'I've Struggled With Insomnia': Beyonce Opens Up on How Tours Have Taken a Toll on Her

Having ruled the music industry for over two decades and performing live in back-to-back world tours, the 39-year-old American pop star Beyoncé took a much-needed break amid the pandemic. She used this time to prioritise her health, building her honey and hemp farm, and working on new music.

American pop star Beyoncé has gotten candid about struggling with insomnia and experiencing several mental and physical health issues due to decades of touring on the road.

"I've personally struggled with insomnia from touring for more than half of my life. Years of wear and tear on my muscles from dancing in heels," Beyoncé said in an interview with Harper's Bazaar Magazine’s Icons issue.

"The stress on my hair and skin, from sprays and dyes to the heat of a curling iron and wearing heavy makeup while sweating on stage," she added.

The pop icon, who started her singing career at the age of seven, also shared how she experienced her first vocal injury from singing for too many hours when she was 13 years old.

"We had just gotten our first record deal, and I was afraid I had developed nodules and destroyed my voice and that my career could be over," she stated.

Being in the spotlight all the time, Beyoncé also struggled with image issues and fixated on perfecting her physique, often by dieting. "In the past, I spent too much time on diets, with the misconception that self-care meant exercising and being overly conscious of my body." 

"My health, the way I feel when I wake up in the morning, my peace of mind, the number of times I smile, what I'm feeding my mind and my body - those are the things that I've been focusing on," the 28-time Grammy award winner added. 

Beyoncé, the mother of nine-year-old daughter Blue Ivy and four-year-old twins Rumi and Sir with husband rapper Jay-Z, added that it wasn’t easy to strike a balance between her life, family, and singing career.

"I think like many women, I have felt the pressure of being the backbone of my family and my company and didn't realise how much that takes a toll on my mental and physical well-being. I have not always made myself a priority,” she said.

However, Beyoncé has now made a conscious decision to prioritise her mental and physical well-being as she is working towards breaking the cycle of poor health and neglect by focusing on her energy and taking note of the subtle body signs.

Netizens are lauding Beyoncé for sharing stories of how she suffered, experiencing insomnia and much more, throughout her journey.  

Beyonce spoke a lot about how relentless she was in pursuit of her dream and the cost she paid for it. She also speaks candidly about the impact on her physical health: insomnia, extreme dieting, tear on her muscles and skin. Its really good to hear her be open about it.

— Sa’kayduh (@luvthispayne) August 10, 2021

I always made jokes about Beyoncé being a vampire/night crawler for always posting at middle of the night only to find out she suffers from insomnia 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 pic.twitter.com/LHomDnQPye

— precious lord🐝 (@NotesCarter) August 10, 2021