Luckily for us the speed of ageing is largely influenced by how we live our lives, it is well within our control to either accelerate to decelerate the process. With a little diligence we can slow down the process and age as gracefully as possible, so first things first, eradicate these habits which may be the cause of those early wrinkles.
Smoking
The persistent pursing of lips when taking a puff will cause smokers lines. The smoke discoloured teeth, carbon monoxide reduces blood flow and dries out the skin and nicotine narrows blood vessels, impairing blood flow leading to wrinkles and cell damage.
Skipping Sleep
Beauty sleep is real. Your body boosts blood flow while you sleep, meaning a better complexion after a good night’s sleep. Sleep deprivation increases the appearance of wrinkles, dark circles and skin discolouration.
Top Tip: Stop that late night scrolling! Phone use before bed impacts your melatonin levels, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep cycles. Your eyes will read the screen light as a form of daylight, leading you to become more energised. Stop this to ensure a great night’s sleep.
Slouching
Sit up straight! Studies show that not only people with better posture are healthier and live longer, but has a dramatic affect on your balance. When you slouch your chest muscles tighten, causing upper back muscles to loosen and weaken, arching the spine and rolling the shoulders in. This can lead to a hunch, chronic back pain and be fatal for your balance in later life.
Sleeping Into Your Pillow
Over time the persistent friction between your face and pillow will break down collagen and form wrinkles. The position may be comfy, but compromises cell regeneration as blood flow is restricted. Save your skin and sleep on your back, if you can’t avoid it, a satin pillow will help minimise the friction.
Causing Unnecessary Stress
Leaving things until the last minute? Taking too much on? Can’t let things go? Stop! Avoid as much stress as possible, especially if it’s unnecessary. Chronic stress is a cell killer, shortening the telomeres, leading to cell damage and degradation. Routine exposure to the stress hormone cortisol results in the weakening of collagen, the main structural component of skin. What does this mean? Loss of skin elasticity, proneness for wrinkles, drier skin and a sallow complexion.
Gorging On Junk food
You know it’s unhealthy but it’s a one-off right? You’re poisoning your body with high levels of sodium, fat, cholesterol and sugar. Processed food has no nutrient value you’re wasting precious calories on nutritionally lacking food and missing out on the benefits of whole foods. The chemicals in junk food cause free radical damage, which accelerates skin ageing, so don’t give in to temptation.
You Don’t Wash Your Face At Night
Unclog those pores after a long day of accumulating dirt and oil on your skin. You’ll be less susceptible to breakouts, and provide the perfect environment for skin regeneration, a process the body undergoes during sleep.
Drinking Too Much Alcohol
The two issues with this are dehydration and inflammation. Alcohol depletes your skin of fluid and continual dehydration damage leads to more wrinkles. Chronic drinking will transform your complexion into an unhealthy redness you won’t be able to escape.
There you have it, a few lifestyle changes will have noticeable effects! You’ll be looking and feeling younger in no time once you cut out these habits.
