While aging is a natural part of life, there are several lifestyle choices you may be making that could be bringing on the aging process way too quickly. Below are some of the lifestyle choices and treatable health issues that could be contributing to an accelerated aging process—both internally and externally.

Thyroid disease is extremely common, affecting more than 27 million Americans. While it is important that a thyroid condition be managed by a doctor, you are your own best advocate for your health, and there is much you can do on your own to support your thyroid health. The foods you eat are an important factor that can have a major effect on your experience with thyroid disease. Certain foods can help you manage hypothyroidism, reduce the symptoms of fatigue, and balance your hormones while other foods can make the condition worse.

The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis—the complex relationship between the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenals—is something that few people think about, or even know about. However, chronic daily stressors as well as serious life changes can cause problems with the HPA axis and lead to symptoms such as fatigue, trouble sleeping, allergies, weakened immune function, and food cravings, to name a few. Learning the facts behind HPA axis suppression (known as adrenal fatigue before the dysfunction was fully understood) can help in managing symptoms and restoring balance in the body.

If you’ve ever been too embarrassed to take off your shirt at the beach, you’re probably familiar with the term “man boobs.” At least thirty percent of males are affected by gynecomastia—the medical term for male breasts—in their lifetimes. In fact, it’s the most common condition affecting breast tissue in men—and it doesn’t happen only when you put on weight. Additional upper body fat, and certainly obesity, will contribute to a fuller chest, but men at any weight can develop gynecomastia, and the cause is most often hormonal. Specifically, it happens when there is an imbalance between male estrogen and androgens, due to either an increase in estrogen production, a decrease in androgen production, or both. This leads to an enlargement of glandular tissue behind the nipples, or the dreaded “bosom” effect.

Whether you’re a full-time mom or balancing both work and family responsibilities, you probably know what it’s like to feel burned out by a never-ending to-do list. At one time or another, most women grapple with the stress of trying to be everything to everyone. Probably due in part to their multifaceted roles in our fast-paced, modern world, women are twice as likely as men to experience depression. But it’s more than just that—a woman’s biology also increases her vulnerability to depression. Specifically, the profound hormonal fluctuations that occur during the menstrual cycle, during and after childbirth, and leading up to menopause can trigger depressive symptoms for many women.

The anti-aging market is one of the biggest in today’s world, with countless potions, creams, supplements, devices, and other treatments designed to delay the aging process. But new research shows that the most effective way to keep your cells young may simply be to adjust your workout.

As men age, their testosterone levels naturally start waning—in fact, it has been estimated that nearly 40 percent of men aged 45 and older have clinically low levels of testosterone, or androgen deficiency. Low testosterone levels are responsible for everything from the loss of sexual desire, weaker erections, increased belly fat, and breast enlargement to low muscle mass, low energy, irritability, and depression—all symptoms that no man wants to deal with.

Do you enjoy dancing? Hiking? Gardening? Playing with your children or grandchildren? If you have joint pain, especially knee, shoulder, or back pain, some of your favorite activities have probably become painful and arduous, if not impossible. And because regular physical activity is essential for your physical health—even helping to stabilize your mood and keep your energy levels elevated—joint pain can have health effects that reach far beyond simply making it more difficult to move.

Diabetes is a growing global health crisis. According to the World Health Organization, the number of people with diabetes has nearly quadrupled, from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014. Part of why this is such a huge problem is because diabetes can lead to sexual dysfunction, heart failure, blindness, kidney failure, amputation, and other serious problems.

If you frequently “borrow” hours from the sleep department in order to get more done, you’re not alone: more than a third of Americans aren’t getting the minimum of seven hours a night recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS). And a whopping 65 percent of Americans never get a full eight hours of sleep.