Everything and everyone in nature must follow the rhythms of nature, the pace of nature and the laws of nature. Every one includes you too.

Nature does not like inaction. At the same time, nature discourages and punishes excess of anything.

Your behaviour, too, can lead to premature ageing. Excess accelerates ageing, moderation steadies the pace.

Let us now consider behaviour. If any aspect of your behaviour is in excess of what is considered natural, natural effects are activated and you begin to age in advance of your years. Your excess activates the processes of premature ageing.

What are the various ways in which your behaviour can be so much in access that you begin to age prematurely?

Excessive sleeping during daytime and at odd hours:

Many people do not take adequate sleep at night, either by going to bed late or getting up early. This thing leads to an Ageing. Seven to nine hours of sleep is compulsory daily, but many people go to bed late or get up early because they say they have ‘other things to do’. The ‘other things’ include distractions like reading, watching TV, playing video games, talking on the telephone, etc. Set a fixed sleeping time and fixed wake-up time. Go to bed early. Finish eating meals two to three hours before bedtime. Regular exercise offers multiple benefits for sound sleep at night. Exercise also gives you more daytime energy and keeps your thinking sharp. Getting enough sleep at night will help you function better during the day.

Excessive lust or indulgence in sexual activity:

Excessive sex strains and taxes the body, making the person look worn out and haggard leads to premature ageing as it weakens the body’s natural immunity, damages tissues, nerves and joints, causes muscular and nervous pain and promotes infection and inflammation. It can lead to severe damage to brain cells and parasympathetic nerves in the liver, lungs, adrenal glands, heart, blood vessels and some other vital body systems. It can even lead to hair loss and baldness.

Read also : Common SYMPTOMS OF AGEING

Excessive indulgence in alcohol:

It takes your body one hour to process one unit of alcohol. Psychological and physical dependence on alcohol can occur. Tolerance gradually increases, so the more you drink on a regular basis the more you will need to reach the same state. Excessive use of alcohol can cause illnesses such as liver damage, breast cancer, heart disease and stomach ulcers. It can lead to alcohol poisoning, which could put you in a coma or even kill you. Your appearance may suffer if you drink too much. Not only is alcohol high in calories, making you gain weight, it has also been linked to premature skin ageing too. As you get older, your body is less able to process alcohol and you may find that the time it takes you to recover from a drinking session is longer than it was when you were younger.

Excessive exercise:

According to Ayurveda, one should exert only up to 50 per cent of one’s capacity; anything in excess of this for a prolonged period of time can lead to many diseases and premature ageing. You have touched 50 per cent of your capacity when you start sweating under the arms, on the forehead and on the chest; this is the time to stop exercising. This 5000-years-old finding of Ayurveda has been corroborated by the Cooper Institute of Aerobic Research in Dallas, Texas, USA. The institute reported that exercising beyond 60 per cent of one’s maximum heart rate for more than four hours a week leads to a significant increase in the amount of harmful free radicals which damage the body. So, if you want health benefits and longevity from exercise, you must exercise below 60 per cent of your maximum heart rate. The maximum heart rate = 220 minus your age in years.

Excessive fear and anxiety:

Many people live in fear all the time. For example, some persons are constantly afraid of or alarmed by outside noise. High anxiety is linked to signs of faster aging. High levels of anxiety might really make you age faster. Telomeres generally shorten as we age, and among people of the same age, shortened telomeres have been linked to an increased risk of cancers, heart disease, dementia and overall risk of death. Telomeres are the caps at the end of each strand of DNA that protect our chromosomes, like the plastic tips at the end of shoelaces. Without the coating, shoelaces become frayed until they can no longer do their job, just as without telomeres, DNA strands become damaged and our cells can’t do their job. It has been proven scientifically that we can help to restore telomere length or at least slow the loss of telomere length by reducing our stress levels.

Seeing Off:-

To repeat, nature has its own timings and rhythms and ways – and all these put together function harmoniously to dictate the pace of your mind and your body. You are at risk of premature ageing when your excesses clash with the relaxed and rejuvenating pace of nature. Nature’s track is neither fast nor slow; the natural track is a comfortable, pleasant and healthy zone in between these two extremes for healthy life.