Tom Cruise once told Ellen how much sleep he gets each night and she was stunned: "You really are..."
Hollywood icon Tom Cruise is unlike any actor. At 62, the star still chooses to still do most of his gravity-defying stunts himself. And as it turns out, that's not the only unusual thing about him. Cruise also has a very bizarre sleeping schedule. In a recently resurfaced clip from his 2003 interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Cruise candidly opened up about his routine. DeGeneres was shocked when the actor revealed just how little sleep he actually gets.
The revelation came as DeGeneres teased Cruise with amusing questions. The carefree exchange had everyone—including the actor himself—laughing merrily. At one point, she asked, "How many hours of sleep do you get a night, because you really are...How much do you sleep usually?" Cruise answered that although it depends on the day, he usually rests for about four to six hours. He said, "Depends on...the workload, you know, the kids...When I'm shooting and what I'm doing now, four to six is what I usually average."
In response, DeGeneres exclaimed, "Four to six is just not enough anyway, much less with the work you're doing, the amount of energy that you put into a day. You showed me your arm, and you were up at 5:00 this morning." She added, "I don't know how you do it." Cruise shared how becoming a parent deeply influenced his life and affected his energy levels. He said, "I just go. It's just when you have kids, you just realize you have more energy than you ever thought." He added, "You're up in the middle of the night. And I've never been tired before. But when you have kids and you're feeding kids in the middle of the night, you get that nauseous thing that happens where you feel like you're so tired you're going to puke."
He continued, "But yet you have no choice. You just have to keep going. And then I just go." Despite his exhaustion, Cruise revealed that being a dad gives him a strong sense of purpose that keeps him going even on his most difficult days. He previously also spoke about his sleep schedule while discussing how he trains for stunts. As reported by The Standard, he said, "I have trained my whole life, constantly, whether it's drama or action. I don't sleep much and I love what I do so I'm working many long hours. I've been doing it for so long, and I never take anything for granted."
Did you know Tom Cruise’s only ‘mission impossible’ is to stop snoring? The actor confessed in an interview that he has a sound-proof ‘snoratorium’ in his house! Does a snore-room sound like a dream to you? pic.twitter.com/J8ombBB3yZ
— Good Night (@AntiSnoringRing) June 22, 2018
When Cruise actually manages to get a proper night's rest, he reportedly does so in a specially designed 'snoratorium'. As reported by the Daily Mail, the actor has transformed his guest bedrooms into soundproof sleep sanctuaries, to allow his partner a good night's rest. This has in fact become a trend among aging action stars, particularly those in their 40s—an age when the soft palate naturally relaxes, leading to noisier nights. Cruise’s 'snoratorium' is tucked away at the back of his £20 million Hollywood estate, near the bedroom he typically shares with his wife and daughter.