lifestyle

These Are Things You Can and Can't Get Away With in Your 20s

You may just get away with an erratic sleep schedule

May 23, 2019

By mun ling koh

As you're in your 20s, it's no doubt that you have a youthful metabolism, boundless energy and the ability to shrug off a hangover on your side. However, there are things that you are doing to your body that you may not be able to repay later on in life. With this being said, these are 6 things you can and cannot get away in your golden era...

1. Excessive Drinking: 👎

As your brain isn't fully developed until your mid- to late twenties, the potential for harm is significant. With vast numbers of connections forming between your neurons, habits form easily, with binge-drinking can affect the development of brain regions involved in memory and attention. You might cheat the hangovers, but you can't cheat time.

2. A Chronic Weed Habit: 👎

CBD oil may be trending, but don't mistake that for a green light to get stoned. In your first decades, the connections in your brain are gradually being wrapped in a form of insulation called myelin, with the frontal lobe, linked to decision-making, the last area to complete this process. Daily cannabis use can disrupt this, with ramifications for your cognition. Make smart choices now, so your future self is capable of doing the same.

3. Out-Training a Bad Diet: 👍

Living off the saver menu isn't a routine you want to get into, no matter what your BMI may be. A poor lifestyle can lead to "invisible" yet enormously harmful fat storage around your major organs. However, the high muscle mass and metabolic flexibility of men in their twenties make a biweekly post-gym burger a permissable indulgence. So, grab your napkins.

4. Avoiding the dentist: 👎

The twenties are the worst decade for oral health in males. Neglecting to book in dental appointments now can prove a painful and potentially expensive mistake. Tooth decay can be permanent, but it's also preventable. Book yourself a comprehensive clean-up now and you should be OK, limiting future check-ups to once every couple of years.

5. Borrowing the Odd Cigarette: 👎

While we aren't offering you a carte blanche, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that those who quit between the ages of 25 and 34 had a life expectancy equal to that of non-smokers. But you're gambling with your health: after all, cigarettes are known to be moreish, and if you carry that "only on weekends" habit into later life, your risk of heart complications won't be too different to that of a daily smoker.

6. An Erratic Sleep Schedule: 👍

We tend to get more deep sleep when we are younger. In other words, the sleep you get will likely counterbalance any mid-week Netflix binges, as long as you aim for seven hours per night on average. This ability quickly diminishes as you age, when consistency becomes key. You can't bank sleep for your thirties, so enjoy yourself now.