Jennifer Aniston On the Importance of Sleep Hygiene and Which Co-Star Comes to Her for Advice

The actress partnered with the Seize the Night and Day campaign to spread awareness about sleep health.

Plenty of archaic adages push the idea that sleep is for the weak or the dead — implying that getting those full eight-to-nine hours is somehow lazy. But Jennifer Aniston — the embodiment of everlasting youth, reigning queen of collagen, and wellness advocate — is debunking any notions that discount the importance of sleep. The Friends star tells InStyle that her decade-long struggle with insomnia has wreaked havoc on her body and prohibited her from performing at the top of her game — and it's the reason she now values sleep so much.

“Sleep is extraordinary. It’s beautiful,” Aniston says. “But, boy, did I take it for granted when we were young. When you're younger, you kind of take it for granted. You think, ‘I can survive on three-to-five hours of sleep and I feel great,’ and then, all of a sudden, it just starts not to feel great and your performance isn't as up to par as it should be.”

Aniston eventually realized that her sleep struggles were affecting her work and mindset, as well as her body, complexion, and famous shiny hair. So, she partnered with pharmaceutical company Idorsia on the Seize the Night and Day campaign to promote awareness and education around sleep struggles. Once she started to learn more about sleep and what it does for the body, she realized just how important it was.

“All of your body is getting all the work done that it put itself through during the day. You realize a lack of sleep leads to all sorts of health issues,” she explains. Unfortunately, lost sleep isn't something you can get back; no matter how long you snooze on the weekends, you can't make up sleep. “It's a deficit you won't ever get back," she says.

The Emmy-winning actress recently wrapped filming on the third season of her hit Apple TV+ series The Morning Show and is gearing up for the release of Murder Mystery 2 — the sequel to her and Adam Sandler’s blockbuster Netflix film — at the end of this month, so it’s safe to say Aniston has good reason to miss out on a good night of sleep every now and again. A strict nightly regimen, though, helps her wind down after a long day on set and stay consistent with her sleep schedule. Think sleep meditation, epsom salt baths, lavender essential oil on her feet, and turning off screens at least an hour before she officially hits the hay. But she tells us that the quality of sleep isn’t just affected by her nighttime routine.

“I do everything I can [during the day],” she says. Her day begins in the same way she ends it, with a meditation that she follows up with plenty of water and an exercise. And in the chance she does get a poor night of sleep, the actress focuses on her recovery the next day. “I don't push myself so hard [in a workout] because that will lead to an injury when your body and your brain aren't fully rested. I just try to do my best and just figure out everything possible that will ensure a good night's sleep.”

Related:Jennifer Aniston and Julia Roberts Are Swapping Bodies in a New Movie

And aside from getting the best version of Aniston at work, her co-stars personally benefit from her passion for catching Zzzs. Aniston says her The Morning Show co-star Reese Witherspoon often relies on her for wellness advice. “Reese loves to come to me and say, ‘What's the latest? What do you got for me?’ Usually [I] tell her my new tips and tricks.”

When she’s not on set, Aniston is busy with her numerous brand partnerships, like Vital Proteins, and her own award-winning hair care line LolaVie that, along with her iconic Friends haircut The Rachel, has cemented her as one of Hollywood’s best heads of hair (and the go-to image we all show our hairstylists). It also makes her the source for all things hair care for many of her industry friends, who now pack LolaVie products when going on location to film. But her pals who steal the most samples may surprise you.

“Guys love a good hair product. My friend Jason Bateman — who has the most hair that any human being could possibly have and he’s the envy of all males with maybe three grays — he is obsessed. The guys have taken all the samples.”

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Read the original article on InStyle.