5 Everyday Habits That Accelerate Aging.

Aging is the most feared transition that we must all confront at some time in our life. That is why, to seem younger, people resort to costly skincare and cosmetic products. The average American woman, for example, spends around $313 per month on looks alone, while males spend about $244 over the same period.

What affects your body and health more than what you spend on beauty products are your daily routines. Here are some harmful everyday behaviors that cause you to age quicker than you should.

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1. You Sleep While Lying on Your Side.

Most individuals fall asleep without paying any consideration to how they are positioned. It is such a habit that many people don't think about how it impacts their health.

Sleeping postures have one of the most powerful effects on your body, especially when done regularly.

According to one study, when people sleep on their sides, the compression on the face produces facial distortion, which leads to the formation of sleep wrinkles over time.

Another study found that different sleeping postures generated distinct facial lines, which are a primary source of wrinkles on the face.

If you've observed that after sleeping in a sideways posture, you wake up with creases, lines, and wrinkles on your face, this is most certainly one of the primary causes of aging on your face. When you sleep on your side, your face is squashed into the pillow, producing wrinkles. Sleeping on your back is a better method to sleep, get a good night's rest, and wake up feeling young.

2. You Don't Use Sunscreen Regularly.

Overexposure to UV radiation of the sun accelerates aging by up to 80%, causing your face to display severe indications of age such as wrinkles, dryness, sagging, and patchy pigmentation. The Cleveland Clinic discovered that sun exposure damages skin cells, making the skin seem older, wrinkled, and dry.

Sunscreen not only protects your skin from UV damage, but it also slows the aging process.

Consider this: over 900 people were polled by researchers over four years. The study found that those who use a broad-spectrum sunscreen (one that filters both UVA and UVB rays) every day have 24 percent less skin aging than those who use sunscreen very occasionally.

As a result, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends using sunscreen daily since it prevents around 20% of solar rays from damaging the skin.

3. You're Eating Way Too Much Sugar

You may not realize it, but sugar can cause you to age quicker. As a result, it is best to consume it in moderation for optimal health.

In 2013, a team of researchers examined 602 photos of people with varying blood sugar levels and attempted to predict their ages. They discovered that those with greater sugar levels consistently seemed older.

Of course, you can't totally avoid sugar. However, if you don't regulate it, more sugar in your body causes very specific ageing effects, such as wrinkles and drooping skin, over time.

This happens as a result of a process known as "glycation."

Sugar is transformed into dangerous free radicals during this process, which damages skin cells and accelerates the aging process.

According to the British Journal of Dermatology, this impact becomes more evident in women beyond the age of 35.

Photo by JD Mason on Unsplash

4. You Deprive Yourself of Enough Rest.

Sleep is critical for both the mind and the body. Several studies stress the importance of sleep in maintaining our bodies' strength.

However, most people do not get enough sleep. 35% of American adults say they don't get enough sleep. In other words, they get fewer than 7 hours of sleep every night.

Nonetheless, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. Failure to meet this threshold can hasten to age.

A single night of inadequate sleep can cause cells in the body to age significantly faster in older individuals, according to a study from the University of California.

However, the quality of sleep is equally as important as the quantity when it comes to maintaining a healthy body. Because even a lack of adequate sleep has an effect on ageing.

Poor sleep quality was found to promote skin aging in one research commissioned by Estée Lauder.

Dr. Daniel Yarosh, Senior Vice President, Basic Science Research, R&D at The Estée Lauder Companies, commented on the outcome:

5. You're Exposed to Too Many Electronic Devices

In this day and age, the majority of our work is done online or on mobile devices. For example, 60% of individuals spend more than six hours each day staring at a digital gadget. This makes it extremely tough to avoid all of the blue light in your surroundings. However, studies suggest that blue light can cause changes in skin cells, such as cell shrinkage and death.

This is why doctors caution against prolonged exposure to high-energy visual (HEV) light generated by phones, tablets, or computer screens since it damages the skin and eventually leads to premature aging.

According to studies, blue light generated by our electronic devices penetrates deeper into the layers of our skin than UV rays from the sun. A single 60-minute exposure is enough to cause skin issues.

Dermatologists estimate that spending four eight-hour workdays in front of a computer exposes you to the same amount of energy as spending 20 minutes in the noon sun.

When repeated over time, this exposure to electronic gadgets, along with everyday sun exposure, can wreak havoc on the body, hastening to age.

Last Thoughts

Aging is an unavoidable natural process that affects everyone, but you may assist to postpone it by adopting the following changes to your daily routine:

• Finding a comfortable sleeping posture, ideally on your back
• Using sunscreen on a regular basis
• Giving up sugar in exchange for more nutritious meals
• Getting enough and good quality sleep.
• Limiting your exposure to technological gadgets.