Jennifer Aniston opens up about health struggles: 'Hard time, the last 10, 15 years'

Jennifer Aniston revealed her decade-long struggle with sleep issues, emphasizing how modern habits affect her rest.

Jennifer Aniston, known for her enviable fitness, revealed in an interview with Allure that she has struggled with one key aspect of wellness: sleep.

The 55-year-old actress admitted she’s faced difficulty sleeping for over a decade.  

“Sleep and I have a real hard relationship,” she said. “I really want to love it and I am sure it wants to love me, but we have had a hard time, especially the last 10, 15 years.”

Although Aniston stopped short of labeling her condition as insomnia, which affects up to 30% of Americans according to the National Institutes of Health, she acknowledged that her sleep is often disrupted by excessive smartphone use, which keeps her mind active late at night.  

“It’s just hard to shut the brain down, hard to tell the committee to stop talking,” she shared. “I’ve had to shut the news off. I’ve had to give myself boundaries with information. You know what I mean?”

The “Morning Show” star noted the overwhelming amount of information modern devices provide, contrasting it with simpler times. “Our bodies, our brains are not designed to take in this much information,” she explained.  

“We would turn on the news at six, and that was all you got plus a newspaper in the morning,” she added. “You could go live a glorious life where your cortisol levels weren’t through the roof, where your anxiety wouldn’t be out of control. It’s just too much. This is not normal.”

Aniston also detailed her evening routine, saying she powers down her phone and tries to prepare for sleep two hours before midnight.  

“I stretch before bed. I’ve been really trying to work on my sleep hygiene, and I hate those words,” she said. “I can’t stand ‘sleep hygiene.’ I’ve been trying hard to put myself in bed during the week at 10 p.m., turn everything off and then just sit there and let the world come crashing in.”

Despite her efforts, the actress emphasized the importance of being gentle with herself when sleep doesn’t come easily.