Everyone ages, but premature aging is when it happens faster than it should. The conditions and causes are usually lifestyle factors. It's impossible to avoid signs of aging completely, but there are ways to reduce them or minimize their affects. Below are 18 conditions and causes that can age you fast.

1. Pain

The number one cause of premature aging is chronic pain. Chronic pain keeps you from sleeping well, thinking properly, exercising, and moving freely. It keeps your brain and body from functioning well.

Severe pain is a life-changing health condition that can impact every aspect of daily life. Living with severe pain puts a lot of stress on your body and mind, and can induce a multitude of harmful effects, and also reduce your life expectancy. A recent study suggested that severe pain is linked to accelerated or premature aging.

Severe pain can actually make you look older than you actually are. Chronic pain is represented in changes of facial expressions, such as a significant increase in brow lowering, lip-pursing, cheek-raising, nose-wrinkling, and eye-squinting. These repeated facial movements and expressions lead to fine lines and wrinkles.

Severe pain also reduces the time for self-care which alters our appearance by decreasing the capacity to move, smile, and laugh as those without severe pain.

When under severe pain the supporting muscles in your face weaken, causing sagging skin and loss of elasticity. Chronic pain can also causes repeated furrowing of the forehead that also contributes to the formation of wrinkles.

Our minds and bodies weren't designed to endure such high levels of pain and stress for a prolonged period. So, understandably, it takes its toll on our skin, health and bodies.

2. Stress

Studies have found that stress can have negative effects on skin aging and cause wrinkles to form. That's because stress causes inflammation and impairs the body's ability to repair itself. Stress also causes changes to the proteins in our skin and reduce its elasticity. This loss of elasticity is what contributes to wrinkle formation.

Stress can lead to premature signs of aging such as wrinkles, pigmentation, and under eye circles.

Living with high levels of stress can also have negative effects on your body. Increased stress levels can lead to high blood pressure, heart issues, a low immune system, digestive issues, lower bone density, widespread inflammation, and much more. It can also lead to a decline in our mental health.

Social isolation is a common source of stress for seniors. That's why it is important that we engage more with others and find activities that take us outside of ourselves.

3. Depression

Depression is another factor that can age you fast, cause cell damage and various diseases of aging. A study found that those with depression were biologically older, by 8 months, than people without depression, and that childhood trauma exacerbates this effect.

In some severe depression cases, this biological age is 10–15 years older than the chronological age. The clock seems to run faster in those who are currently depressed.

New research shows that major depression may also mean premature aging. This effect was more significant in people who had had adverse childhood experiences, such as violence, trauma, neglect, or abuse.

Major depression can cause the body's cells and brain to age faster. Depression can make us physically older by speeding up the ageing process in our cells, research suggests. Depression is not a normal part of aging, it just ages you fast.

Depression can show up on your face as well. Depressed people end up tensing specific facial muscles, grimacing or frowning, and these "negative facial expressions can become etched into the skin in the form of fine lines and wrinkles.

4. Anxiety

Anxiety is the aftermath of stress, depression, and sadness. There is new evidence that anxiety can speed aging and shorten the life span from 3.5 to 8 years, depending on the specific kind of anxiety.

The best thing to do is think and pray more deeply and often about our religious conviction. Communist Karl Marx called religion the "opiate of the masses." He meant this cynically, but faith in God does relieve anxiety and emotional pain.

5. Bad Relationships

Getting caught up in a toxic relationship can negatively impact your lifestyle which can lead to lines, wrinkles, and other signs of aging. Yes, bad relationships Can age your skin fast, faster then a blink of an eye.

Toxic people raise your stress levels, which is detrimental to your mental health as well as your skin's health. Thus if you have a relationship that is totally negative it can knock the wind out of you, cause you to age rapidly, and put you in an early grave.

If there is a direct connection between the amount of stress you experience frequently and the number of toxic people in your life, then you should try to avoid these people as much as possible.

6. Negative Thoughts

Scientists have found that negative thoughts can lead to premature cell death which increases the risk of disease and, ultimately, death. Behind negative thoughts there is a host of animosity, that can contribute to mental health problems including social anxiety, low self-esteem, and even depression. Negative thoughts will age your body quickly.

If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts each and every day of the year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it. They frown, they scowl, their lips turn down, their eyes glare.

