Premature Aging affected by stress

Effects of Stress on Premature Aging

For a long time, stress has been associated with premature aging; gray hair, winkles, and in general, appearing older. One might consider this when looking at Presidents before and after their time at the White House. But as stress only plays a small part in gray hair, can it really lead to aging too soon? If so, how does it work?

Short bursts of stress are bound to happen in life, but when you are dealing with chronic stress, the problems grow in their intensity. Scientists have been doing research on stress and premature aging may have found that long periods of stress can actually shorten cell life span, thus leading to shorter cell life and ultimately speeding up your body’s deterioration. Though they cautioned more research would be necessary in order to make the first results much more solid, it is one step in realizing the deeper connections between psychological stress and the reactions of the body.

As you age, the structure inside a cell called a telomere will shorten. This is because as cells divide, the telomeres naturally become shorter. Cells that continue to divide eventually have telomeres so short that the cell can divide no further and dies. The loss of cells lead to a weaker body; muscles, skin with wrinkles, poor eyesight and hearing, failing organs, and a weaker mentality. Through the study the scientists noticed stress appeared to accelerate the process, thus leading to aging before your time.

The thought is that doctors could examine telomere length in order to make sure someone is not doing themselves a disservice by stressing too much. But until that practice becomes the norm, you will have to monitor your stress yourself. Keep a sharp eye and find ways of relieving stress when you feel it is becoming too much.