11/14/2025
My Heart Starts to Race at Night - Gwyneth Paltrow Admits She’s Struggling With Anxiety and Hormonal Changes
Gwyneth Paltrow is opening up about her struggles with anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and what she believes might be undiagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
The Oscar-winning actress, 53, revealed on her latest Goop podcast episode that despite decades of intense wellness practices, she now finds herself trying to relearn how to regulate both her mind and body.
“I would like to be more intentional about how I spend my time,” she shared candidly. “I think I have a bit of ADD and I can really get pulled in lots of directions. I would love to try to not do that so much and feel more grounded throughout the day.”
Paltrow admitted that her nervous system has been “messed up” by years of stress, hormonal changes, and life in the spotlight. For the first time, she says, anxiety has become a real part of her daily life.
“I've lived a very intense life in the public eye for a really, really long time,” she reflected.
“Whenever we're at the mercy of people's opinions and all the energy behind the opinions, it kind of frays my nervous system.”
The Iron Man star went on to say that her new anxiety may be linked to hormonal shifts.
“I have a lot of anxiety for the first time in my life, which is a symptom of hormonal changes. I think it's an estrogen dominance thing,” she said.
“It makes you really anxious. So part of it is physiological, part psychological, part emotional, and part public life.”
She described nights where she feels completely exhausted but still can’t relax. “I’ll get in bed exhausted and my heart will start to race,” she said.
“Then I’ll have intrusive thoughts, which I’ve never had in my life ever. Sometimes I wake up first thing in the morning filled with dread.”
Paltrow revealed that she’s currently working with professionals to manage her symptoms. “I have two therapists. One is a nervous system specialist,” she shared.
“I have amazing friends, amazing women in my life, whom I can call if I need help. And I get a lot of healing from my family, my kids and my husband. If we’re all under one roof, my nervous system calms down.”
The Goop founder admitted that even small work-related issues can feel overwhelming.
“Sometimes I’ll get an email or some work thing or there’s a problem, and I really take it like it’s a slap in the face,” she confessed. “I’d really like to rewire myself so that medium or bad news doesn’t feel so terrible.”
While she has never publicly said she personally struggles with ADD before, Paltrow previously discussed how ADHD in women is often misdiagnosed or dismissed as stress or hormonal imbalance.
The mother of two, who shares daughter Apple, 21, and son Moses, 19, with her ex-husband Chris Martin, is also stepmother to her husband Brad Falchuk’s two children.
And though she built her brand around strict wellness practices, she admitted she’s learning to loosen her rules.
“I recently have actually started being less strict with my anti-inflammatory diet, which I had to be for a few years,” she said.
“But it feels really good to relax a little, to have a drink once in a while, to enjoy a hot fudge sundae once in a while. That’s been kind of great.”
Through all the changes, Gwyneth seems to be embracing a new chapter, one that prioritizes balance over perfection, and self-compassion over control.
