July 23, 2024Amrit Kalsh

Dealing with premature ageing? Check 7 signs to know

Santosh was in his mid 40's when he started to feel that his body was breaking down. When he glanced in the mirror, he saw some wrinkles on his skin, greying hair and balding. His pace had reduced, and he was struggling to carry heavy things. "Am I ageing faster than my years?" "How to become young again?" These questions perturbed Santosh.

One of the masterful tricks of the human body was its ability to give clues about what is going on inside. These alerts could point to potential health concerns or provide a chance to reverse the problem. Some signs like the condition of your hair, skin tone, the way you look or move can tell whether your body functioning capacity is higher or lower than your actual age. We want to be accepted in modern society. So, we indulge in a sedentary lifestyle that speeds up the ageing process and does not support a more youthful body. As we know, "knowledge is power". So, the more information you have, the better you can fight with premature ageing.

Here are 7 common signs of premature ageing

1. Reaction time is slow

A younger person is spontaneous. But as he gets older, his reaction is more time-consuming. If you want to be sure that these incidents do not occur due to exhaustion, you might perform the following test:

Take 15-inch ruler and keep your palm open as if you are giving a handshake.

Ask someone to hold to ruler above your palm with the biggest number facing down. Then without your notice, ask them to drop the ruler, and you try to catch it as soon as you can.

Repeat this exercise 3 times and mark your number each time, to count the final result.

The range is as follows: For someone between 20 to 30 years of age, 10 is a good number. For someone between 40-50 years of age, 15 is a good number. Anything below can indicate the ageing process has started.

2. Ability to carry heavy things has reduced

As age increases, the muscle tissue loses its mass and affects strength and endurance. It can be a problem if you are unable to move heavy items from one place to another, and you remember doing it when you were young. It is a sign that you are ageing.

3. Eyesight getting worse

A well-known fact is that vision worsens with age. You need to worry when you are unable to focus on objects that are near clearly. You can quickly check whether you need glasses. Take a newspaper and measure the distance from which you can see the words. If the range has increased or decreased than what it used to before, then it can be a sign of ageing.

4. Your pace has decreased

The fact that you are struggling to keep up with your friend's pace means you are ageing. Walking requires energy and movement control. As you age, the work of your leg muscles and speed of nerve impulses reduce. However, if you leave the sedentary lifestyle and start working on your body and diet, you can overcome this problem and increase stamina.

5. Wrinkles at an early age

An unavoidable part of ageing. But sometimes people see lines at an early age. This occurs due to toxicity of creams, makeup products to minimise the visibility. Even if you can mask them, it does not mean you have resolved what’s causing the wrinkles in the first place. Cleansing your body increases energy and vitality and overcomes this problem. Chronic dry skin is also one of the signs, which is overlooked because wrinkled skin is more prominent.

6. Waking up at night frequently

Even if you are logging enough total sleep time, waking up at odd hours could mean you have a circadian rhythm disorder. That is associated with premature ageing. To know more on “How to get a goodnight’s sleep? click here.

7. Difficulty in opening bottles

The occasional problem against opening a pickle bottle is no biggie. But, if you continuously struggle to open tightly closed things or carry a heavy suitcase for a long time, then it could be a sign. A weak grip is correlated to overall body weakness, and it is an essential measure of physical fitness. Squeezing a stress ball and carrying grocery bags, can help you improve your grip strength.

Santosh did not want to be in this situation. Only, if he had looked for the signs earlier, he could have reversed the problem. If he had an understanding of the factors that have a direct effect, he could have made some changes to his lifestyle.

So, what are the factors that cause premature ageing?

Excessive Smoking: Nicotine exposes your skin to oxidative stress and causes wrinkles, dryness and other signs of premature ageing.
Sun Exposure: It leads to tanning and penetrates your skin with UV rays which damages DNA cells of your skin, causing wrinkles.
Quality of sleep: Sleep rejuvenates your body. Poor sleep habits can lead to increased signs of ageing and diminish skin barrier function.
Diet: Unhealthy diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates can make you obese and damage your skin over time.
Alcohol and caffeine: Excessive alcohol and caffeine intake dehydrate your body. Over time, dehydration can lead to sagging skin.
Environment: Environment pollutants can affect your hair and worsen your wrinkles and pigment spots.
Stress: Any stress plays a significant role in premature ageing. A stressful lifestyle can trigger hormones and inflammation that can make your body age faster. There are various tips in Ayurveda that can help you fight stress.

Tips to reduce signs of ageing

Use sunscreen regularly to protect yourself from sun exposure.
Regular walks and physical activity can be a stamina booster.
Remove makeup before going to bed.
Follow a strict sleep schedule.
Stay hydrated and eat a well-balanced diet.
Stop smoking, excessive intake of alcohol and caffeine.
Take the help of yoga and meditation to manage stress.

While we can't keep those birthdays from rolling around in our direction, we can take affirmative action to prevent ageing from happening earlier than expected. So, how to stay young and age gracefully? The answer is Maharishi Ayurveda - Amrit Kalash. It represents the essence of supreme knowledge derived from ancient ayurvedic texts. It is a Super Rasayana formulated to make you a healthier person to enjoy perfect health and peak performance for a long time. It helps to retain our youthful joy and keep our spirits much younger. Amrit Kalash "Super Rasayana" is the essence of nutrition that circulates throughout the body" — in other words, which promotes health, longevity and maintains youthfulness.

Youthful from Inside, Young from Outside with Maharishi Amrit Kalash.