This explains why some people look older than their peers. So if you want to remain youthful, stay away from negative emotions, like hostility, pessimism, rumination, wandering thoughts.

If you have negative thoughts, meditate, be grateful, take good care of your body and challenge those negative thoughts as they crop up in your mind. You will see a marked difference in your attitude and the way you look.

If you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look beautiful. A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly and can live to a ripe old age.

7. Drugs And Alcohol

Studies have shown that excessive drug and alcohol use, whether chronic or sporadic, accelerates the aging process.

According to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the journal Aging, scientists found that consuming certain types of alcohol over long periods of time as well as binge drinking both speed up biological aging.

Alcohol reduces collagen and elastin production, leaving the skin duller, wrinkled, and aged beyond one's years. Beer, wine, and liquor also increase inflammation and disrupt lipid production. It also acts as a diuretic and encourages dehydration that dries out the skin drastically, causing lines, furrows and wrinkles.

Alcohol also ages the body faster causing serious problems including: High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems.

Studies have shown that excessive drinking can cause a person's brain to shrink and deteriorate. Meth, cocaine, crack, heroin, and even marijuana, when smoked, can lead to premature aging of the skin and hair. In addition, some prescription medication can cause skin damage.

Note:
Check the FDA for recalls on the medication you are using. Many doctors are prescribing recall medications and pharmacies are dispensing them.

8. Lack Of Exercise

Exercise is vital if you want to live a healthy, rewarding life into old age. It's scientifically proven that people who do physical activity have lower risk of: high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke.

Research shows that regular exercise can help slow the body's aging process. The good news is that you don't have to run a marathon or go to the gym to reap anti-aging benefits. Even modest physical exercise can help people live longer and healthier.

Recent scientific evidence shows that physical exercise is the best way to delay or even prevent the consequences of aging. Yes, exercise is one way to slow down the aging process, but it works best in combination with other factors.

Exercise is not the fountain of youth, but it is a good long drink for health and vitality.

9. Loneliness And Unhappiness

Studies showed the effects for both loneliness and social isolation. Those who are lonely are about 40 percent more likely to die over the next four years, while those who are socially isolated are about 75 percent more likely to die.

Social isolation and loneliness leads to higher risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, anxiety, depression, memory issues and even death. Several studies have even shown that social isolation can literally kill you.

Left untended, loneliness has serious consequences for cognition, emotion, behavior, and health. Loneliness literally hurts. So, it’s time to start taking loneliness seriously and get out there and among other people.

10. Sadness

Sadness. Facial movements: Inner corners of eyebrows raised, eyelids loose, lip corners pulled down. Sadness is hard to fake, according to researchers.

Sadness is a normal emotion that everyone experiences at one time or another. However, studies have found that feelings of sadness could increase a person's biological age faster than regular smoking. Sadness can take a toll on our lives and can age us fast.

It’s OK to be sad, but it's not okay to wallow in self-pity. Sadness usually passes with time, but lingering sadness can drain your energy, make you sick, and give you all kinds of health issues - and that extends to your skin health, too.

If you're in a sad mood, the goal isn't to not feel sad. The goal is to not feel overwhelmed by the emotion, and to learn and grow from it.

11. Bad Eating Habits

Research shows that eating processed and fast foods, and too many crash diets can speed up the aging of your cells. These unhealthy eating patterns don't just trigger weight gain and undermine your energy. They age you from the inside out.

Nutrition and poor eating habits are also important causes of skin aging. A healthy diet and balanced nutrition are important measures to delay aging and prolong life.

No matter how old you are, or how much junk food you consume, it's never too late to start undoing the damage caused by bad eating habits. Eating a healthy diet will improve skin aging and slow down the aging process.

12. A Bad Attitude

Studies show people who are optimistic tend to live longer, happier and healthier lives than those who have a bad attitude. Research shows your habits, behaviors and attitude make a big difference.

Having a bad attitude will affect your physical and mental health, leading to multiple mood swings and constantly being annoyed by things around you. The more often you become angry, frustrated, or upset, the fewer days you have to live.

When we have a bad attitude, we are full of anger, hate, revenge and jealousy. We are controlled by toxic thoughts. And this affects not just our mind, it affects the hormones, the chemicals in our body and we become sick. A bad attitude increases the level of stress, and stress accelerates aging.

