Heart surgeon with 25 years of experience shares 5 harmful habits that accelerate ageing: Poor sleep, stress and more

While you can't control ageing, you can definitely choose how your body ages. Dr London shares 5 harmful habits that you should avoid.

What you do every day may seem harmless in the moment, but your habits have a long memory. Choices like smoking, skimping on sleep, sitting for hours, or living with constant stress might not show immediate consequences – but over time, they quietly build up, accelerating ageing and setting the stage for future health issues. The effects often only become visible years, even decades, later, which is why steering clear of these seemingly small but damaging habits early on can make all the difference.

Obesity and poor diet can contribute to the ageing process! (Unsplash)

Dr Jeremy London, a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon with over 25 years of experience, has outlined five habits you should steer clear of – each one scientifically linked to accelerated ageing. In an Instagram video shared on April 1, the heart surgeon breaks down how these everyday behaviours impact the body and quietly speed up the ageing process.

Smoking

According to Dr London, both smoking and vaping take a toll on nearly every organ system in the body, making them among the fastest ways to accelerate ageing. Even at low levels, these habits can significantly compromise your long-term health and reduce overall longevity.

He explains, “The first one's pretty obvious. Both smoking and vaping are among the fastest ways to age your body. The toxic metabolites increase oxidative stress and damage your DNA.”

Sedentary lifestyle

Dr London emphasises that the human body is designed for constant movement. So even if you follow a regular exercise routine, long hours of sitting at work – whether six, eight or more hours at a stretch – can still disrupt glucose metabolism and impair mitochondrial function, ultimately ageing your body.

The heart surgeon highlights, “If you don’t use it, you lose it. Our bodies were designed for movement. When we sit all day, our bodies start to break down. Our ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients slowly declines, and our mitochondrial function begins to slip. Both properties accelerate ageing.”

Obesity and poor diet

Obesity ranks third on the cardiologist’s list, alongside a poor diet – but it goes far beyond just a number on the scale. What truly matters is fat distribution, especially abdominal or visceral fat, the highly inflammatory type that poses the greatest risk. The amount and concentration of this fat in the body play a critical role in overall health, which is why Dr London describes visceral fat as the “engine for chronic disease states.”

He explains, “The average caloric intake in the United States is north of 3500 calories per day. The average daily exercise is less than 20 minutes. The body stores excess energy. Visceral fat, the fat around the organs, has been shown to increase inflammation, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysfunction.”

Chronic stress

High levels of stress – whether from job loss, a loved one’s chronic illness, financial strain, or ongoing relationship challenges – can take a serious toll on your health, especially when they linger without relief. This kind of persistent stress keeps cortisol and other stress hormones chronically elevated, which, over time, accelerates ageing and negatively impacts overall well-being.

Dr London notes, “Persistent unmanaged stress, such as emotional stress and financial worry, where it feels like you can’t get your head above water, can take a toll on your ageing process. This relentless stress increases inflammation, alters DNA regulation, and shortens telomeres.”

Poor sleep

The heart surgeon stresses that giving your body adequate time for rest and recovery is essential, allowing multiple systems to repair and reset. Poor sleep, on the other hand, can impair DNA repair and disrupt hormone regulation, while also throwing off the circadian control of gene expression.

Dr London explains, “Sleep is absolutely foundational for all of us. When we sleep, this is where our bodies recover and have time to repair. And if our bodies aren't repaired properly, then the risk for disease states goes up.”

He concludes, “We can't run from our genes, but we can impact how those genes are expressed. We're all going to age, and that's inevitable. But how we age is a choice.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.