Anna Robards recalls her dad’s car crash after he fell asleep at the wheel
An Aussie star has emotionally recalled a life-changing incident that means she will go to bed rather than stay up and watch a movie.
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A sleep expert has detailed how to reset your routine, as an Australian celebrity became emotional recalling how a loved one drifted off at the wheel.
Anna Robards, who won Australia’s first season of The Bachelor, choked up discussing how her father Les was involved in a car crash.
The memory was resurfaced on the podcast Robards co-hosts, In Your Skin, ahead of World Sleep Day on March 14.
Guest Kristen Holmes, a US-based psychophysiologist with more than 81,500 Instagram followers, shared about 15 years agoshe fell asleep at the wheel of her car, which her kids were also in, and careened off the road.
“I could not have been more stretched thin at that time,” she told the podcast.
The story sparked a memory for Robards, who told this masthead her “heart sank” when she received the call about her lawyer dad back in the 2000s.
“He can’t remember — he fell asleep, he rammed into the back of a truck, and then the next moment, he woke up, and he had a mask on his face, with all these injuries,” Robards said.
Her dad broke multiple bones in the NSW crash and was hospitalised.
She said the memory of her father’s experience served as a reminder of how important sleep was.
“I’m even getting teary now,” she said.
Robards, who shares two young daughters with husband Tim, said she prioritised sleep.
“We could be in the middle of (a) really thrilling movie, and I know that I need to be in bed,” she said.
“I normally go to bed at around 10.30pm and I basically turn off the TV, or my husband can keep watching it.
“I will not watch the end of the movie, because I know how important my sleep is.”
Sleep Health Foundation chief executive Moira Junge said with endless entertainment available at out fingertips it was easy to be roped in by streaming services.
She said people needed to be strict with themselves and increase their self-awareness.
“Recommended international guidelines are that most adults require seven to nine hours sleep per 24 hours,” Dr Junge said.
“(It) doesn’t mean they need to get it all in one go.”
Dr Junge said it could involve having six hours sleep at once and then a nap here and there.
Duration was just one measure to consider though, with factors like consistency and quality also important, Dr Junge said.
She said people who wanted to prioritise shut-eye should know how much sleep they needed and carve out enough time, taking into consideration time to unwind and drifting off.
People should figure out if they were morning people or night owls and adjust their routines accordingly, Dr Junge said.
“Don’t do the 5am yoga if it’s not really good for you,” she said.
She encouraged people to be mindful of their diet, caffeine and alcohol intake, and to look at their relationship with screen time.
“Don’t put up with poor sleep — there’s a lot of help out there,” she said.
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