Ditch the Bad Habits to Slow the Aging Process

As we age, the once gorgeous youthful look on our faces starts to ebb away. But what can you do to prevent aging faster? Here are some of the bad habits you can ditch to slow the aging process.

Not Removing Makeup Before Going to Bed

You could be making your skin worse by going to bed with your makeup on. No matter how exhausted you feel or how late you are to go to bed, don’t fall into this temptation. Failing to remove your makeup may lead to lifeless skin, premature wrinkles and acne breakouts. Why allow makeup to get trapped in your skin when you can spare a few minutes to remove it and save your skin?

Consuming a Lot of Sugar

Consuming a lot of sugar will damage your skin, so it is advisable to cut your sugar intake. Sugar and proteins react to form advanced glycation end products, which destroy the collagen and elastin of your skin. This may lead to developing wrinkles and sagging skin. While giving up sugar is no easy feat, you can choose to take it in moderation to slow the aging process.

Eating a Lot of Processed Food

Eating a lot of junk and processed food can be detrimental to your health. Researchers have established that eating a lot of highly processed food can lead to shorter telomeres, shortening your biological age. Cutting down on junk foods will go a long way in slowing your aging process. In contrast, consumption of fruits and vegetables can lengthen telomeres, thus slowing aging signs

Not Taking Care of Your Oral Health

Your teeth are among the first things people notice. The state of your teeth can be a sign of your aging, especially if they are not in good condition. Neglecting your oral health may lead to dental cavities and gum disease. To look young, you need to have white teeth, which will make you have a happy smile. Make it a habit to regularly brush your teeth and get regular dental checkups.

Neglecting Your Mental Health

Mental health issues like depression, stress and high anxiety can accelerate your aging. While getting stressed and having a little bit of anxiety is natural, don’t let the feelings get the better of you as you could slide into depression. Prolonged stress and depression can make your cells age prematurely, causing wrinkles and skin irritations. You can take a deep breath or engage in activities that will distract your thoughts to manage your condition and slow the aging process.

Spending a Lot of Time in the Sun

Although the sun is good for our skin, too much sun exposure can be harmful. Excessive ultraviolet radiation from the sun can damage your skin leading to premature aging. The sun can make your skin produce excessive melanin, which can make your skin darker or sun-tanned. You can protect yourself from UV light by applying sunscreen, wearing sunglasses, seeking shade or covering yourself with sun-protective clothing.

Experiencing Perfectionist Syndrome

Social media is awash with people flaunting their successes and making other people believe that they lead perfect lives. You start envying such a lifestyle, and if what we perceive is out of our reach, we start stressing ourselves about it. Social media puts pressure on you to be a perfect husband, mom or employee. This can lead to psychological distress and increase your stress hormones.

The elevated levels of stress hormones can potentially make you age faster. As much as it is good to work hard and try to be successful in life, it does not help to beat yourself up because you see people on social media depicting a perfect life.

Having Too Much on Your Plate

Overworking yourself will potentially make you overstressed and make you burn out. This can take a toll on your physical wellbeing, potentially accelerating your aging in the long run. High-stress levels can also lead to high blood pressure, heart diseases and stroke. It is never that serious, so create time to rest for the sake of your health. This will slow the aging process and also make you happier.