People were asked about the common lifestyle choices that speed up aging. Here are the top 5 answers.

Aging is a natural process that every person goes through in their lives. There is no way to avert it. However, some factors come into play to speed up or slow down the aging process. We might have seen a lot of people around us who look younger than their actual age while others look way beyond their age, owning to certain lifestyle factors. An individual on Reddit, u/rentinghappiness, popped an interesting question, asking people to share what they think "really" ages a person quickly.

Many came forward with intriguing answers, such as financial instability and a workaholic lifestyle. Others mentioned that experiencing the death of a loved one or a devastating incident can make a person age quickly. Mental anguish and emotional trauma also affect the outward appearance of a person. While the list of responses was quite long, the majority of people agreed on five major factors that accelerate the aging process. Read about them here:

1. Lack of Sleep

"I go both ways. I sleep poorly but I enjoy the time mostly. It's not like I sit in bed and wait for it for 4 hours. I got a lot of life lived in those hours alone. Tons of stuff I'd never have done if I went to bed at 10 pm every night." -u/modix. "I definitely have a sleep debt that I know I have no chance of ever repaying. Who knew you’d wake up tired one morning aged 37 and just stay that way?" -u/Hyperion2023. "The worst part is that you aren’t doing it on purpose like you’ll do anything to sleep whereas most other things are a choice such as alcohol, sugar, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, etc But those of us that can’t sleep, really can’t and we’d do anything to be able to." -u/Silly-Shoulder-6257

2. Grief 

"My baby died and I’ve aged about 6 years in 5 months. I used to get compliments on my skin from strangers. I haven’t had one since. I have forehead lines I never had before. I have dark circles under my eyes and I never had those before. Grief absolutely ages you, I look haunted." -u/MurielFinster. "My 20s have been bad. Had a miscarriage at age 23. This was my first harsh experience with grief. Then when my second son was born he needed two head surgeries before he turned one year old. The stress of sending him to the operating table each time felt like I was sending him to die. And now, last year November, it felt like I watched my dad die, I did CPR on him for 10 minutes while watching him go blue before the paramedics came and pronounced him dead. I look at people around me and I genuinely cannot fathom how life is so peaceful and easy for them. And my face shows what all this grief has done to me." -u/Additional_Brief_569

3. Poverty

"The true stressor with poverty is every task in your life turning into a series of exhausting compromises. Bargain-hunting for basics at multiple locations. Rationing or skipping meals altogether. Sacrificing small conveniences like grabbing a smoothie to power through a long workday, because every cent counts. Navigating long commutes and unreliable public transit schedules. Being hypervigilant about the daily usage of your appliances. The lack of a safety net makes every decision feel high-stakes. All of this and more can age you up very quickly." -u/Basura1999. "Definitely this. Even being in poverty we may be working those stressful jobs and long hours, missing sleep and poor healthcare It’s everything rolled into one!" -u/-KnottybyNature-

4. Stressful Job

"I can attest to this. Life was going well. I always got compliments about how young I looked for my age. Then a bunch of stressful stuff happened to me all at once. A coworker said to me one day, 'Miko, what's going on with you? In 6 months your hair went from mostly brown to mostly grey and you're looking very gaunt. You sick or something?' and that was the day that I realized the stress going on in my life was eating me alive. I looked old and I didn't even realize because I was so preoccupied with everything else going on." -u/MikoSkyns. "It’s not just the looks (which it totally does affect) but extreme stress or grief eats away at your spirit. Your playful, youthful energy gets zapped and that ages you too." -u/nononanana

5. Toxic Relationship

"I was a ghost of my normal self at the end of my last relationship. Underweight and my skin looked grey and my eyes almost looked sunken. Never again." -u/starvinchevy. "My cousin was married to an abusive man for 13 years. Her hair was thin but she was beautiful regardless. She finally left him and married a kind, loving man 20 years her senior. She is so happy, stress-free and thriving. Her hair is thick and luscious and when I asked her how she got her hair so thick she said 'no more stress.' A toxic relationship can truly damage a person’s health in so many ways." -u/Tambamana. "My hair was greying when I was in a toxic relationship and when I escaped the hair turned back brown. Crazy what having an evil person in your life can do." -u/BigTwobah