Aging is a natural phenomenon that interests each of us because no one can escape it. In order to delay the effects of this phenomenon as much as possible, health experts recommend several measures including sports, balanced nutrition, body care, smoking cessation and other addictions. But did you know that instead of delaying your aging, you can also speed it up? This article helps you discover some innocuous habits that have the potential to accelerate your aging more than you think.
Bad habits to avoid
1. The absence of sleep
Not getting enough rest can be the cause of bad mood, physical weakness and certain diseases such as cardiovascular disease, asthma or allergies. Lack of sleep can also slow down your metabolism and weaken your immune system. The solution is not to sleep to excess, because too much sleep can also be a source of dysfunction and increase the risk of mortality by 23 to 30% depending on the studies. In order to maintain the balance of your health, health experts recommend sleeping 7 to 8 hours a day.
2. Repeated allergies
An allergy is a failure of the immune system that, instead of defending itself against a real aggression, starts to react against normally harmless foreign substances (allergens) such as pollen, dust, some food or even perfume. If you have a runny or constantly stuffy nose, itchy red patches, irritated eyes, or recurring digestive upset, you probably have an allergy and you need to get rid of it all at once to preserve at best your health. Otherwise, you are not immune to repeated fatigue, aging skin and the appearance of wrinkles.
3. Late retirements
In order to stay physically active, most people prefer to delay their retirement. Many public servants retire at age 70 instead of age 60 in the past. By delaying your retirement you push your body to excess which can accelerate its aging. Instead of remaining attached to your job, you can always keep yourself physically and mentally active by traveling, learning new languages or adopting new hobbies.
4. Overweight or underweight
According to WHO recommendations, the Body Mass Index (BMI) should be between 18.5 and 25. If you are below, you are probably undernourished and if you are above, it may be that you are overweight. In both cases, you prevent your body from working well and push it to aging. You can calculate your BMI simply by dividing your weight by your height squared (Weight / Height²). If the result is outside the normal range, do not hesitate to consult your doctor or a dietician for a report. This will prevent you from diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, or kidney disease.
5. Excessive use of headphones and speakers
When you're at a concert or listening to music at home, avoid being too close to the speakers and keep a volume below 150 decibels. If not, you may be confronted with a sound trauma that will deform the basilar membrane located in the inner part of the cochlea. Noise is in fact a significant stressor that can lead to fatigue, disruption of concentration and alertness, mood and sleep disorders. Dysfunction in your hearing can lead to real psychological distress, depression and isolation which can also accelerate the aging of the body.
6. Live in loneliness
The fact of wanting to live isolated can not in any case be beneficial for your health. Loneliness most often produces depression and amplifies stress, affecting your health. According to the study by psychologist John Cacioppo of the University of Chicago, the life expectancy of socially isolated people is shorter than average. Several experts have also shown that isolation increases the risk of death almost as much as tobacco or obesity. If you want to have a longer life, we advise you to surround yourself with people you like.
7. Excessive consumption of processed carbohydrates and sugar
You must preserve your health by avoiding junk food, processed foods such as over-sweetened foods, fastfoods and foods rich in artificial ingredients (preservatives, dyes, emulsifiers). The added sugar in products, such as sweets and soft drinks is absorbed directly by the body and is quickly converted into fat. The accumulation of these non-nutritious calories will contribute to weight gain.
We are all exposed in one way or another to the reality of aging, but, the risks of early aging can be reduced if you follow the recommendations above and if you are trying to improve your lifestyle. in a general way.