Aging - Know Your Body

"Our job is improving the quality of life, not just delaying death." ~ Patch Adams

I totally agree, but it is still important to live long. To date, the longest documented human life has been 122 years. This is by no means the norm but along with information and technological advancement, people are enjoying longer life span. The difference being that we learn more about our body and how to take care of them as they age. The following changes with age:

Cardio

Heart muscle becomes less efficient, less pliant and less able to pump large quantities of blood. Blood vessels lose elasticity and hard fatty deposits may form giving you high blood pressure or heart disease.

Skeletal

Bones stop growing in mid 20s, eventually even starting to shrink. Women especially may experience less bone density which can mean bones break more easily. Muscles become less elastic. Joints become less flexible. In other words, bones loses their strength.

Digestive

Oh constipation, thou a pestering bitch!! Intestines slow down, secretions diminish a bit, and swallowing slows down, too. The dumping system clogs up every so often as a result.

Urination Process

The kidneys lose efficiency in waste removal. Medications, high blood pressure and diabetes can damage them further. About a third of people over 65 lose some control of their bladder function - for a number of reasons (including heavy cough, overweight, and that bugaboo - constipation). Post-menopause women may have stress-incontinence as hormones lessen and tissues in the urethra thin out. Men can sometimes trace the cause to prostate issues.

Brain and Nervous System

Older people's brains lose neurons and memory becomes less sharp. Reflexes slow down causing a lack of coordination sometimes. There are many mind exercises and physiotherapy that can help counter some of the aging effects.

Senses

Eyes dry out. Retinas thin and lenses get cloudy. By 40, you will probably need reading glasses. Pupils can get less responsive and night driving gets uncomfortable. Some people develop cataracts, glaucoma or macular degeneration. Mind you, many of the damage will be irreversable even if it can be slowed. Hearing loss is extremely common especially when it comes with deafening music in headphones/earphones. Certain high tones will no logner be detectable. There are many hearing correctors available - surgeries, implants and digital hearing aids.

Mouth

Taste buds change. Dry mouth may make infection or decay a problem. Most people can keep their own teeth all their lives but maintenance is crucial. Almost any dental problem can be corrected if caught in time. Mouth cancer is more common in older people. Therefore dental checkup is important..... and expensive.

Skin and Hair

Skin and hair get thinner. Both loose flexibility and can be more easily damaged. Hair may turn grey. Many people notice dry skin and wrinkles because oil glands can't produce as they once did. Bruising happens more easily. We develop age spots and our nails grow very slowly. It's important to hydrate consistently because your sweat glands don't work efficiently and it becomes tougher to stay cool in high temps. Heat stroke is a danger. Sun exposure is the major factor in aging of skin. If you smoke, there's a 40-50% chance you'll get skin cancer at least once by the time you are 65.

Sleeping

According to the experts say your sleep needs, as an adult, don't change much. So if you're good with 7 hours of sleep, you'll probably still need the seven or eight. You won't sleep as soundly as you age, so you might have to be in bed longer to get those hours, and waking during the night becomes pretty common.

Weight

If your activity level decreases, you might have real trouble as your metabolism turns sluggish. The fat will go right to your hips, buttocks, tummy and thighs as you burn fewer calories. God, I hope so!!