Are you doing everything possible to combat “Father Time?” I thought so. That’s when I realised what was going on. I was in my doctor’s office, waiting for the results of my oxidative stress test. I had a strong feeling they were bad. And I was correct. My antioxidant levels were significantly lower than they should have been, according to my doctor. That meant I was getting older faster than usual. And if I didn’t make some lifestyle changes, the effects of accelerated ageing would be visible on my skin and overall health. I was taken aback. How can I get older? I’m only in my 30s. I thought I was doing everything right: eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and not smoking or drinking.

So, what could be causing my body to age more quickly than it should? She then took out a 500-page book that she had studied for her medical exams. She suggested I read it in my leisure to understand the nuances of ageing and lifestyle. It turns out that we all have many subtle habits that cause us to age faster. These bad habits/daily practises deplete our bodies’ natural antioxidant enzymes, which fight free radicals and reduce inflammation. So, here are three subtle daily habits that accelerate ageing (according to scientific research).

1. You do this on a daily basis without realising the consequences. What is it that we all do when we are irritated or tired? We do it more than ten times per day. We keep rubbing our eyes! This seemingly innocuous habit can actually result in undesirable side effects such as dark circles and fine lines. According to Paul Frank, MD, in his book “The Pro-Aging Playbook,” rubbing your eyes once in a while isn’t a big deal and has no long-term consequences. However, rubbing constantly can. Doing it ten, twenty, or thirty times a day increases the inflammation of these muscles. Furthermore, as you get older, the muscles around your eyes weaken, resulting in the formation of under-eye bags. Tanya Nino, MD, a dermatologist, also warns: When you massage your eyes constantly, the creases/lines around your eyes become more prominent. Reason? The collagen and elastin fibres beneath the skin thin with age and do not recover quickly.
   But that’s not all. If you pull, tug, or rub the sensitive skin around your eyes, dark circles may form. So, the next time you want to rub your eyes, resist! To soothe them, apply a cool compress or eye cream.
2. Failure to protect your neck, face, and hands from UV damage I was always told as a child to apply sunscreen to my neck and hands. But, like most kids, I was more interested in playing outside in the sun than in listening to my mother’s advice. As a result, I got some bad sunburns on my neck and hands. My mother chastised me and told me that I would be sorry later in life. I thought she was being dramatic at the time. But now that I’m in my 30s, I realise she was correct. The skin on my neck has begun to exhibit signs of ageing far earlier than the skin on the rest of my body since it is much thinner and more sensitive. One of the primary causes of premature ageing of our skin is sun damage. According to scientific evidence, overexposure to UV radiation from the sun accelerates the ageing process by 80%, resulting in wrinkles, dryness, sagging, and patchy pigmentation. As a result, it is critical to start caring for it at a young age. If you’re still neglecting your neck and hands, it’s not too late to start taking better care of them. Apply sunscreen every day and wear protective clothing when spending extended periods of time in the sun. Limit your exposure to UV rays as much as possible. The Skin Cancer Foundation advises using SPF 30 or higher. Also, if you’re outdoors, they advise reapplying sunscreen every two hours.
3. How You Sleep, Not How Much, Is Important. When you go to sleep, do you always lie on your side? That’s an issue, then! The way your body is positioned when you sleep will be seen on your face the following day because it causes wrinkles, according to study in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal. According to Dr. Goesel Anson, a member of “The American Society For Aesthetic Plastic Surgery,” wrinkles appear when the face is pressed up against a sleeping surface. Our skin is thinner and less flexible as we age, which could make the condition worse. Sleep lines are a result of consistently sleeping on one side. They are transient wrinkles, but if addressed or if poor sleeping posture is not fixed, they could become permanent. So, how can you prevent this the best? Dermatologists advise sleeping on your back since it reduces the amount of skin-pillow contact and avoids the development of sleep wrinkles.

Final Reflections
So there you have it: 3 unnoticed daily behaviours that can damage your body’s built-in antioxidant enzymes and hasten the ageing process. Everyone is unique, of course, so some individuals might be able to get away with more harmful behaviours than others. Yet it’s always a good idea to be careful of the things you do every day that could negatively effect your health. Do you practise any additional behaviours that hasten ageing? Please share your thoughts in the section below. I’d love to hear from you.

Hi, I’m Garima and I write about life experiences. I have several books available on Amazon. Check them out today! Any purchases or KDP reads will be greatly appreciated. If you like my books, do leave a review. Here’s my author page on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0BQDZXYNV