{"id":118961,"date":"2023-12-06T16:35:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T20:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=118961"},"modified":"2023-12-12T16:37:19","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T20:37:19","slug":"how-to-age-slower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-age-slower\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Age Slower: 6 Methods to Regain Your Youth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are there ways to slow down the aging process? How do hormones speed up biological aging<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there\u2019s no way to stop or reverse aging, you can certainly slow down the process to live a longer life. Since aging refers to the decline of a person\u2019s health, there are several remedies you can use to stay youthful for as long as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn how to age slower by rebalancing your hormones, nourishing your body<\/a>, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Is Aging?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In <\/strong>Ageless<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, Andrew Steele uses the word \u201caging\u201d to refer to the process that causes our health to decline\u2014and our likelihood of getting sick or dying to grow\u2014as we age<\/strong>. A key insight is that the diseases that kill us occur because of the aging process. Steele explains that age is the most significant risk factor for heart disease, stroke, dementia, and cancer, which we often think of as causes of death. He contends that because aging sets these diseases into motion, aging itself is the cause of approximately two-thirds of deaths globally<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steele explains that even if we don\u2019t develop heart disease or cancer as we get older, none of us are immune to the effects of aging. As we age, we experience more minor physical and mental changes that might not be considered diseases, but still reduce our quality of life: We get less physically fit, our health worsens, and our thinking and memory decline. Steele sees aging as a problem of human suffering<\/strong>\u2014suffering that doesn\u2019t have to be our fate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slowing Down the Aging Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Though much of that science is still in the research stage, Steele writes that scientists already have enough evidence to know there are things you can do right now to increase your chances of living a long and healthy life. Much of the advice on how to age slower\u2014like getting better sleep\u2014won\u2019t sound novel. But<\/strong> these measures are effective at keeping us fit and healthy as we age<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Quit Smoking and Start Exercising<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first change to make to age slower is to quit if you currently smoke<\/strong>. Smoking increases your risk of cancer, reduces DNA mutations, and causes chronic inflammation linked to cardiovascular disease. Ageless<\/em><\/a> says that while smoking reduces lifespan by 10 years, quitting at age 30 restores life expectancy to normal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A second change that can impact your health is shifting from a sedentary lifestyle<\/a> to a routine with daily exercise<\/strong>. That change reduces your risk of death and disease, boosts your metabolism, improves the condition of your muscles and bones, and reduces inflammation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Rebalance Your Hormones<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Super Human<\/em><\/a>, Dave Asprey argues that hormones play a key part in how well mitochondria function because they help maintain your overall<\/em> health (thereby reducing the damaged and dysfunctional cells mitochondria must deal with). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you age, your body slows down its production of certain hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen, resulting in an imbalance that can cause many of the undesirable symptoms we associate with old age. These symptoms include mood swings, weight gain, poor sleeping patterns, low fertility levels, and sexual dysfunction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asprey claims that old age isn\u2019t the only cause of hormonal imbalances. Various other factors can disrupt your hormones, such as a lack of sleep or nutrition, a sedentary lifestyle, using personal care products made with hormone-disrupting chemicals, and taking prescription medications or hormonal birth control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four Methods for Rebalancing Your Hormones<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Asprey suggests four methods that can help you prevent or reverse hormonal imbalances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Practice high-intensity exercises a few times a week.<\/li>
  2. Replace chemical-laden products with natural ones.<\/li>
  3. Check the effects of any prescription medications.<\/li>
  4. Find replacements for hormonal birth control.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    If changing your lifestyle doesn\u2019t help to rebalance your hormones<\/a>, Asprey recommends undertaking bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Bioidentical hormones are chemically identical to those your body naturally produces\u2014which makes it easier for your body to assimilate them into your hormonal makeup. These hormones can be administered in various ways\u2014through injections, by taking pills, or by putting on patches or creams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Get Better Sleep<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    According to Super Human<\/em><\/a>, sleep deprivation results from missing out on good-quality sleep<\/em> that maximizes your time in deep sleep (otherwise known as \u201cdelta sleep\u201d). This phase of sleep provides many health benefits: It regulates your hormones, improves your cognitive abilities, reduces your stress levels, and helps your mitochondria eliminate cellular waste\u2014all of which can slow down aging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The first lifestyle change for improving your sleep quality is to adapt your lighting<\/strong>. Asprey explains that you\u2019re more likely to suffer from sleep deprivation if you\u2019re regularly exposed to blue light<\/strong> from LED bulbs and screens. This is because your body\u2019s natural sleep cycle is designed to match the rhythm of the sun: During sunlight hours, your body releases chemicals that make you feel alert and active. When the sun goes down, your body releases chemicals that make you want to sleep and recover. However, blue lighting disrupts this sleep cycle by making your body think that the sun\u2019s out all the time<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Asprey suggests that you can minimize this disruption to your sleep cycle by replacing the lighting in your environment with red bulbs, turning off all screens, dimming your lights two hours before you plan to sleep, and wearing glasses that filter out blue light. He also recommends that you spend ten to twenty minutes in the sun each morning (before the sun\u2019s at its most powerful) to balance your exposure to artificial light sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In addition to adapting your light sources, Asprey suggests that you can improve the quality of your sleep by tracking your sleeping patterns<\/strong>. Asprey recommends using a sleep tracker that also gathers data from your daytime activities. This type of tracker will reveal how your daytime activities impact the quality of your sleep\u2014providing information that will help you make lifestyle decisions that maximize your time<\/a> in deep sleep. For example, it might reveal that you benefit from more time in deep sleep when you exercise or eat certain foods during the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Nourish Your Body<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    In addition to exercising correctly, eating a healthy diet is key to maintaining your physical and mental capabilities in old age. Outlive<\/em><\/a> by Peter Attia emphasizes that what you should eat depends on your unique body\u2014no diet\u2019s universally the \u201chealthiest\u201d for everyone.<\/strong> Everyone\u2019s body metabolizes food differently, so the same diet might help one person and harm another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Although there\u2019s no universally optimal diet, Attia offers broad dietary advice that would improve the health of most people. In modern times, many follow what\u2019s called the Standard American Diet<\/a>, which is heavy in processed, sugary foods. Consequently, they consume too many calories, yet they still don\u2019t get enough of some key nutrients (especially protein, as we\u2019ll see soon).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As part of his suggestions on how to age slower, Attia asserts that most people should do the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n