Jennifer Lopez Revealed She Once Had an Exhaustion-Induced Panic Attack

Jennifer Lopez is getting real about mental health and showing her fans that she's human just like the rest of us. In the most recent iteration of her "On the JLo" email newsletter, the multi-hyphenate recounted a time when she discovered she wasn't as "invincible" as she had thought.

"There was a time in my life where I used to sleep 3 to 5 hours a night," she detailed. "I'd be on set all day and in the studio all night and doing junkets and filming videos on the weekends. 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," she said before recalling a scary moment when she felt "paralyzed." "I couldn't see clearly and then the physical symptoms I was having started to scare me and the fear compounded itself. Now I know it was a classic panic attack brought on by exhaustion, but I had never even heard the term at the time."

She went on to say she saw a doctor who told her to slow down and get more sleep. "[The doctor] 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.' I realized how serious the consequences could be of ignoring what my body and mind needed to be healthy."

J.Lo had another majorly relatable moment in 2020 when she talked about combatting depression caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine. "It's more important on the days that you feel bad that you get up and do something," she told Spanish radio station, El Zol 107.9 at the time. "Do a little workout at home, do something that's going to make you feel good, cook something you like. Lift yourself up—keep going."