One might think consuming alcohol can lead to better sleep, but what if the GOAT of the bodybuilding industry, Arnold Schwarzenegger shares opposing thoughts? The seven-time Mr. Olympia, who used to mix alcohol in his protein, shed light on the fact that drinking alcohol can affect your sleep. In his daily newsletter, Arnold’s Pump Club, he talked about a shocking discovery that researchers had revealed. 

Drinking is a common practice, and on average, 63 percent of people consume alcohol throughout America. But they might not know some facts that the Terminator shared about getting REM sleep affected by alcohol. Let’s delve deeper into the matter.

The Austrian Oak’s one-hour rule

According to the new research, even a single drink can potentially harm your sleep. Scientists analyzed a group of recreational drinkers who drank around nine to twelve drinks each week. They studied their sleeping pattern for two weeks. For three nights in a row, they were given three drinks exactly one hour before going to bed, and the others were given a placebo. 

The outcome of the results was unexpected. Those who had alcohol before bed spent less time in REM sleep, along with low sleep quality and less deep sleep. On the other hand, those who drank a placebo were fine when compared to the drinkers. Those who drank alcohol for three days had different effects on their sleep each day.

The first night of drinking affected the sleep quality the most. As they drank repeatedly for two days, their REM sleep worsened. Arnie explained, “In other words, consistent drinking wears your body down over time, but even one night can also disrupt sleep quality.” The Austrian Oak, on the other hand, never disappoints his “villagers.” He shared how one can drink and still not affect his sleep quality.

“Alcohol’s influence on your sleep partially depends on how closely you drink to your bedtime,” says Arnie. He highlighted that prior research showed that you can have one drink an hour before going to sleep. The Terminator disclosed that your body takes at least one hour to metabolize each drink. So you can have a few drinks earlier before you go to sleep. It’ll harm your sleep less than drinking and going straight to sleep. 

Apart from disturbing your sleep, alcohol can affect the sperm quality of males. Let’s find out how alcohol affects the fetus’s development.

Can alcohol affect the quality of sperm?

In another edition of the newsletter, the Austrian Oak revealed that males who drink can affect the fetus’s development for three months before conception. Drinking can also lead to problems in the RNA of the sperm. Arnie explained, “The new study found that moderate-to-heavy drinking can affect the RNA of sperm for up to three months and potentially harm detail development.“

The Austrian Oak further revealed that this research was done only on people who regularly have plenty of drinks each day, highlighting how we can’t assume that all drinkers would have the same kind of effect. The Terminator explained that occasional drinkers need to worry as much as regular drinkers.

After learning about the potential side effects of drinking, would you rethink your alcohol consumption? Let us know in the comments below.