Effects of Stress May Cause Premature Aging

No matter your age or how many birthday candles were on your last birthday cake – researchers are now indicating that the effects of stress may actually determine how “old” you are in terms of longevity and overall health.  When it comes to disease, stress has a direct connection to whether or not you steer clear of it or succumb to its detrimental effects.

If you can learn to manage your stress and adopt a healthier lifestyle, you’ll age more gracefully than an individual who chooses to ignore their stress, frequently lets it boil over, and refuses to practice stress-relieving techniques.

Scientists began studying the effects of stress and how stress hormones affect the brain and body, and what they’ve discovered is that stress can be beneficial, as well as harmful. Acute stress, which is short-term, actually boosts your immune system and improves your memory.

It becomes harmful to your body and brain when it develops into chronic stress that is experienced day in and day out for a long period of time. Chronic stress is known to cause depression, and may also contribute to the development of diabetes as well as memory deficiencies, which mimics the symptoms and problems of someone much older than you may be.

As stress builds up in your body, it inhibits the cell growth in your body.  When cells stop dividing and growing in numbers, the existing cells simply age and die out, opening the way for age-related diseases to begin forming in your body.

As we age in biological years, our brain function may slowly deteriorate.  When we are continually stressed, this brain degeneration occurs more rapidly.  Additionally, increased cortisol levels from stress cause physical aging issues, not to mention adrenal fatigue.

It is also true that our lean muscle mass and bone density is reduced when cortisol levels are high, and fat deposits are altered to mimic that of an older individual, resulting in diseases.  To avoid these types stress related problems, you must take a proactive approach to manage and reduce your stress as much as possible.  This can be achieved through a healthy diet, prayer or meditation and regular exercise.

Researchers looked to those who have made it to the age of 100 to see how they dealt with with stress in their lives.  What they found is that they managed their stress actively by using coping techniques to help reduce worry, let go of anger, and focus on the positive in their lives.  Forgiveness and letting go of anger plays a major role in reducing the effects of stress in our lives.

Symptoms of stress overload in your life, may manifest as fatigue, lethargy, depression, and feeling older than you really are.  These symptoms can and will take a toll on your mental and physical well-being if you don’t make an effort to manage your stress.