Experts Reveal the #1 Thing That Speeds Up Aging

Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

Key Points

• Chronic stress is linked to a higher allostatic load, which can accelerate biological aging.
• Positive social networks, sleep and daily movement can all help you manage stress.
• Healthy aging is also supported by a healthy diet, smoking cessation and limiting alcohol.

Aging is inevitable, and it’s not something to fear or try to avoid. That said, supporting healthy aging is crucial to keep the quality of life in your days. And to do so, you don’t need to add an expensive serum or supplement pack to your routine.

Managing your stress levels is the single best way to slow cellular aging and increase your odds of living a long, healthy life. “Chronic, unmanaged stress can take a toll on every organ system in your body, increasing your risk for numerous diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis and others,” explains Elizabeth Harris, M.S., RDN.

We talked with experts to understand how chronic stress speeds up the aging process, how to better manage stress and ways you can support healthy aging to feel your best well into your golden years.

Why Chronic Stress Speeds Up Aging

Stress is a normal part of daily life, but when it becomes chronic, it can affect how you feel day-to-day and change how your body functions at the cellular level. “Our bodies are designed to repair and reset every day, but chronic stress gets in the way of that process,” explains Lynette Gogol, D.O., DipABLM. When we’re constantly in a state of fight-or-flight, hormones that are helpful in short-term emergencies remain elevated, interfering with the body’s ability to recover and repair over time.

Most people do not experience daily life-threatening events, but constant small stressors, day after day, can have a similar effect on the body. Busy schedules, financial worries, poor sleep, emotional strain and feeling constantly “on” can all activate the body’s stress response. When these stressors happen repeatedly, the body doesn’t fully return to baseline, allowing damage to accumulate.

“One of the biggest reasons is something called allostatic load,” explains Talia Follador, RDN, LDN. Allostatic load refers to the cumulative wear and tear on the body as it repeatedly tries to adapt to stress and maintain balance. When stress is ongoing, recovery never fully happens, allowing allostatic load to build over time. Higher allostatic load has been linked to faster biological aging and a greater risk of age-related disease.

As stress hormones like cortisol stay elevated, they begin to affect cells directly. “Stress hormones are constantly elevated, so your mitochondria start producing excessive reactive oxygen species that damage DNA, proteins and cellular structures,” says Abe Malkin, M.D., M.B.A.. This oxidative damage fuels chronic inflammation and can contribute to many conditions associated with aging, including heart disease, diabetes and cognitive decline.

Chronic stress has also been linked to changes in the body’s biological aging markers. “Long-term stress has even been linked to shorter telomeres—the protective caps on your chromosomes that help your cells repair and regenerate—meaning your cells lose resilience over time,” explains Follador. Stress is also associated with changes in DNA methylation, a measure of biological age, which can move biological aging ahead of chronological age.

While these cellular changes may not be visible day to day, their effects often show up as chronic disease earlier in life. “Chronic stress activates your sympathetic nervous system and increases arterial stiffness, a key sign of vascular aging,” says Follador. In one study of 1,346 women, those under 55 experiencing toxic psychosocial stress levels had nearly an 80% higher risk of heart disease compared to those with lower stress levels, highlighting how significantly chronic stress can accelerate diseases often only seen in older age.

What to Do Instead

The good news is that just as high stress levels can speed up aging, spending time resting, recovering and helping your body build resilience can have a positive effect. Researchers have found that periods of rest can help you partially or fully recover from stress-induced increases in biological age. “Small, consistent practices prevent stress from accumulating and help your body return to its natural state of repair,” says Gogol.

Here’s what experts recommend to reduce stress and slow down aging.

Carve Out Time to Have Fun with Others

While making time for yourself to have fun can help reduce stress, experiencing joy with others may be even more beneficial. “People surrounded by a supportive social network tend to experience less stress, and research suggests they may live longer and enjoy better overall health,” says Follador. One small study found that people who experience positive emotions with another person have lower stress hormone levels than those who experience positive emotions on their own. Plan regular dates with a partner, family or friends to try new activities, go for a walk, grab a coffee or participate in a book club or group class to include fun and connection in your routine.

Prioritize Sleep

Sleep deprivation and disturbances are strongly connected to advanced biological aging. “Chronic stress disrupts sleep, and poor sleep makes stress worse, so it can become a vicious cycle, says Malkin, who recommends aiming for seven to nine hours of sleep, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, limiting screen use before bed and keeping your room dark and cool.

Move Your Body Regularly

Regular, consistent movement can help reduce stress levels, but the effects are so powerful that even working out once a week has stress-lowering benefits. “Whether it’s running, lifting, yoga or walking, find what works for you and make it a consistent habit,” recommends Malkin.

And while you can’t go wrong with whatever movement you decide to do, adding strength training to your routine may support healthy aging in a big way. A 2024 study of 4,800 adults found that those who regularly strength-trained had significantly longer telomeres than those who did not, even after accounting for other factors like age, race, sex, smoking status and income.

Create a Daily Stress-Relief Practice

For many, daily stressors are here to stay, but we can strengthen our ability to manage them so they have less impact on our personal stress levels. “Whether it’s meditation, deep breathing, mindfulness or just taking breaks throughout the day, you need techniques to actively calm your stress response,” says Malkin.

If you’re not sure where to start, small changes can add up to make a big difference. Instead of constantly jumping from one task to another and rushing through your day, add short, intentional breaks into your routine to bring stress back down before it ramps up again. “A 60-second pause before shifting tasks can signal to your brain that you’re safe, which helps lower stress over time,” says Gogol.

Talk to a Professional

If stress is interfering with your life, seeking a professional to help you work through these stressors can make a significant difference. “Cognitive-behavioral therapy has strong evidence supporting its effectiveness in helping people manage stress more effectively,” says Malkin. A trained therapist can help you work through everything from mental health struggles to familial and work stressors, or past traumas that are affecting how you feel today.

Other Tips for Supporting Healthy Aging

• Eat regular, balanced meals: Skipping meals or eating inconsistently can worsen blood sugar swings and raise cortisol, making stress feel more intense. Balance meals with protein, complex carbohydrates and plenty of fruits and vegetables for stable energy throughout the day.
• Eat more plants: Diets rich in fiber, antioxidants and other plant compounds can help prevent oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, two key drivers of aging. Eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds can help.
• Limit or avoid alcohol: Alcohol can disrupt sleep, increase inflammation and damage the liver and cardiovascular system. Studies have also found a link between higher alcohol intake and markers of accelerated biological aging.
• Stop smoking: Smoking is one of the fastest ways to accelerate aging, and making the choice to stop could reduce your biological age by up to 13 years.

Our Expert Take

Chronic stress can speed up the aging process through its effects on inflammation and damage to DNA, raising the risk of age-related diseases earlier in life. Thankfully, our bodies are responsive to change: just as chronic stress can accelerate biological aging, intentional practices can slow it down. Prioritizing sleep, movement, connection and stress-management strategies in your regular routine can help your body age well with plenty of space to rest, repair and recover.

Read the original article on EatingWell