition, carbohydrates replenish glycogen stores in the muscles, which is critical for morning well-being and preventing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

Try to finish your meal about an hour to an hour and a half before going to bed. If your workout ended very late, opt for liquid or semi-liquid forms of food, as they are digested faster and do not create a feeling of heaviness. Full recovery during sleep directly depends on whether the body received building blocks after workout stress.