Jennifer Aniston has learned how to make sleep her friend after years of struggling. As a self-prescribed night owl, Anniston has struggled with insomnia for the past that has impacted how well she can do her job.
“My sleep started to suffer 10 or 15 years ago,” Jennifer told Women’s Health. “I realized I don’t feel good, and I’m not performing the way I should be performing when I didn’t sleep well. My workouts are suffering. My work and memorization is not on point. My skin, my hair, my everything starts to pay the price for your lack of sleep, which accumulates over time. You can’t catch up on sleep.”
Just how serious is Aniston about sleep? She recently partnered with Seize the Night and Day, a campaign providing educational information and resources about the effects of insomnia. “It’s about creating awareness, because nobody really talks about how important it is; it’s just the most important thing to do. We’re all sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Aniston told RealSimple.
Using her personal sleep experience, Aniston has shared her sleep secrets that have worked for her — the best part? You don’t have to be a famous actress to implement them.
Have a Consistent Bedtime Routine
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Once finding the nightly routine that works, stick with it. For Aniston this includes a very hot bath with epsom salts or magnesium salts, skincare, and meditation. “When I’m good about my routine, which I’m really trying to be, about an hour before bed, I start to turn everything off and wind it down,” Aniston told Women’s Health.
Leave Your Phone Out of the Bedroom
“My ideal routine at night begins with all screens going off,” Aniston told SELF. Her phone often sleeps in her kitchen or bathroom, but finds the space that works best for you. Digital wellness is a part of having good sleep hygiene. If you used your phone as your alarm, try switching to a digital or a sunrise alarm clock.
Think About Your Mindset
Ever have a million things running through your mind about the upcoming day, making sleep feel impossible? Aniston experiences this too, especially on days with an early role call for the show or movie she’s working on. Instead of allowing this stress to run your life, try to reframe the upcoming day. “I try to focus on the job at hand and not even think about, ‘Oh my god, it’s five in the morning.’ I try to frame it as just a day of work,” Aniston told SELF.
We trusted Aniston with our hairstyle choices in the ’90s and now we can trust her when she says prioritizing sleep can be life changing.
