Figure 1.

Schematic representation of the process of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown (MPB) throughout the day. Protein ingestion stimulates MPS rates and allows for net muscle protein accretion (green areas). During post-absorptive conditions, MPB rates exceed MPS rates, resulting in a net loss of muscle protein (red areas). Overnight sleep is the longest post-absorptive period of the day (A). Pre-sleep protein ingestion stimulates overnight muscle protein synthesis rates (B), thereby improving muscle reconditioning during overnight sleep.