STRESS...Aging's secret worst enemy
Most people are aware that stress is detrimental to their health. However, reducing your stress levels is not simple. It can be a daily struggle and requires effort. Another statistic to consider if you need more encouragement to combat your increasing stress levels: stress over time also ages your skin.
Even if you're using many fantastic skin care products to fight the apparent signs of aging, your high cortisol levels may undo all your hard work.
A Review of Cortisol, the Stress Hormone
If your body senses danger, it will automatically go into fight-or-flight mode. Your body abruptly releases a surge of stress hormones into your bloodstream, including cortisol and adrenaline, resulting from this stress response.
These hormones bring you the closest to being superhuman at that time. Your focus, reaction time, and strength all increase at once. Since the beginning of time, humans have displayed this stress response, which was ideal for escaping tigers and woolly mammoths.
Thankfully, the necessity for these survival hormones in humans has decreased.
Sadly, psychological stress can cause these hormones to be released AS IF a pathogen is attacking you.
These hormones are also continuously produced in your system if you consistently experience high stress.
How Stress Affects Skin Aging
Several variables can negatively impact your appearance when you're under stress. Here are a few ways stress might cause your skin to deteriorate.
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It might result in premature wrinkles.
You frequently scowl and furrow your brow when feeling uncomfortable and agitated. When you frown often, wrinkles could appear earlier than they usually might.
These wrinkles are created over time by repeatedly frowning while the suppleness of aging skin decreases.
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It might make the state of your skin worse.
Long-term chronic and short-term acute stress cause your body to produce excessive amounts of cortisol. Cortisol can also seriously interfere with other hormones and bodily functions.
Cortisol, for instance, might cause a reaction that increases excessive oil production and decreases skin barrier integrity. Breakouts or deteriorating skin issues may result from this.
Have you ever found that your skin problems or breakouts worsen under stress? Here's why.
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It might hinder cell renewal.
The rate at which your skin replaces its cells may be decreased due to stress levels and increased cortisol levels. New skin can appear because of this cell turnover. Numerous anti-aging skin care products focus on this renewal process to help reveal younger-looking skin for a more even complexion.
Additionally, this skin cell turnover promotes wound healing. Therefore, if you break out, those imperfections may also take much longer to heal.
You can also experience dry, flaky skin if this renewal process slows down, which can make fine lines and wrinkles appear worse.
Deep cellular level premature aging may result from it.
According to research, telomere length is inversely correlated with stress levels. Telomeres, which act as caps on the ends of your chromosomes, are tiny bits of DNA that can be used to determine your age. It's how experts can determine how old a cell is.
But here's the thing: shorter telomeres have been associated with a shorter lifespan and a slower rate of wound healing. In fact, researchers found that women under a lot of stress had telomere lengths identical to those of women who were ten years older in one study!
How to Reduce Stress and Improve Your Skin
What should you do now that you know that stress increases cortisol and that high cortisol levels might cause your skin to age?
It can be complicated to deal with stress. And we have no control over when a problematic situation might occur. But finding techniques to fight back is necessary for the health of your skin (and your entire body).
Here are six tested methods to start permanently reducing that mental stress:
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Exercise Regularly
Exercise has repeatedly demonstrated a remarkable capacity to reduce stress, improve mood, and improve health. It's also been shown to give you skin that glows.
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Accept What You Can't Change
If you can't change whatever's stressing you out, find a way to stop fighting it and accept this fact. Then go to the following action.
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Alter What You Can
What stressful situation can you alter? There is always something, even if it's simply how you choose to respond to a circumstance.
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Limit Your Daily Caffeine Intake
Too much caffeine can cause anxiety and interrupt your anti-aging beauty sleep.
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Learn to Breathe Deeply
Whether you meditate or learn to breathe, deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Which effectively puts the brakes on stress. Physically, it is impossible to be anxious and live deeply simultaneously.
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Challenge Yourself
Fear and anxiety breed stress. Can you flip your situation and see it as a challenge instead? It's the difference between giving in to or fighting to overcome adversity.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Long-Term Stress Levels, Cortisol, and Skin Aging
Stress levels' effects–acute or chronic stress – are always detrimental to your health. The only time this excessive cortisol is not harmful is when you're in danger. High-stress levels play havoc with your immune response. Stress can also cause sleep deprivation, worsen skin conditions, delay wound healing, slow skin renewal, mess with cellular DNA, and cause premature wrinkles. And that's just scraping the surface.
These effects can make you appear much older than your actual years. And no one wants that!
References
https://www.pnas.org/content/101/49/17312.short
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/479409
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/205044
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/wrinkles
https://www.hormone.org/your-health-and-hormones/stress-and-your-health
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-happiness/201712/6-ways-beat-stress
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-24653-z
