Jennifer Lopez has spoken openly about the importance of sleep after suffering an exhaustion-induced panic attack earlier in her career, and said that a good night’s sleep even makes her look a decade younger.
The 52-year-old, who spends seven to nine hours in bed each night, opened up about her sleep habits in her recent newsletter, On The JLo. She admitted that she only started prioritizing sleep in the late 1990s after suffering a health crisis.
“There was a time in my life when I slept three to five hours a night. I was on set all day and in the studio all night doing junkets and shooting videos on the weekends,” she wrote. “I was in my late 20s and thought I was invincible.”
Jennifer Lopez, 52, opened up about her snooze habits in her recent newsletter On The JLo, saying she sleeps seven to nine hours a night
Lopez (pictured in 1995) wrote that she was in her late 20s when she suffered a panic attack and was “terrified” of losing her mind. She later learned that it was caused by exhaustion
However, JLo had a different attitude after the burning of the candle at both ends caused her to suffer a debilitating panic attack.
“I was in a trailer and all the work and stress, coupled with not enough sleep to mentally recover, got to me,” she recalls. “I didn’t feel quite normal anymore, but I was thinking about what I had to do that day and suddenly I felt like I couldn’t move.”
Lopez said she was “completely frozen” and didn’t know what was going on.
“I couldn’t see clearly, and then the physical symptoms I was having scared me and the anxiety intensified,” she said. “Now I know it was a classic panic attack triggered by exhaustion, but I had never heard the term at the time.”
Lopez explained she was “terrified” as her security guard drove her to the doctor.
The singer (pictured in 1997) said that early in her career she slept only three to five hours a night. Her doctor told her she needs seven to nine hours for optimal health
The ‘Marry Me’ star also credits her age-defying looks with a great deal of rest, saying that ‘sleep to me is the most underrated beauty secret there is
“I thought I was going insane. I asked the doctor if I was going crazy,” she said.
The singer’s doctor gave her some life-changing advice, telling her to get seven to nine hours of sleep a night, avoid caffeine, and balance exercise with work.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine states that adults need at least seven hours a night for optimal health. Anything below the recommended amount can lead to adverse health effects, including increased anxiety.
“I realized how serious the consequences can be when I neglect what my body and mind need to stay healthy — and that’s where my journey to wellness began,” Lopez wrote.
The ‘Marry Me’ star also credits her age-defying looks with a great deal of rest, saying that ‘sleep is my most underrated beauty secret’.
JLo said that sometimes she wakes up and goes, “Wow! I just lost 10 years on my face!’
Lopez (pictured with fiancé Ben Affleck in February) said sleep is one of her “5 S’s” for good health, along with sunscreen, serums, supplements and (vivir) sano – Spanish for healthy living
“I think of sleep as a little time machine,” she explained. “You lie down and go into a space where you preserve yourself, and then you come out a new, younger person than you were before.
“Sometimes I wake up and I’m like, ‘Wow! I just lost 10 years!” That’s what a good night’s sleep can do for you, and it accumulates over time.”
Sleep is one of the founder of JLo Beauty’s “5 S’s” for optimal health, along with sunscreen, serums, nutritional supplements and (vivir) sano – healthy living in Spanish.
And while ten years may seem a stretch for most people, there is a connection between sleep and looking younger.
Michael J. Breus, a clinical psychologist and diplomat with the American Board of Sleep Medicine, explained in an article for Psychology Today that “sleeping well is like working to the max at the spa.”
“Sleep is the prime time for the body to recover and repair itself at the cellular level,” he wrote. “During sleep, numerous hormones are at work to support cellular health AND a youthful appearance.”