LOS ANGELES-The 44-year-old American actress - who is also founded her healthy lifestyle website Goop - has admitted she not only eats well but she believes ‘’good, quality sleep’’ and getting ‘’ideally’’ 10 hours of rest every night is essential to leading a balanced life.

Speaking in her new book ‘Goop Clean Beauty’, which was released last month, the golden-haired beauty said: ‘’The lifestyle I lead is based not just on clean eating, but also on clean sleeping: at least seven or eight hours of good, quality sleep - and ideally even 10.’’

And the ‘Iron Man’ star has revealed forty winks play a ‘’powerful role’’ not only on people’s energy levels, but on someone’s appetite, which is why she believes a long slumber should be everyone’s ‘’first priority’’.

She explained: ‘’Sleep plays such a powerful role in determining your appetite and energy levels that I believe it should be your first priority - even before you think about your diet.

‘’That’s because the body repairs itself and detoxifies overnight, and it’s this process - happening efficiently - that allows you to look your best the next day.’’

However, Gwyneth - who has 12-year-old daughter Apple and 10-year-old son Moses with her former husband Chris Martin - has described menopause as ‘’the undulating hormonal cocktail of midlife’’, which can throw a spanner in the works and lead to ‘’troubled sleep’’.

She explained: ‘’But as menopause approaches, changes in hormones can lead to troubled sleep.’’

‘’It might be night sweats, or thoughts rushing through your mind, but the undulating hormonal cocktail of midlife commonly leaves women sleep-deprived and stumbling through the day like a zombie.’’