You’re not staying up till 3 a.m., and you usually wear sunscreen, yet your face sometimes feels like it’s aged five years overnight. What’s going on? Well, it’s because some of the things that age you the fastest don’t look like a “bad habit” at all and may, in fact, seem like responsible things to do. That is, until you see what they’re really doing behind the scenes. Here are nine lifestyle habits that quietly age you faster, as per James Fields – a longevity expert from Ohio who responded to our survey questions. Which one of these are you guilty of?
Featured Image Credit: AVOCADO_FAM /Depositphotos.com.
Falling Asleep With the TV On
Yeah, it feels nice drifting off to some cooking show rerun, but your brain never really gets to clock out, as even when your eyes are shut, all that light affects your sleep hormones. Less deep sleep means less skin repair & more puffiness, along with that weird tired-but-wired feeling you just can’t shake off in the morning. Your body gets confused about when it’s supposed to rest and when it’s supposed to be alert, and some studies have even linked long-term light exposure during sleep to higher cortisol levels. This is connected to faster aging.
Not Chewing
While drinking your lunch every day in the form of smoothies may be convenient, it’s also quite risky because chewing keeps your jawline strong and signals your body to start digesting. Without it, your face muscles slacken, and your mouth doesn’t make enough saliva, which helps fight off age related teeth & gum problems. Avoiding the chewing process could even dull your hunger cues and cause issues for your metabolism.
Wearing Earbuds or Headphones All Day
If your earbuds are in more than they’re out, then that’s a problem because your ears need breaks. All that constant pressure and trapped heat may affect your hearing over time, and once your hearing declines, your brain ages faster. Wearing earbuds nonstop also affects airflow in the ear canal, which could lead to moisture buildup and irritation. Over time, some people develop an earwax buildup that affects their hearing and makes everything feel off.
Breathing Through Your Mouth
Nobody looks cool breathing through their mouth, but beyond that awkward face, it also stops your nose from doing a lot of important things, like warming & filtering air. Less oxygen gets where it needs to go, and that’s not great for your skin or your brain. But it gets worse. Mouth breathing has also been linked to gum disease and even changes in the shape of your face over time. It could give you a recessed chin and a longer-looking face.
Not Going to the Bathroom When You Need to
You’re in the middle of a task or stuck in traffic, so you tell yourself, “I’ll just wait.” But doing that too often turns into a habit, and it stretches your bladder in ways that really aren’t good, as it could make infections more likely. Some urologists warn that it can also weaken the muscles that help you “hold it,” which becomes more of a problem as you age, and it’s not something anyone wants to deal with earlier than necessary.
Not Blinking Enough When Using Screens
When you don’t blink enough, your eyes dry out & the little muscles around them tighten up, which leads to your eyes looking more tired and yes, early wrinkles. On top of that, dry eyes tend to water more later, so you’ll rub them more and create more stress for the skin around them. If you wear contacts, the dryness can feel even worse and could cause tiny scratches over time, meaning that months of screen-staring definitely take their toll.
Using Your Phone in Bed
That nighttime scroll is worse than you think because holding your phone while lying half-upright is a workout for your neck, except not the good kind. It creates constant pressure right where your spine is most delicate, so over time, you’ll suffer from neck pain and tight shoulders. You’ll also get those deep lines that no cream is fixing. Long-term damage could also cause numbness or tingling, neither of which helps you look or feel any younger.
Eating While Distracted
Multitasking while eating is rather common, but it’s not great for you because your brain doesn’t fully register the meal, so you end up chewing less and digesting more slowly. You might even be overeating without realizing it, and doing it enough could make you feel more bloated. It also creates more sugar spikes & crashes throughout the day, which affects how full you feel and makes portion control harder.
Keeping Your Thermostat Too Warm
Even though being cold doesn’t feel great, your body actually likes a little cool down now & then, as staying warm 24/7 shuts down brown fat activity. This is important for burning calories and reducing inflammation, while constant warmth could push your body toward premature aging. Mild cold exposure may help improve your insulin sensitivity and improve metabolism without any extra exercise.
Which one of these are you guilty of? Tell us in the comments.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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