We're not sure if eating protein before bed helps older people build stronger muscles, even though it might help their bodies make more muscle overnight — we just don’t have enough long-term studies to say for sure.

We don't have enough good evidence yet to say if eating protein before bed helps older people build muscle or get stronger over time — some studies have problems that make it hard to trust the results.

Eating protein before bed might help young guys build muscle and get stronger when they lift weights for 10 to 12 weeks, but it doesn’t seem to work as reliably for older men.

Older adults might need to eat about 40 grams of protein before bed to help their muscles repair and grow overnight, because 20 grams isn’t enough as their bodies become less responsive to smaller amounts of protein with age.

Eating protein before bed might help young guys build more muscle and get stronger when they lift weights for 10–12 weeks, but it doesn’t seem to help older men the same way.

Eating 20 to 40 grams of protein before bed might help your muscles repair and grow overnight, especially if you also worked out in the evening.