May 26, 2025, 12:55 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
The desire for a good night’s sleep is something that unites many, including the famous and wealthy. Recently, former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama revealed how important healthy sleep is to her. She enjoys sleeping well and follows certain rules to achieve it—sometimes even to the chagrin of her husband, Barack Obama.
“I love bedtime, it’s the best,” Michelle Obama gushed a few weeks ago on the podcast “Good Hang with Amy Poehler.” The 61-year-old spoke with the actress and film producer about a range of everyday topics, including her sleep routine. It became clear that Michelle Obama holds her sleep in high regard. “I go to bed as early as I can,” she emphasized.
Michelle Obama Goes to Bed Early
“Barack and I usually have dinner around 6:30 p.m. And he’s a night owl. When we have guests, I can manage. But after we’ve talked and caught up, I start looking at my watch. Barack then looks at me and says, ‘Really? It’s 8 p.m.!’ But I’m just ready. It’s bedtime.”
The Right Temperature Matters
“I just love it. I wash my face and look forward to my cool sheets because the room has to be cold,” Obama enthused about her evening routine. When Amy Poehler asked how cold, she replied, “68 degrees Fahrenheit.” It’s no surprise that Michelle Obama also emphasized not wearing socks in bed.
This is partly because she is now in a phase of life where she often feels too hot. “Sometimes I freeze when I go to bed, then again I’m so hot I want to crawl out of my skin,” explained the 61-year-old, who is evidently experiencing menopause. “Sometimes I wake up at night and say to Barack, ‘Did you touch the thermostat? Don’t touch anything in this room after I’ve fallen asleep.'”
And something else has changed with age: “I’m a side sleeper, but now I often wake up because I can’t feel my arm anymore.”
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Only Sleep in Bed
Michelle Obama keeps her immediate surroundings rather minimalist. What’s on her bedside table? “A lamp, my phone charger, my reading glasses, and water,” said Michelle Obama. But there’s no book. Since she has to sit upright to read, she doesn’t read in bed. She also doesn’t need audiobooks. Because: “As soon as my head hits the pillow, I fall asleep. I don’t need any aids.”