The Secret of Growing Old without Aging
It’s all about living an endless life. It started long ago and still continues. The first man who sought immortality and longevity was Qin Shi Huang, the founder of Qin dynasty and the first ruler of United China who ruled over China around 221–210 BCE. His quest of an elixir allegedly allured him to drink a lethal poison in the form of Mercury Sulfide and caused his ultimate death.
The secrets to living an everlasting life are a little complicated. According to Aubrey de Grey, an English author and biomedical gerontologist, “the aging process is, in fact, a buildup of side effects of being alive”. He believes that the biological processes responsible for aging are mutations that cause cancer and the gradual building up of useless toxic junk. In a series of papers, he has developed a theory which he calls engineered negligible senescence. In simple words, it says that science will soon enable us to grow old without aging. He claims that soon men will be able to live for a 1000 years.
To some researchers in the field of cell biology, the Grey’s claims of living for 1000 years or more seem science fiction rather than science. They see it as a hard to believe and baseless speculation. According to them, aging and dying are a part of the process of natural selection. We die because the earth doesn’t have enough resources to sustain an infinite population of living beings. We die because death is an essential aspect of our lives.
Irrespective of Grey’s claims, and their rebuttal, the theory of aging is a scientifically proven phenomenon. Aging occurs due to buildup of toxic cellular waste. The free radicals play a vital role in the process of aging as they destroy DNA strands and make them shorter.
The causes of aging are deeply rooted in our living styles and eating habits. The molecular nature of food that we eat and the environment we live in are the common determinant of the process of aging. Therefore, taking the above mentioned phenomenon in context, aging could be slowed down or at least delayed for a certain duration of time by taking control of the organic and environmental factors of the aging.
Here are some strategies to slow down the pace of aging.
Manage your stress
Mental stress causes release of the stress hormone also known as Cortisol which causes breakdown of proteins found in the skin such as collagen and elastin, consequently, resulting in an older looking face. Besides, research has found that chronic stress can cause more damage to the body than obesity.
Stop smoking
If you are a smoker, stop it right away! Smoking cigarettes is a leading cause of chronic heart disease, lung cancer, and premature aging. Nicotine found in the cigarettes causes narrowing down of blood vessels, causing reduction in oxygen flow and nutrients to the body tissues, therefore, and expediting aging.
Get Plenty of Sleep
It is said that for every two hours of wakefulness, we need one hour of sleep. It means if we are up for 16 hours in a day, we should sleep for 8 hours at night. Sleep is just as necessary for life as food and drink. During sleep, our brains repair themselves after going through a lot of wear and tear during our wakeful hours. Therefore, taking enough sleep is not a sign of laziness but a necessary
Exercise Daily
According to some researchers, exercise can release feel-good hormones, such as endorphins which fight stress and make us happy and energized. Any kind of exercise will do. A daily routine of 30 mint brisk walk is as effective as running on treadmill as long as it increases blood circulation, and causes hyperventilation.
