Is Stress Making You Feel Older?

Do you feel as if you’ve aged in the last year-and-a-half? Gotten older? How many times in the past year have you felt an ache in your back or knees? Notice dark rings under your eyes that weren’t there before, or notice your hair falling out?

Whether you’ve had the coronavirus or not, the pandemic could still be taking a toll on your emotional and physical wellbeing. Whether it’s grief, fear of getting sick, social isolation, childcare, joblessness. It may just be lockdown fatigue, our mental wellbeing has been severely affected, and our bodies have borne the brunt of it. 

It Starts With Stress

The body can manage stress for short periods, but a prolonged period can accelerate the aging process as it starts to impact our sleep cycle, diet, and immunity. 

Stress causes the hormone cortisol to rise, which triggers inflammation and a negative chain of events that alter our skin, hair, and even weight. Cortisol causes a breakdown of collagen, the proteins in the skin that give it firmness and softness. It can bring about more fine lines and wrinkles, puffy eyes, dryness, pigmentation, dull skin, and flare-ups of rosacea and eczema. It can also lead to hair loss and thinning. 

Stress can also affect our sleep, and when we sleep less, less melatonin is produced. Melatonin is an antioxidant that can help to prevent sun damage and the effects of pollution on the skin, plus it protects collagen, which keeps skin smooth and firm. Without sufficient sleep, we don’t get enough skin restoration and protection there’s a reason why it’s called beauty sleep, after all!

Stress Affects Your Body and makes you feel older

If your levels of cortisol are constantly high, your body could also hold onto weight as a means of “survival”, thinking it’s under attack. Your body also releases more insulin. Which might make you hungrier, and have you reaching for sweets and high-fat foods. 

Aside from extra weight, your body may also be feeling “older”. During high stress, muscles can become restricted, and we tend to round our shoulders or hunch forward. Aside from the stress of the pandemic, being at various levels of lockdown may have made us less active and older. Since we’re more often at home, resulting in weakened muscles. “Dead butt syndrome”, a weakening of the muscles from sitting all day, has also become common. 

Here’s What You Can Do To Grab Back Some Years

Manage Your Stress

Whether it’s speaking to a therapist, or trying yoga, deep breathing, or meditation. It’s important to lower your stress levels to decrease the production of cortisol. 

Get Sufficient Sleep

Aside from managing your stress to improve the quality of your sleep, also try to avoid screen time before bed.

Opt instead for relaxing or sleep-inducing activities such as taking a bath, drinking warm milk, or listening to a meditation app like Headspace.

Use Anti-Aging Products

Choose skincare products with antioxidants such as vitamins C, A, and E that protect your skin against free radicals, which are caused by chemicals, pollutants, sun, and cigarette smoke. 

Eat Foods Rich In Antioxidants

Foods full of antioxidants can help to boost your skin’s repair process. These include blueberries, broccoli, walnuts, spinach, potatoes, green tea, strawberries, beans, oats, dark chocolate, kale, cabbage, and sweet potato.

Hydrate

This is the simplest and most affordable way to get better-looking skin,  plus overall health benefits.

Use Sunscreen With An SPF30+

Keep your skin-protected slather on a broad-spectrum sunscreen that has nothing less than an SPF30. 

Get Moving

Not only will exercise help to lower your stress levels, but it can also help with weight management, and strengthen your muscles. You will feel younger, not older.

Take A Collagen Supplement

Many women say they’ve seen improved skin elasticity and texture, and longer and more luscious locks when taking collagen. 

Try an In-Salon Treatment

Treatments by an aesthetic doctor can help to minimize the effects of anti-aging, and dramatically improve your appearance.

Well-loved treatments include dermal fillers (for smoother, younger-looking skin), Botulinum toxin (to erase fine lines and wrinkles), micro-needling (to trigger the production of collagen), IV treatments (for overall health and immunity), thread lift (for rejuvenated and smoother skin), mesotherapy (to treat cellulite and loose skin) and lipolysis injections (to dissolve fat).

Endnote

You don’t have to let stress make you feel older and rob years from your body and face. Start today by taking proactive steps to help you feel and look younger again.