There are many bad effects of having a bad attitude, therefore it is necessary to change our attitude. Having a good attitude will lead to a healthier, happier, and longer life.

13. Hate

Experiences of hate are associated with poor emotional well-being such as feelings of anger, shame, and fear. Other studies have shown that people who hate tend to suffer from anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders, which can be deadly and shorten your life.

Hatred is a poison. It affects your immune system and raises your blood pressure.

Yes, hatred will make you sick and people around you, sicker. Stop being hateful. Get rid of it. Forgive. Protect, your mental and emotional health so you can live a longer healthier and happier life.

14. Anger

Uncontrolled anger can cause significant harm to one’s mental and physical health. It has been linked to depression, headaches, high blood pressure, digestion problems, self-harm, and skin problems, such as eczema.

It can also lead to more serious conditions such as asthma, heart disease and can cause heart attacks and strokes.

Anger can absolutely harm you or even kill you. Science has shown that anger causes the body to age much faster through the constant wear-and-tear of stress hormones it has on the organ systems.

Hostility and anger have long been associated with a whole host of long-term health problems.

While anger is an extremely important emotion to have as it alerts us when something is wrong, health-wise it can be dangerous and age you fast if it occurs frequently and lasts for too long.

15. Lack Of Good Skincare

Good skin care is essential if you want to preserve your youthful look and keep your skin healthy. A good skincare routine helps regenerate skin cell production to keep your skin looking and feeling its best throughout your life.

It's never too early or to late to start taking care of your skin by incorporating anti-aging products into your skincare routine. These products can help prevent the signs of aging and keep your skin looking its very best.

Healthy skin care cannot be successful if you don't complement it with healthy lifestyle choices. Good skincare and healthy lifestyle choices will help delay the aging process and prevent various skin problems.

16. Lack Of Self Care

You are important. You are special, and if you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of anyone or anything else. When it comes to your mental health, self-care can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact.

Self-care is about caring for yourself to ensure that both your physical and emotional needs are met. All the stress relief and anxiety activities in the world won't help if you don't take care of yourself.

Self-care is vital for building resilience toward all the stressors in life that kill and destrory your health and well-being. When you care for your mind, body, and spirit, you'll be better equipped to live a happy, fulfilled life.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), self-care is important because it can help promote health, prevent disease, and help people better cope with illness.

An effective self-care plan should be tailored to your life and your needs.

Make self-care a priority. Don't neglect yourself the privilege of living your life healthy, happy, and long.

17. Sleep Deprivation

Poor sleep quality is the No. 1 factor that will make you age fast. Mounting evidence shows that quality sleep is the key to a healthy life.

When we're asleep, the body heals itself. Sleeping seven to eight hours a night improves cellular and tissue health, cognitive function, immunity, energy levels and metabolism.

However, sleep deprivation can cause a variety of health issues, including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, depression, stroke, and diabetes.

It also causes premature aging and wrinkles. Research suggests that sleep deprivation can affect the quality and strength of both collagen and elastin, which leads to wrinkles and skin sagging.

Sleep deprivation can lead to a host of skin and health issues and age you fast. You don't have to succumb to sleepless nights. By addressing the underlying causes and making simple lifestyle changes, you can put a stop to the frustration of insomnia and finally get a good night’s sleep.

Insomnia Symptoms, Affects, & Treatments.

18. Unforgiveness

Unforgiveness wreaks havoc on our health and well-being. People who hang on to grudges are more likely to experience severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as other health conditions.

Unforgiveness creates a domino effect that negatively impacts every part of us, including our emotions, thoughts, behaviors, body, spirit, and relationships.

Research has shown that unforgiveness is connected to high blood pressure, weakened immune systems, reduced sleep, chronic pain, and cardiovascular problems.

Forgiveness is a choice. Choose to forgive whoever you have hurt and everyone you think has hurt you. There is absolutely nothing that will set you freer, than forgiving. Forgiveness is hard, it is humbling, but it is also healing.

We age faster when we do not forgive. Harboring unforgiveness is an invitation for Hell to inhabit us here on earth. Let it go - give yourself peace, healing, health, and longevity.

Conclusion

If you want to slow down the aging process and look younger than your years and peers, give your cells a boost through products and lifestyle changes. Many factors affect how visible your signs of aging will be. Some you can control, and some you cannot. But most of these you certainly can. It's up to you.