Ah, a good night’s sleep. It’s something that many of us can only dream (pun intended) of, given our increasingly hectic lives, tumultuous global state of affairs and an ongoing cost-of-living crisis. The topsy-turviness of the world will leave lots of people scratching their heads, asking: ‘Sleep? Who has time to sleep?’
Not, apparently, Sydney Sweeney, who has revealed that she can get by on only two hours of sleep per night. ‘I sleep however many hours I get in a night, but I’m known for being able to function off of very, very little for a very long amount of time,’ said the actor in a Wall Street Journal interview in March 2024.
Even more surprisingly, the actor revealed that she has never tried coffee. ‘I just drink water,’ she said. ‘For breakfast, I like a berry bowl. Maybe some granola, bacon, a croissant, but I always go to berries.’
This scant sleep schedule appears in contrast to Dakota Johnson, who admitted in a Wall Street Journal interview that if she gets less than 10 hours of sleep a night she can't function properly. She can also 'easily' sleep for 14 hours straight. Johnson also explained that she doesn't have a scheduled wake-up time every day. Instead, she plans her sleep routine on a day-by-day basis. 'If I’m not working, if I have a day off on a Monday, then I will sleep as long as I can,' she said.
If it all sounds a little, erm, Goop-y to you, then you’d be correct - it absolutely is. In her 2016 book Goop Clean Beauty, Gwyneth Paltrow, the ex-wife of Johnson’s current boyfriend, Chris Martin, wrote about the concept of 'clean sleeping.’
FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE
‘The lifestyle I lead is based not just on clean eating, but also on clean sleeping: at least seven or eight hours of good, quality sleep — and ideally even 10,’ Paltrow wrote.
It’s not only the women in Chris Martin’s life who can’t get enough of good-quality sleep. La-la-land is brimming with health-conscious folk for whom sleep is sacred. It would appear that the good folk of Hollywood are on to something with their endless snoozing. The Royal Society for Public Health recommends adults aged 18-64 should be aiming for seven to nine hours a night. In a recent study, it found that people are, on average, under-sleeping by an average of one hour a night. The result of that needn’t be overlooked, even by the sleepiest of eyes. According to the UK Health Security Agency, links between a lack of sleep and high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes are emerging. Sleep deprivation is also linked to poor cognitive assimilation, a decreased ability to communicate and poor concentration.
‘Sleep plays such a powerful role in determining your… energy levels that I believe it should be your first priority,’ Paltrow sagely wrote in her book. And where Gwynny (and Johnson) go, the rest of us are soon to follow, which is precisely why we have put our investigative hats on to find out what happens behind the closed doors of some of our favourite ELLE women when the lights go off.
Gwyneth Paltrow's bedtime routine
The Goop queen herself has perfected her 'clean sleeping' routine involves banning technology – including phones, laptops and television – from the bedroom. Paltrow also avoids late-night snacks, which are believed to lead to sleep disturbances and weight gain due to the dis-regulation they cause to digestion.
'For me, sleep is a major thing,' Paltrow said in a Sirius XM radio interview in 2016. 'I don’t always get it, and when I don’t, I look like I’ve been hit by a truck.'
Bella Hadid's bedtime routine
In 2018, the model told Harper's Bazaar: ‘Before bed I love listening to meditation music which makes me have a deeper sleep, even if I just have four hours. I'm usually out by the fourth song.' Bella's favourite playlist to doze off to is Apple Music's 50 Best Meditation Songs Collection and she tries to always be in bed by 10pm.
Jennifer Aniston's bedtime routine
![los angeles, california march 28 jennifer aniston attends the los angeles premiere of netflixs murder mystery 2 held at regency village theatre on march 28, 2023 in los angeles, california photo by albert l ortegagetty images](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/jenniferaniston-6579bf093be74.jpg?resize=980:* "Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's "Murder Mystery 2" - Arrivals")
In an interview, Aniston revealed the little tips that really work for her before she nods off. ‘My one key tip,’ she said, ‘is to sleep with my phone at least five feet away from me. That’s helped me tremendously. And I also do a quick meditation before I get into bed, even if it’s just for five minutes. There are also some yoga poses that I’ve found to be quite helpful in relaxing my mind, even if it’s just a simple downward dog and some stretching. But the biggest thing is the electronics shutdown, ideally an hour before I turn off the lights. It’s really a big deal.’
While Aniston knows how relaxing people find baths, she doesn’t enjoy them. ‘I tend to get a little antsy in a bath for some reason. But a shower always helps,’ she added.
Michelle Obama's bedtime routine
During her husband's time in office, Michelle Obama admitted that Barack would come and tuck her into bed before she nodded off.
‘[He] will come and turn the lights out and give me a kiss, and we’ll talk. He’s like “Ready to be tucked?” I’m like “Yes, I am,”’ she told People magazine.
Barack’s nighttime routine was on the opposite end of the spectrum, though. When he was President of the United States, the New York Times reported that he would often work until the early hours of the morning, first having dinner with Michelle and their daughters at around 6.30pm in the evening before retiring to his office to work for the next four or five hours.
'I’ll probably read briefing papers or do paperwork or write stuff until about 11:30 pm, and then I usually have about a half-hour to read before I go to bed, about midnight, 12.30am, sometimes a little later,' Barack has said.
Ashley Graham's bedtime routine
The model told Self in 2020 that she follows the rule of keeping her phone firmly out of her sleeping quarters. '[It] stays in the bathroom, and that was a really big deal for me. I don't use social media before bed anymore. And you know what? It really helps your mind,' she said.
ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
Naomi May is a freelance writer and editor with an emphasis on popular culture, lifestyle and politics. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard as its Fashion and Beauty Writer, working across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Acting News Editor at ELLE UK and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others.
