When someone mentions aging, we usually associate it with wrinkles and the loss of skin elasticity. All women know about these signs and eventually try to combat obvious flaws any way they can. However, sometimes we completely disregard much more objective signals that our body sends us during the aging process.

Bright Side made a list of subtle yet illustrative signs of aging that appear much earlier than crow’s feet in the corners of your eyes. They will let you know when it’s time to pay attention to your health to postpone the aging process as much as possible.

1. Slow reaction time

The time of a person’s reaction can become slower with age. When you’re young, you can be quite quick to respond to whatever happens, but as you get older, the number of broken cups or car accidents can significantly increase. Just to make sure that such incidents aren’t caused by your tiredness and exhaustion, you might perform the following test:

  • Take a 15-in ruler;
  • Keep your palm open as if you’re getting ready for a handshake;
  • Ask somebody to hold the ruler above your palm with the biggest number facing down. Then ask them to drop the ruler without giving any notice and try to catch it as fast as you can.
  • Repeat the test at least 3 times, mark your number each time, and count the final result.

10 in is a norm for someone between 20 to 30 years old. 15 in is a good result for someone who is between 40 and 50 years old. If your result is lower than these numbers, it might mean that the aging process is accelerated in your body.

2. Injuries and bruises take more time to heal

One of the most illustrative signs of premature aging is the fact that cuts, injuries, and bruises on your body need more time to heal properly than before. The human skin has an amazing regeneration capacity. When this process doesn’t work as smoothly as before, it means that the body isn’t working properly.

3. Reduced ability to carry heavy things

If you find it hard to move a 5-gal bottle of water from one place to another but you remember easily lifting one when you were younger, then don’t be surprised because it’s just a sign of the fact that you’re aging. The muscle tissues lose their mass with age and it affects your strength and endurance.

4. Worsening eyesight

It is well-known that eyesight worsens with age. People over 40 years old experience presbyopia, the loss of the ability to focus clearly on objects that are near. Some people even have to wear glasses when they read.

Checking your eyesight isn’t that hard: just put any printed text before your eyes (a newspaper, for example) and measure the minimal distance from which you can clearly see all the words. When you’re 20 years old, the distance should be about 4 in and when you’re 40 years old, it’s almost 10 in.

Depending on the difference between your result from the average number, you can assume how quickly your eyesight is aging. If you’re really concerned about your health, you can consult an eye doctor if you need eyesight correction or if some preventive measures would be enough.

5. Changes in the nature of weight gain

Do you feel like your favorite pair of jeans seem to be too tight in the waist and thighs? Or maybe too loose? There’s a reason to worry: excess weight in the midsection is a clear sign of aging.

The situation might get even worse if you also experience muscle dystrophy, especially in the thighs. Luckily, a proper diet and regular workouts should get you back in a good shape quickly.

6. People often ask you to hurry up

The fact that you often find it hard to keep up with your friends’ pace can also indicate the acceleration of the aging process in your body. The speed of walking is a very objective indicator of the work of your leg muscles and the speed of the transmission of nerve impulses. These are the main factors that lead to aging in the first place. However, they can both be treated by taking regular walks and an increased number of workouts during the week.

7. Improper work of vestibular apparatus

The partial loss of physical balance is a sign of the aging process too. For example, it’s a scientifically proven fact that by the age of 80, an average person experiences almost a complete loss of the ability to stand on one leg with one’s eyes closed.

There’s a simple test based on this fact that could help you evaluate the speed of the aging processes going on inside your body:

  • Stand still on an even floor with your legs close to each other and close your eyes;
  • Raise your leg and bend it at the knee — the left one if you’re right-handed and the right one if you’re left-handed;
  • Use a stopwatch to see how long you’re able to stand in this position until you lose your balance.

An average 30-year-old person who doesn’t have any serious problems with their vestibular apparatus will be able to stand for 20 seconds or more. While an elderly person won’t be able to stand for even 10 seconds.

8. Flat forehead

Of course, external signs of aging are easy to notice. However, a few people know that not only wrinkles can reveal your age but also an absolutely flat forehead. Such an effect is the result of the fat tissue atrophy — it makes the forehead lose its form while it can still be pretty smooth and wrinkle-free.

As a result, the forms of lights and shadows change the face and it looks older than a person really is. The situation worsens with the correction of horizontal wrinkles with Botox injections that promote the fat tissue atrophy.

9. Flattening of the lip philtrum

Lips tend to lose their natural bright color with age, so many women use lipstick, permanent lip makeup, or injections to combat the issue. But there’s a sign that can’t be dealt that easily — a gradual flattening of the lip filtrum.

Filtrum is an area under the nose with 2 separate ridges right under the upper lip. It’s a very important area in the whole structure of the female face. When you’re young, it’s clearly visible but it might start to gradually disappear with age and in old age, it disappears completely.

10. Anhedonia

This Latin word is often used to explain the feeling of the loss of happiness or the inability to enjoy life. If you feel that you don’t feel as excited as you used to about your hobbies, here’s a food for thought. However, the same symptoms might accompany not only the aging process but depression and exhaustion.

Anyhow, you shouldn’t come up with new excuses to avoid meeting your friends, going to the movie you’ve been waiting for, or enjoying the things you used to like. Just pay attention to what’s going on with you. Being sad won’t make your life shorter but it will definitely spoil its quality. Don’t let it happen.

What do you think gives away a person’s age? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!