Sleep has been one of the crucial topics that Arnold Schwarzenegger has been focusing on a lot recently. Good quality sleep guarantees good health sustained over a long time. Therefore, he often stresses the importance of getting a good amount of rest at night. In his recent newsletter, he revealed how things could go wrong if one were to disrupt their sleep cycle often.
Before he began, Schwarzenegger laid down two golden rules of sleep:
- Needs to be a priority
- The circadian rhythm shouldn’t be messed with
Simply following these two rules could make a significant difference in one’s health and overall performance, as attaining good sleep positively affects other physical processes in our body.
According to a study on the link between artificial light, stress, and cardiovascular health, sleep quality takes a hit when an individual comes under artificial light exposure at night. This phenomenon affects their metabolism and increases the risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases.
The circadian rhythm is a meticulous process running in the body that Schwarzenegger reveals works according to the day and light in the atmosphere. Cortisol production boosts during the day, giving the individual a much-needed shot of energy to get going in the morning. Similarly, melatonin production increases at night to let the individual know that it is time to sleep.
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“Your circadian rhythm is controlled by the light-dark cycle. When it gets dark, melatonin increases, which triggers a domino effect that helps you rest and allows your body to recover.”
However, when artificial light enters the mix, it confuses the circadian rhythm and, therefore, sends stress signals across the body. Schwarzenegger even clarified that the culprit wasn’t only a phone screen light. Any evening light could qualify as a stressor for the circadian rhythm.
“If it happens once in a while, your body can adjust. But if it happens frequently, the circadian disruption alters biological functions such as heart rate and cellular recovery, causing various health problems.”
A higher heart rate also increases the chances of complicated problems such as insulin resistance, hypertension, and increased chances of stroke. It doesn’t help that insufficient sleep could also result in sugar cravings late at night. But Schwarzenegger had the perfect solution to this.
Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed how to beat the late-night sweet tooth with good sleep
Studies suggest that individuals could crave sugar more when they go through erratic sleeping patterns. But this phenomenon can be easily prevented without restricting anyone’s sugar consumption and Schwarzenegger had the perfect solution to the problem.
He wanted to address the root cause of sugar cravings to nip the problem in the bud and talked about it in his previous newsletter. In the segment, he shared some tips on improving sleep quality, especially for those who suffered from erratic resting patterns at night.
These include having a cooler room temperature, avoiding caffeine before bed, following the same schedule every night, limiting screen time, and so on. The results were positive since people who followed the advice slept more and consumed less sugar.
