Dove Cameron and Bed Time Eating: The Science Behind it

Dove Cameron eats peanut butter Dove Cameron ’s bed time eating (yes there is a science behind it!)

Dove Cameron is a singer and actress, hugely popular for her role in the Disney teen sitcom Liv and Maddie—but the 20-year-old recently shared a lighthearted tweet on how she loves to dive in to peanut butter at night:

 

“The night somehow always ends with me eating peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon”

The tweet may have been in jest, but the science behind it is beneficial. It turns out that eating protein before sleep improves post-exercise overnight recovery.


Follow Dove Cameron : Eat Protein at Night

In a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers looked at the effect of eating protein immediately before sleep (on digestion and protein metabolism) during overnight recovery from exercise.

For the study, 16 young men performed some form of resistance-type exercise in the evening (at 8pm). They were given recovery nutrition that included 20 grams of protein immediately after exercising (9pm). About half-an-hour before sleep (11:30pm), participants drank a beverage that either included or didn’t 40 grams of casein protein. Blood and muscle samples were collected to measure protein digestion throughout the night.

Researchers discovered that during sleep, casein protein was absorbed and successfully digested. This lead to a swift rise in amino acid levels, which were sustained throughout the night!

This is the first study to show that consuming protein right before sleep is effectively digested and absorbed, and can therefore help improve protein balance during post-exercise overnight recovery.

Whether her tweet was meant in jest or not—Dove Cameron eating peanut butter out of the jar at night can actually be beneficial. If you’re hungry at night (or have just finished exercising) try peanut butter. About 100 grams of peanut butter contains 25 grams of protein—a little bit without bread (and after exercise) makes for good bed time eating.