Just because some people are rich and famous doesn’t mean that they are immune to everyday issues. As it seems, many famous people suffer from insomnia, from historical figures to some of the biggest celebrities today. 

This is a sleep-related disorder where the patient has problems falling asleep and oftentimes has to take medications. People like Shakespeare, W.C. Fields, and Madonna are all victims of this disorder. 

Some of them take medications, while others use other methods to fight it. The infographic below lists some of the biggest celebrities and the ways they used to deal with the issue.

Vincent Van Gogh

This world-renown painter was a known insomniac who treated this disorder in a way no one should. He was known to douse his pillow and mattress with camphor. 

It’s also believed that he did this so frequently that the camphor slowly poisoned him, and proved to be one of the factors that led to his untimely death. 

Charles Dickens

One of the most important figures in the English literature, Dickens also suffered from insomnia. Unlike Vincent, every time he had problems sleeping, instead of turning to medications, he would go out and walk along the streets of London. This would tire him up so that he could later go to sleep. 

Tallulah Bankhead

This American actress was also reported to be an insomniac. Her insomnia was so bad that she even hired people to hold her hand while in bed to help her fall asleep.

Madonna

The queen of pop is a long-term insomniac. Her insomnia is so severe that she has to turn to medications to fall asleep. It’s reported that when she falls asleep, she only manages to sleep four hours a night. 

It’s evident that insomnia has existed for as long as we know. However, how people chose to treat it differs individually. Some choose to take medications, while others take a completely different route and go out for walks or listen to specific types of sounds to sleep better. 

It just goes on to show that even celebrities aren’t exempt from certain issues and are more similar to us then we would have thought. Check out this fascinating infographic to learn more about famous people and their unusual sleep habits.