Jennifer Aniston may have all the energy in the world and a gorgeous well-rested complexion, but the star admits that sleep doesn’t come as easy as it may look. According to People, the 53-year-old has struggled with everything from insomnia to sleep anxiety to sleepwalking for decades, but things are starting to look up.
“I think it started somewhere in my 30s or even earlier, but you just don’t start to notice the effects of a lack of sleep when we’re younger because we’re so invincible,” Aniston says about her insomnia. “It began as something that I would just accept and then all of a sudden you realize the effects of your lack of sleep and how it affects your day and your work and your mind function and your physique.”
According to People, Aniston put off getting help because she thought her problems were less significant than they truly were. “It became something that I really was struggling with,” she says. “It used to be the last thing on the list, but you can’t really abide by the three pillars of health—which are diet, exercise and sleep—if you can’t really exercise and you can’t really eat right if you haven’t slept well because your body clock is so completely thrown off.”
Fast forward to today, Aniston has since found a doctor to help nail down her sleep patterns, and she also says solidifying a nighttime routine has helped a lot. Before head-hits-pillow, she makes sure to give herself time to wind down. During that time, she stretches, practices relaxing yoga and takes time off her phone. She tries to “make bedtime the same every night, which is challenging for us actors, because if we’re on a movie, the schedule is all over the place,” she explains. Arguably one of her favorite steps in her pre-sleep routine: getting a good cuddle in with her three dogs. “It’s just too cozy when they cuddle!” she says. “It’s worth it.”
