Additional Coverage:
- Actor Jane Seymour, 75, says she avoids sleep anxiety by keeping one thing close to her bed (businessinsider.com)
At 75, actress Jane Seymour has mastered the art of managing sleep anxiety, despite a lifetime of irregular schedules, jet lag, and night shoots. In a recent conversation with Business Insider, Seymour shared her strategies for maintaining restful nights.
The former Bond girl emphasized the importance of aiming for eight hours of sleep each night and creating an environment conducive to rest, such as using blackout curtains. More importantly, she highlighted the mental approach she takes when sleep doesn’t come easily.
“I don’t panic or fixate if I can’t fall asleep,” Seymour explained. With a career that often demands sudden night shoots and disrupted routines, she’s learned to accept the unpredictability. “You just have to go with it,” she said, drawing a comparison to the unpredictable sleep patterns of caring for babies.
When restlessness strikes, Seymour employs two key techniques: meditation and journaling. She keeps a notepad by her bedside to jot down worries, clearing her mind by transferring concerns onto paper.
“Once it’s out of my head and on a piece of paper, I can sleep,” she noted. This practice helps her “quiet the mind,” a crucial step in overcoming sleeplessness.
Seymour’s approach aligns with a growing recognition of journaling as a valuable tool for mental health and stress management. Olympic skier Tess Johnson, for example, uses journaling both in the morning to set goals and at night to release pent-up thoughts. Similarly, athletes like Michael Phelps and WNBA star Caitlin Clark incorporate journaling into their routines to enhance focus and emotional well-being.
Experts support these habits as well. Harvard professor Arthur C.
Brooks explains that writing down thoughts moves emotional experiences from the brain’s limbic system to the prefrontal cortex, where they can be understood rationally. Clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly adds that journaling can reveal hidden fears and anxiety triggers, helping individuals manage stress more effectively.
Jane Seymour’s insights underscore the power of mindful habits like journaling and meditation in promoting better sleep and mental clarity, even amid life’s uncertainties.