Gloria Holloway
Listen to this articleJennifer Aniston has opened up on dealing with insomnia which is the latest of her sleep problems.
Speaking to People Magazine, the 53-year-old actress revealed that she has dealt with sleep problems spanning decades including sleepwalking and sleep anxiety, all of which cause her to dread another night of “counting cracks in the walls.”
“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 said.
“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.”
She also noted that anytime she tries to sleep, she ends up watching the clock, which made her focus on how much time was passing and how many hours of sleep she was missing.
“And the more I worry about it, the harder it is to fall asleep.”
The Friends actress also revealed that at one time she was dealing with sleepwalking which has thankfully halted.
“I have been known to do that. I’ve been woken up by house alarms going off that I’ve set off. And I don’t think I do that anymore — that was when I was super sleep deprived,” she says, adding that “at least there’s that silver lining” to her sleep woes.
“The body is saying, ‘Now don’t go out and set the alarm off again, okay?’ ”
After years of putting off seeking medical help, the actress is now considering it because “It became something that I was struggling with.”
“It used to be the last thing on the list, but you can’t abide by the three pillars of health — which are diet, exercise, and sleep — if you can’t exercise and you can’t eat right if you haven’t slept well because your body clock is so completely thrown off.”
