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Today’s Health Upgrade
Stat of the week
Do you suffer from social jetlag?
It started in Austria
The gut healer
Arnold’s Podcast
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Stat of the Week: 385
Losing hours of sleep might be the easiest way to add unwanted calories. A research review of 11 studies found that sleep-deprived people consume an average of 385 more calories than well-rested people. Speaking of sleep…
Do You Suffer From Social Jetlag?
The weekend is a time to relax, forget about work, and ease up on your routine. But you might want to watch just how much you adjust your typical schedule.
Research suggests that dramatic changes to your bedtime routine could increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Adjusting your sleep and wake times on the weekend is known as “social jetlag.” Your body is consistently trying to balance three different “clocks” — your social clock (when you are active), your biological clock (your circadian rhythm of when you sleep and wake), and the sun clock (when it’s light and dark). The bigger the disparity between your clocks, the more your likelihood of certain diseases appears to increase.
Studies show that getting the same amount of sleep each night (sleep duration) and going to bed and waking at similar times (sleep timing) both affect your health and longevity.
In particular, better sleep regularity is associated with up to a 48 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality, as high as 39 percent lower risk of cancer mortality, and more than 50 percent lower risk of cardiometabolic mortality.
If you’re looking for a rule of thumb, you don’t want to vary your sleep duration by more than 90 minutes. So, if you’re sleeping 6 hours a night on weekdays and 10 hours on the weekends, it might seem like you’re “catching up, “ but you could be doing more harm than good.
It Started In Austria…
This is Ketch. Let me set the stage.
We’re in Austria for Arnold’s annual environmental fundraiser. We landed that day, and by 4:00 pm, I didn’t know if I would make it to the fundraiser that night. I didn’t want coffee because it would keep me up all night, continuing the jet lag cycle. I remembered hearing about cold water exposure giving a quick energy boost, and our hotel had a cold plunge in the gym.
I put my toe in and immediately regretted this decision. After a nice talk with myself, I got into the water. It was near freezing and about 37 degrees (2 degrees Celsius). I made myself stay in the water for a minute.
I got out, and the boost of energy was instant, and I felt like I’d had 2 cups of coffee. I made it through the event and slept afterward without the caffeine keeping me up.
But something else happened. The next day, I forced myself to do it again to wake up. Then I went to the gym, and after my workout, I looked at the cardio machines (long, slow cardio is my kryptonite, and even though I know it is good for my heart, I just never do it) and told myself I could do 30 minutes. This sounds strange: but I give the credit to the cold plunge.
I’ve talked about my cold plunge habit many times here, but for me, the best part is doing that one tough thing every morning; there’s something special about doing the thing I don’t want to do (and believe me, after over a year of daily cold plunges, it is still hard). And when you do it, the rest of my day is easier and less stressful. No joke. Plus, my caffeine consumption has been cut in half because I am ready to take over the world when I get out.
So when Plunge came to us and talked about partnering and giving the village a discount, it made sense immediately.
The Plunge features powerful cooling down to 37°F, smartphone connectivity for ultimate control, and a sleek exterior designed to inspire. The all-in-one design offers a truly plug-and-plunge set-up and makes maintenance a breeze thanks to an easy access filter. Enjoy pure, ice-cold water that’s ready whenever you are, and go all in.
And by the way, as a member of the positive corner of the internet, use the code Pump150 for $150 OFF your purchase.
The Gut Healer
Probiotics are a supplement favorite, but they might not even be the best thing for your stomach.
If you want better gut health, eating a wide variety of foods could be the best way to improve your microbiome.
Research suggests that dietary diversity — including lots of fruits, vegetables, fiber, herbs, and spices — is one of the fastest ways to help your gut feel better. Your microbiome is made up of trillions of microbes in your intestinal tract, and when you feed them the right foods, they can support a healthier immune system, increase the natural production of vitamins and minerals, aid digestion, absorb nutrients, and improve overall well-being.
In the study, more than 1,600 people were followed for a decade. Those with the most microbial diversity — specifically eating more fiber — had a healthier digestive system, felt better, and gained less weight over ten years.
Many options work to feed your microbes what they want, and some good options include whole grains, bananas, greens, onions, garlic, soybeans, artichokes, nuts, seeds, yogurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut.
That’s it for this week! Thanks for being a part of the positive corner of the internet, and we hope you all have a fantastic weekend.
-Arnold, Adam, Daniel
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
