While it may be common knowledge that factors such as excess sun exposure and a poor diet can hugely accelerate the aging process, there are plenty of other everyday aging triggers that you are likely not aware of. From the temperature of your home to your stress levels, it is important to understand the many aging triggers out there, so that you can take the steps necessary to prevent them from having too much of an impact on your body.
Temperature of Your Home
Whether you use radiators in the winter or air conditioning in the summer, both of these can have the effect of drastically drying out the skin. As this continues, your skin will soon become dehydrated, which damages the skin’s protective barrier, thereby speeding up the aging process. For those that already suffer from a damaged skin barrier, whether due to eczema, rosacea or psoriasis, artificial heat will exacerbate your symptoms even further. Since, in many cases, it is simply not possible to just go without central heating or air conditioning, your best bet in protecting your skin would be to invest in a few hydrating skin care products that are also able to repair and boost your skin’s natural protective barrier.
Stress Levels and Late Nights
If you find yourself often staying late at work to catch up on your ever-increasing workload, this combination of late nights along with high stress levels is going to soon become extremely detrimental to your skin. In addition to causing everything from dry skin to under-eye circles to acne to fine lines and wrinkles, stress also increases blood pressure and disrupts sleep, all of which will contribute to the aging process. Reducing stress levels is often much easier said than done, and since you are unlikely to be able to cut back on your workload, you need to find a way to release your stress each day.
Lack of Exercise
Exercise has the ability to improve cardiovascular health, and reduce the risk of many other health issues, from diabetes to strokes, as well as boost the overall health of just about every organ in the body, including the skin. When it comes to visible aging, exercise increases the amount of oxygen that the blood can carry, and with this extra oxygen being delivered to the skin, the skin cell repair processes become much more efficient. Exercise is also known for reducing stress levels, which, as mentioned above, can go a long way in cutting back on the rate at which your body ages. If you find yourself skipping out on your gym sessions one too many times, then this is a sign that you need to start making a few changes, ensuring that regular exercise becomes a priority in your life.
While you may already take the best possible care of your skin, these unexpected aging triggers can often undo all of the hard work that you have put in. In order to ensure that your skin remains fresh and youthful for as long as possible, make sure that you are able to manage and balance all aspects of your life, from your diet to your stress levels to the amount of physical activity that you engage in, as this will not only boost the state of your skin, but also your overall health.