Jennifer Aniston Reveals She’s A Frequent Sleepwalker Due To Chronic Insomnia

Morning Show star Jennifer Aniston is opening up about her struggles with sleep disorders for decades of her life. She said at some points, going to bed was “almost like walking the plank” for her.

Aniston most recently has been suffering from insomnia but said she began having issues falling asleep and related disorders “somewhere in my 30s or even earlier, but you just don’t start to notice the effects of your lack of sleep when we’re younger because we’re invincible,” she told People.

She said she often finds herself awake in bed “counting cracks in the walls,” or focusing on the hours of sleep she’s losing which compounds the problem because “the more I worry about it, the harder it is to fall asleep.”

Insomnia and anxiety around sleep loss manifested in other odd nighttime behaviors. Aniston even mentioned having to deal with bouts of sleepwalking at the height of her sleep deprivation. “I have been known to do that,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’ve been woken up by house alarms going that I’ve set off. And I don’t think I do that anymore – that was when I was super sleep-deprived.”

After putting off getting medical help for years, Aniston began seeing a doctor to help with her sleep because “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.” She has now partnered with the campaign Seize the Night and Day, which provides resources and updates on issues regarding insomnia and sleep diseases.

For people dealing with issues similar to hers, Aniston recommends a consistent nighttime routine. For her it involves a period of rest, then some stretching or mild yoga, and staying away from her phone. It’s key for her “to make bedtime the same every night.” The one concession she admitted to is that she still cuddles with her dogs despite being advised against it. She joked that one of her three dogs, Chesterfield is “just a sweet, deep sleeper. I actually envy his sleep sometimes.”

Aniston even appeared for a segment on The Dr. Oz Show seven years ago regarding her sleep issues. Oz suggested moving her phone more than five feet from her while sleeping, dimming her lights or using blue-colored lights before bed, and finally having a glass of red wine before sleeping. These fixes didn’t seem to completely cure the actress, shockingly. Aniston did shout out putting her phone out of the room in her current interview, so at least one strategy stuck.