Jennifer Lopez has opened up on how she suffered severe panic attacks from exhaustion, which left her body feeling “physically paralyzed.” The “Get Right” singer, who released her debut album, “On the 6,” back in 1999, spoke candidly about the ordeal in her latest On the Lo newsletter, explaining how she relied on just three to five hours of sleep a day when her career really began to take off.
The 52-year-old quickly became one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood, having proven herself not just to be a force to be reckoned with in the music industry but also on the big screen, after landing the lead role in movies such as “Selena” and “The Cell.” Needless to say, Jennifer soon realized that the stress of juggling her music and acting career was slowly but surely taking a toll on her health.
nothing just this pic of ben affleck, jennifer lopez and nicole kidman pic.twitter.com/m0pK3aNMFv
— 💋 m | jlo month (@milfmedias) July 11, 2022
“There was a time in my life where I used to sleep 3 to 5 hours a night. I’d be on set all day and in the studio all night and doing junkets and filming videos on the weekends,” she wrote. “I was in my late 20s and I thought I was invincible. Until one day, I was sitting in a trailer, and all the work and the stress it brought with it, coupled with not enough sleep to recuperate mentally, caught up with me.”
The “Into You” superstar remembered one particular day when she felt “totally normal” to suddenly thinking about all the things she had to complete to remain on track with her grueling schedule, which affected her body in such a way that she couldn’t move. “I was completely frozen,” she added.
Jennifer Lopez Details How Her Health Continued To Worsen
What’s more, Jennifer detailed how her vision was suddenly affected by her paralysis, but she knew that her body was simply overworked and exhausted. The physical symptoms that came with the scary health scare left her feeling anxious “and the fear compounded itself” to worsen the situation, to the point where she needed to find a balance between her work and self-care.
“Now I know it was a classic panic attack brought on by exhaustion, but I had never even heard the term at the time,” Jennifer continued. She was instructed by a health professional to evaluate her lifestyle, but at that point, J Lo was already aware that she was taking on too many responsibilities, subsequently prompting her to make some much-needed changes.
“My security guard on set came in and picked me up and drove me to the doctor. By the time I got there, I could at least speak again and I was so terrified I thought I was losing my mind,” she said. “I asked the doctor if I was going crazy. He said, ‘No, you’re not crazy. You need sleep … get 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, don’t drink caffeine, and make sure you get your workouts in if you’re going to do this much work.'”