The consequences of short and bad nights can be harmful to the body.
Jennifer Aniston reminds us of this in an article in Self magazine this Saturday, April 23, on the sidelines of a promotional campaign “Seize the Night & Day” by the Swiss laboratory Idorsia.
The 53-year-old actress opens up about her insomnia problems, which started more than twenty years ago.
To remedy this and reduce the harmful effects of a profound lack of sleep, the star of
Friends
has set up a particular routine.
Read alsoWhy do we sleep less and less well with age?
Disconnection and meditation
The light from television screens like that from the telephone is a scourge for falling asleep and the rest of the night.
To "anaesthetize" her brain in a healthy way, Jennifer Aniston says she experiences the most total disconnection, every evening at regular times.
“Turn off the screens, walk the dogs, lock the doors, wash my face, do my meditations….
I think it really, really, really helps,” she says.
Sometimes, he happens to vary the pleasures.
“If I'm lucky, I take a hot bath, which really helps me,” adds the actress.
I also do stretching or yoga before my meditation.
In video, five signs that show that you are in sleep debt
Gratitude List
Despite these good reflexes, Jennifer Aniston admits, she very often becomes “an owl of the night” and experiences the frustration of having been pulled out of her sleep for an unknown reason.
To stop the phenomenon, the star of
Friends
says he has tried everything.
"I did all kinds of crazy things when I couldn't sleep, like literally counting the cracks I could find in the wall or counting my steps to go to the kitchen to get hot tea," she recalls.
Read alsoNocturnal awakenings: what to do to avoid the trap of chronic insomnia?
To fall back to sleep, his trick is first not to glance at the clock.
“Checking the time doesn't work.
Just like getting up and walking around,” she says.
His solution to nocturnal awakenings is again found in deep relaxation and the practice of meditation.
"Five minutes is enough for me," says Jennifer Aniston.
In general, this is simply to calm my thoughts.
Sometimes I run a meditation on an app.
Sometimes I write a gratitude list.”
No sleeping in or naps
The actress has also reviewed her way of compensating for her insomnia.
The actress recounts how for a long time she was tempted to “sleep in all weekend” to catch up on lost sleep.
However, as science confirms, sleeping in is more tiring than relaxing.
This is why the 50-year-old claims to have now gone to the camp of early risers on Saturdays and Sundays, even after a grueling weekend.
Unlike many followers, Jennifer Aniston, however, flees the moments of nap.
"I'm not good at naps," she admits.
I almost feel worse after doing it.
I envy people who get on a plane and fall asleep before takeoff.
Or those who can simply close their eyes and take a micro nap.
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To find the trick that suits you the most, the actress invites those angry about the pillow to consult a sleep doctor.
“Sleep is usually the last issue on the list discussed in a doctor's office because everything else seems more important.
Now that's the first question on my list, she says.
If I haven't slept properly, all the benefits of physical exercise and good nutrition are wasted.
CQFD.
