Arnold Schwarzenegger and His Pump Club Team Unveil the Best Practices for a Good Night’s Sleep

One of the crucial variables that good health depends on is the amount and quality of sleep an individual gets in a day. Arnold Schwarzenegger has often talked about this factor and its role in overall physical development. However, he recently dived into details with a special edition of his newsletter, ‘Arnold’s Pump Club.’

Quoting a study by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the US, Schwarzenegger highlighted how up to seventy million Americans have sleep disorders. Therefore, he found it necessary to list down certain sleep protocols necessary for fitness enthusiasts to ensure good health.

Ideal sleep time range

We’ve all heard right from the beginning that sleeping for 6-8 hours is important for the holistic development of an individual. Schwarzenegger confirmed and reported that one needed at least six hours of sleep to maximize health benefits. When pushed up to seven hours, individuals can obtain an optimized version of health benefits with little to no strain.

What’s the first rule of sleep?

To reap most of the advantages of sleep, Arnold Schwarzenegger suggests maintaining a consistent time range for the activity. This meant that if one was habituated to sleeping for eight hours every day, they must continue that.

A study on sleep irregularity suggested that many who were inconsistent with their sleeping habits developed hardened arteries. About 90,000 subjects in another experiment also observed mood disorders due to lack of consistent sleep.

Leading to maintaining a consistent bedtime

Just like maintaining consistent hours of sleep every day, Schwarzenegger suggested having a fixed bedtime. Even if you do end up getting about six to eight hours of sleep but your bedtime differs each day, it could lead to problems.

“Instead, having a consistent sleep schedule — trying to sleep a similar number of hours, as well as go to bed and wake at a similar time — can significantly impact your overall health and longevity.”

Insufficient sleep vs. Sufficient sleep consequences

Apart from inconsistent moods and hardened arteries, insufficient sleep could cause a lot of problems in the long run. It increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, kidney issues, obesity, depression, and many other complications. It can also trigger high blood pressure, leading to a risk of other chronic health conditions.

If one manages to fix their sleep cycle, the benefits are immensely helpful for the individual’s well-being. To begin with, sufficient sleep assists in adding more muscle and the process of weight loss. It maintains one’s insulin levels, regulates metabolism, and, as Schwarzenegger had once noted, even controls one’s sugar and hunger cravings.

Since lack of sleep affects your blood pressure and stress levels, getting good quality rest can also protect individuals from hypertension and the chances of getting a stroke.

All of these put together conclude that a healthy amount of good-quality sleep can boost one’s longevity. In fact, according to a study that Schwarzenegger highlighted, good quality sleep can be one of the strongest predictors of how long one might live.

Fixing sleep quality with mattress and food

While good quality sleep can depend on various factors, some are external and environmental that one might be able to tweak to their preference. It’s common knowledge that colder temperatures can lead to better quality sleep, and so does blocking blue light. However, Schwarzenegger suggested a few other tips as well.

A good mattress to sleep on might sound like a luxury, but he affirms that it might change the sleep quality forever. The Pump Club team suggested getting mattresses that could maintain a cooler temperature. This allows individuals to fall asleep faster and maintain a lower heart rate throughout their rest period.

Apart from this, a pre-bed snack is also recommended to get a good night’s sleep. Although Arnold Schwarzenegger recommends eating at least two hours before going to bed, one’s last meal could be a carb-filled treat! Complex carbohydrates such as legumes, whole grains, vegetables, etc. could be beneficial for sleep. Combining that with fiber could be the perfect combination for a good night’s rest.

“The complex carbs can help provide a steady release of serotonin, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter that can lull you into a peaceful slumber.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger warns against sleeping with the TV on

The idea of dozing off while watching television is not foreign to most people. However, it could prove detrimental to sleep quality since it could reverse every benefit. The light emitted by television contributes to disrupting the circadian rhythm, which eventually attracts all the negative effects of insufficient sleep.

While observational studies have pointed towards a heightened risk of an increase in weight, one cannot say for certain that there’s a direct link due to the nature of the research. Therefore, Schwarzenegger suggests staying away from the TV during nighttime as a precautionary measure.

A final checklist

To sum things up, one must go through the following checklist to cross off every possible factor that positively or negatively impacts sleep quality.

• Consistent bedtime
• Cooler temperatures in the room and mattress
• Sun exposure in the morning and dark light exposure towards night
• Cutting caffeine 9-10 hours and food 2 hours before bedtime
• Lights dim, and no technology
• Activities that calm your brain at night are encouraged

With that, Schwarzenegger and his team drafted the ideal sleep protocol that might help fitness enthusiasts enhance their physical well-being.