Elizabeth Banks says she doesn't get much sleep as a working mom
Elizabeth Banks struggles to find time to sleep as a busy mother.
The 51-year-old actress has sons Felix, 14, as well as 12-year-old Magnus with her husband Max Handelman, and while she loves to lie in bed as long as possible, it's sometimes impossible because of her children's schedule and she often resorts to going to sleep before them just to get enough rest.
She told PEOPLE: "I'll go to bed late if I can sleep in. But how often does a working mom get to sleep in? Sleep has become a determinant of so much of my daily life. My mood is improved, my ability to work is improved, my focus is improved if I have a good night's sleep. What that means to me is seven to eight hours minimum. I'm sort of at the mercy of my kids' schedule. If I'm going to get up with the kids and have that quality time with them in the morning, which I do love, then I have to go to bed earlier. There are nights where I'm in bed before my kids—'Good night. I'm done parenting!' I want to be in bed by 10 at the latest because I wake up at six to six-thirty."
In the event that she struggles to fall asleep, the 'Better Sister' star turns to an audiobook and will often end up listening again in the morning so she can understand the content of the work if it has done the trick in sending her off for the night.
She said: "If I'm feeling like it's hard to fall asleep, I'll listen to an audiobook. I absolutely love 'My Name is Barbra', the Barbra Streisand book, and it's almost 50 hours long. I loved listening to that. But don't want to imply that she "puts me to sleep"! She does not. I'll go back and re-listen in the morning. But just the vibe of somebody talking to me, telling me a story. It's like you're a child again."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
13 hours ago
- Perth Now
Kate Hudson's fiancé was confused when she arrived home with a 'massive bruise' on her leg
Kate Hudson's fiancé was confused when she arrived home with a "massive bruise" on her leg. The 46-year-old actress - who has been engaged to Danny Fujikawa, 38, since 2021 and has six-year-old daughter Rani with him - had been filming her Netflix sports comedy 'Running Point' and hadn't even noticed the injury herself before getting into bed. She told PEOPLE: "I remember one time I had this big bruise on my left thigh and I was getting into bed and [my fiancé Danny Fujikawa] was ... like, 'Babe, what's going on?' And it was like massive! And I was like, 'Oh, that's weird. Something's wrong!'" In the series, the 'Almost Famous' star plays a former party girl who becomes the president of her family's basketball team and it took her a while to realise that the bruise came from having to shoot several takes of the scene where her character discovers a secret stash of drugs in a desk drawer. She said: "And then I was like, 'Oh wait, the drug drawer.' That's all. I have been hitting a drug drawer for like two weeks. "Yeah, you know, the war wounds!" Kate - who also has Ryder, 21, with ex-husband Chris Robinson, Bingham, 13, with ex-fiance Matt Bellamy - previously looked back on her own memories of sibling rivalry as she prepared to launch the show. Speaking on UK TV show 'Lorraine', Kate - who is the daughter of Hollywood stars Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson - said: "It's a very dysfunctional family and I think they're all striving to be validated by their siblings and to be good at something because they had a very difficult father. "It's really about the comedy in that dysfunction. "Art is so different than franchise business. What I do understand is growing up with brothers. "I'm the only girl of three brothers and you have to yell to be heard. Those little foundational things that go on when you're the only girl in a group of three boys is so frustrating. And I love the sibling dynamic because you can be as cruel to each other as humanly possible but you still love them."
Perth Now
16 hours ago
- Perth Now
Simon Cowell makes heartbreaking admission about the death of his parents
Simon Cowell felt "kind of lost" following the death of his parents. The 65-year-old music mogul - who has 11-year-old son Eric with his fiancée Lauren Silverman - lost his dad in 1999 and then his mother in 2015, and admitted that becoming a father himself has "had a huge impact" because he was able to have that sort of love again. He told PEOPLE: "[Fatherhood has] had a huge impact on me because I loved my parents so much, and once they left, I was kind of lost for a while, and then Eric kind of saved me. "Because that love comes back a hundred times more powerful. "I mean, it's extraordinary and it never goes. "So I didn't expect that, and when it happened, it was like, 'Wow.' I mean, it's incredible." The Syco founder has helmed the 'Got Talent' franchise since its inception almost 20 years ago, and has even found that his role as a judge on the American iteration of the competition series has "got easier" over time because he is able to incorporate things that his son might like into the show. He said: "[Being a judge on AGT] got easier since I became a dad, because as Eric got a little bit older... I suddenly started to watch acts through his eyes thinking, 'Would he like that?' "Because you want your kids and their friends to love the show. So when he comes down with his friends, they're having the best time. "And that's a great feeling." What's more, the former 'X Factor' judge - who has been responsible for introducing acts such as One Direction, Little Mix and Fifth Harmony to the world - has realised since starting a family that some things in life are "more important" than work. He said: "You realize that there are other things more important actually than your career. "I know it sounds corny, but I mean, it is the truth. If I wasn't where I am in my life today, I think it would feel quite empty."
Perth Now
16 hours ago
- Perth Now
Rihanna's dad dies aged 70
Rihanna's dad has died at the age of 70. The 37-year-old pop star - whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty - has yet to address her loss publicly, but Starcom Network reported on Saturday (31.05.25) that her father, Ronald Fenty had passed away following a "brief illness". The outlet reported that "family members have gathered in California, where Fenty passed away in the early hours of this morning", but gave no further detail. PEOPLE magazine later confirmed the news, although his official cause and date of death have yet to be revealed. The news comes just days after TMZ reported that Rihanna's brother Rajad Fenty had been seen at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and claimed that the 'Umbrella' hitmaker was also with him. Ronald is also survived by Rihanna's mother Monica Braithwaite - whom he split from in 2002 - as well as daughters Kandi, 54, and Samantha Fenty, 44, as well as his 35-year-old son Rorrey Fenty. Prior to their divorce, Ronald and Monica had raised their children in Bridgetown, Barbados where he worked as a warehouse supervisor and she was an accountant. Rihanna had endured a rocky relationship with her father when she was growing up. and was at the centre of a public battle with him when he spoke to the press after she was assaulted by then-boyfriend Chris Brown in 2009. However, the in the years that followed, she noted that she had "repaired" her relationship with her father and had to learn to "come to terms" with things that had gone in in the past. She told Oprah Winfrey: "He taught me everything, and as awful as he was to my mom, at times, it didn't compare to how great he was as a father. "And I had to come to terms with that, and I was able to close that gap with him." Despite this, in 2019, Rihanna sued her dad for allegedly exploiting her name for financial gain but elected to dismiss the complaint just weeks before it went to court. The 'Diamonds' songstress is currently expecting her third child with rapper A$AP Rocky - with whom she already has Rza, two, as well as 22-month-old Riot - and Ron previously shared how much he approved of his daughter's relationship. Ron told PageSix in 2023: "He's such a cool guy. Very respectable. He's taking to fatherhood very well."
