Whoa, that Makes Me Old?

Self Magazine

by SELF Staffers



Stephanie Rausser
Stephanie Rausser

OK, so you can't stop time. But you can use these surprising tips to stay fit and sexy from now until..well, forever. Find out the surprising traits, behaviors and characteristics that can age you before your time.

1. Yo-yo sleeping habits
Clocking only a few hours weeknights and making up for it with 10-plus a night on weekends may disrupt your body's renewal process on a cellular level.

See more:Secrets To Firing Up Your Metabolism

2. Your fear of heights
Research suggests that phobic anxiety (the chronic OMG-I-cannot-deal kind, not mild occasional freak-outs) is associated with a chromosome change that's linked to faster aging.

See more:20 Superfoods For Weight Loss

3. That daily Frapp
It's a double whammy: All that sugar outweighs the antiaging perks of the caffeine. It breaks down skin's collagen (the connective tissue that keeps you looking fresh). Plus, repeatedly using a straw can create fine lines around your mouth.

Sources: (1) Joyce Walsleben, Ph.D., American Board of Sleep Medicine; (2) Olivia I. Okereke, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; (3) Mona Gohara, M.D., Yale School of Medicine

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