The Ideal Macronutrient Ratio for Better Sleep

Gday mate!

To eat before bed or not to eat... that is the question. Last week, we talked about the importance of think vs feel when it comes to food choices. This week, we’re diving into a specific scenario: Should you eat if it’s late and you’re still hungry? I did my own study with steak, lets dive in

In This Newsletter:

🛌 What happened to my sleep when I had steak before bed

 🥗 Ideal ratio of macronutrients before bed

🐶 Who won the We Feed Raw Freeze Dried Prize

Thanks for all the referrals! People are moving up the leaderboard. If you have a mate who eats late at night send THIS LINK to them and encourage them to sign up to Legendary!

Why Should We Avoid Eating Right Before Bed?

You get home late, stomach growling, and remember our Legendary newsletter on sleep hygiene—ideally, no food within two hours of hitting the pillow. But what if you were stuck at an event with lackluster food, or your day was so packed that you just didn’t get enough in? Let’s break it down (also be prepared… been doing a lot of research on this one 🙂 ).

Even if your head hits the pillow, if you’ve just eaten, your digestive system stays awake, keeping the rest of your body from fully powering down. That means less deep sleep, which is prime time for recovery and hormone release. This is why the two-hour rule exists—it gives your body time to break down food and prevents digestion from interfering with sleep cycles. A study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine showed that late-night eating can disrupt deep sleep and even impact next-day performance.

Choosing the right foods for late night eating

So first off, if you are getting back late, you more than likely you want something quick to nibble on (big fan of the yoghurt and berries personally). I have outlined a few options simple options, but keep reading if you want to know more about the main meals.

Studies suggest that if you must eat before bed, which I fall into this category a lot, prioritizing easy-to-digest foods like yogurt (as noted), a small protein shake, or a banana with almond butter can provide nourishment without overloading your system. However, if this late meal is a main meal, the macronutrient composition matters significantly:

• Carbohydrates (40%) – A 2022 review by Mantantzis et al. in Frontiers in Public Health explores how different carbohydrate profiles influence our metabolism at night. My suggestion; Prioritize complex carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. These help maintain stable blood sugar levels and promote serotonin production, which aids sleep.

• Proteins (30%) – Choose tryptophan-rich sources like lean meats, turkey, or dairy to support melatonin and serotonin production. Lean meat are lower in saturated fat and the tryptophan is a precursor for those essential hormones beneficial for deep sleep

• Fats (30%) – Stick to unsaturated fats from sources like avocados and nuts, as these support satiety without disrupting sleep cycles (Lindseth G, Murray, Dietary Macronutrients and Sleep, 1996). Essentially as we have discussed before, fat takes longer to digest, slowing everything else down, but saturated fats are even worse!

So I recommend you target a balanced 40/30/30 ratio (C/P/F) ensures sustained energy and optimal recovery while minimizing sleep disturbances.

So the answer to that Steak Study

Whilst I say your last bite should be 2 hours before bed, I really believe dense proteins like steak should be eaten at least 2.5 hours before bed. Red meat takes longer to digest, and when combined with fats, it can delay sleep onset and affect the amount of REM sleep. I wanted to look at this myself. I have steak nearly once per week, around the same time of night. So I decided to have a look at my WHOOP data.

I ran my own test over the past six weeks, tracking my sleep on nights I ate steak vs. lighter meals. Each time, I noticed a slight delay in deep sleep. As deep sleep is primarily at the start of the sleep cycle, we could say this does support the notion above. Now, this is just a study of one, but it aligns with research on heavy meals before bed and why I like to add an extra time buffer on the nights I eat steak!

Quick Notes:

🐶 Congratulations Josh Klein for winning one month of We Feed Raws latest product.. thanks for sharing why your dogs gut is so important to you! Freeze Dried WFR coming your way!

🛌 If you want to run your own steak studies, but need a wearable to record the data. Sign up to WHOOP HERE. You can see everything from DEEP, to REM sleep and a number of other metrics to assess your overall wellbeing.

🎥 Off to Austin to film 5 Youtube episodes with 5 athletes, keen to share their programs and how I helped with their eating plans!

Cheers,

DC

#EatGoodFeelGood