How Age Changes Your Body

Mayo Clinic Describes What to Expect as You Age

Aug 21, 2006 Maryan Pelland

Aging is natural and normal - the alternative unthinkable. Ponder with us inevitable changes of age and how you can live a good life in harmony with them.

To date, the longest documented human life has been 122 years. That doesn't happen every day, but you will enjoy much longer life spans than our parents and grandparents did, most likely. This is especially true if you understand your body and take care of yourself.

Information from the Mayo Clinic's health site recently listed the changes you can expect as your body ages. Let's take a condensed look at some of their ideas and consider how to use the information.

There's no way to predict when, and to what extent these changes will occur. Indeed, some people may never realize they have experienced some of them. Others may be profoundly affected. In any case, paying attention to your body and changes in it, and discussing those with your doctor as soon as you are aware of them, can only help.

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. End result is high blood pressure or heart disease. This can be controlled and moderated to an extent by diet and exercise.

Skeletal

Your bones stop growing in your mid 20s. You may get shorter as bones actually shrink. Women especially may experience less bone density which can mean bones break more easily. Muscles become less elastic. Joints become less flexible. You may lose strength. There is some evidence that weight training can be helpful here. Osteoporosis can be reversed with medication.

Digestive

Ever wonder why so many older adults have a constipation concern? Well, surprisingly, your intestines slow down, secretions diminish a bit, and swallowing slows down, too. Could be why older people's appetites diminish and why gaining weight is a concern in our 40s and 50s. Mayo says you may never notice these changes, other than the constipation factor. Fruit, veggies, and plenty of fluids help. Prunes, folks, prunes.

Urination Process

Your 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-meno women may have stress-incontinence as hormones lessen and tissues in the urethra thin out. Men can sometimes trace the cause to prostate issues. There are medications to control or mitigate incontinence.

Brain and Nervous System

Older people's brains lose neurons and memory becomes less sharp. Reflexes slow down causing a lack of coordination sometimes. But, Mayo Clinic says, some cell connections in a healthy brain actually increase to compensate for other changes.

Your Senses

Eyes dry out. Retinas thin and lenses get cloudy. We all know that our 40th birthday seems to cause the need for reading glasses. Feels like almost overnight. Pupils can get less responsive and night driving gets uncomfortable. Some people develop cataracts, glaucoma or macular degeneration. Hearing loss is extremely common, maybe even more so for baby boomers who grew up with very loud music in headphones. You may notice conversation becoming hard to follow or difficulty in hearing high tones. There are many hearing correctors availablee - everything from surgeries, to implants, to 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 a lot depends on maintenance. Almost any dental problem you can name can be corrected if caught in time. Mouth cancer is more common in older people - have your dentist check.

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. You may be surprised to learn smoking is also significant. There's a 40 to 50 percent chance you'll get skin cancer at least once by the time you are 65 - so have a regular check up by a dermatologist and ask someone close to you to keep an eye on physical changes on your skin.

Sleeping

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. If you have always slept six hours, that won't change more than a little bit. 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 food that once fueled your active day will now pad your hips, buttocks, tummy and thighs really quickly. You'll burn fewer calories. It's a good time to talk with your doctor about appropriate exercise and nutritional wisdom.

What You Can Do

Don't give up the ship. Even if you're pretty sure you've taken less than the best care of the body you were given, it isn't too late to fix some things, according to the medical experts. Talk to a nutritionist - you'll be fascinated by how simple it is to make small changes with big results. Start moving about more - exercise can be fun. You can count everyday activities as exercise. Energetic house cleaning, walking up and down stairs, swimming, and so forth all count. You've heard the recent advice - park your car farther from the store. Use stairs, not elevators. Get up from the couch or computer every hour and do something active.

Develop a good relationship with a doctor you trust and see that doctor regularly. Talk over things that concern you. Keep an eye on your partner or spouse and ask them to monitor your health visually, too. Read a lot - keep up to date on the latest health information and take the steps that seem viable or rational to your situation. You live in an excellent time - medication, therapies, science and research are increasing life expectancies almost daily. Do your part and make the most of what you have.

One more thought - medical author Dr. M. Roizen said, "Learn to laugh at yourself and your RealAge will be 1.7 years younger."