This Just In: The Latest Cause of Death Might be Worrying
A recent study found a correlation between women's fears about their declining health and how fast their health was declining.
This research was published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology. The study aimed to measure women's biological age (as reflected in their blood) compared to their chronological age (measured by birthdays). It was conducted to help us understand if worries about their health and their beauty would affect the speed at which they actually aged.
The scientists accomplished this by interviewing 726 women regarding their anxieties about the future. They then tested their blood samples to gather information on the DunedinPACE and GrimAge2 epigenetic clocks. The purpose of these clocks is to evaluate the biological age of someone and the damage it has built up over time.
After crunching the data, the researchers found no correlation between women's worry about attractiveness and fertility and the speed at which they age. However, women who expressed great concerns regarding declining health did show signs of accelerated aging.
“Still, psychologists say it’s not shocking to think that worries about your well-being may lead to worse health. Fears around health can spark a chain reaction that ultimately has an impact on your physical health”, Thea Gallagher, PsyD, clinical associate professor at NYU Langone Health and co-host of the Mind in View podcast, told SELF. “Worry and anxiety cause stress and strain on your body,” she says.
It is no news to claim that stress can impact your health. Stress isn’t just mental; it takes up a lot of mental resources, which then take up physical resources. When one holds high levels of worry, their sleep, heart rate, and nervous system are affected, causing direct consequences on someone's health and physical form.
“The body reacts to anxiety in similar ways to how it reacts to fear,” Dr. Gallagher said. “When we are experiencing these emotions, the body releases [stress hormones] cortisol and epinephrine, along with neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and glutamate. So if someone is constantly worrying about their physical health, it may put these hormones and neurotransmitters in overdrive.”
Chronically worrying about the future can lower someone's defenses, making them more susceptible to future health problems.
Yes, one can not simply ignore the future, but constantly worrying about stuff that is out of our control is useless. Dr. Gallagher recommends that people focus on what is in front of you and “of course, try not to worry about the potential impact stressing about your health will have on your health—that’s not solving any issues either.”
Luckily, another study at Harvard University proved that the damage made to one's biological clock from stress can be reversible.
“This recovery suggests we have the machinery to be able to rewind the clock at least a little bit,” says James White, who co-led the study with Vadim Gladyshev.
In the research, White and Gladyshev reported the biological clock movements of three groups of people before and after a stressful event: emergency surgery for a broken hip, a COVID-19 diagnosis, and pregnancy—they also tested the pregnancy scenario in mice and got similar results.
In all three cases, the conclusion was the same: you can reverse the aging effects of stress, but only after the stress has left the body.
It is essential to point out that the damage won’t just disappear; it is impossible to go back to the original shape, but some slowing down is possible.
“Your grey hair may regain some colour, but it isn't going to revert to the hair you had as a 10-year-old,” said Luigi Fontana of the University of Sydney.
Some actions to execute in order to slow biological age are:
Do not overthink situations out of your control.
The obvious: Eating a healthy diet, limiting alcohol consumption, not smoking, and sleeping more than 7 hours a night.
The best way to lower stress levels is by exercising on the regular.
Do activities for yourself.
If stress has become a bigger issue that you can't handle, find a therapist you can talk to about it.
Lastly, get a biological age test that measures biomarkers like DNA methylation, telomere length, and blood and urine samples, to keep track of your data.
At the end of the day, there is nothing like doing activities that bring you genuine joy. In other (more modern) words, incorporate nonnamaxxing into your life.
“Making time for the activities you enjoy is a great way to keep the body young,” Said Dr. Noble to Healthline. “Singing, dancing, walking, any of the things that create joy and excitement [are a good idea]. Singing also has the added benefit of activating the vagus nerve, which is connected to all the major organs and instructs them to rest, relax, and repair.”
Honestly, considering how high my stress levels are, my biological age is probably considered a millennial by now.
How will you slow down your biological clock? Leave a comment below.