Healthy Aging

Right from before (and before), our bodies are in a constant state of change.  While we are excited when we are younger about the prospect of getting taller or stronger the effects of aging body changes are often less thrilling.  Our bodies are no longer improving and becoming more durable permitting us greater freedom, they are instead beginning to weaken and slow down.

Our bodies do actually shrink as we age.  As the years go by our bones, muscles and joints change and we actually lose 1 cm for every ten years after age 40.  After 70 years old height loss is even greater.  The end result is aging may cause us to lose between one and three inches in height.

As we hit 40 most people will require some sort of eyeglasses for reading.  This is because the lens in your eye becomes less flexible.  Also with age, your night vision and visual sharpness begin to deteriorate and glare will begin to get in the way of clear vision as you continue to get older.

Continuing on the eyesight theme, our ability to see colors also changes as our bodies age.  This is because the lens of the eyes yellows.  The problem begins to manifest itself at the blue end of the spectrum and you may begin to have trouble distinguishing between different shades of blue and between blues and greens.  This is important to be aware of because of the different colored pills that many elderly people take.  You need to be especially careful that there is no mix-up.

Vision impairments can be even more serious as our aging body changes.  7 to 15 percent of older adults will develop cataracts, glaucoma and even blindness.

An aging body changes how we gain weight.  Men gain weight until they are 55 and then begin to lose it, while women gain weight until they are 65.  Deteriorating muscle tissue can be partly to blame for this.  The amount of fatty tissue will also increase, but the persons total body weight may stay the same.  The older we get the amount of our body weight that is made of water will go down.  This is significant as some medications are water soluble; making them more potent in the elderly.

Male baldness is another inevitability for nearly 65% of men by age 60.  25% of them will have begun to see signs by age 30.  Hair is typically lost at the temples and at the top of the head, consistent with male pattern baldness associated with the male hormone testosterone.

Men and women will notice sexual changes that are consistent with normal body aging.  This can include a decrease in libido and erectile dysfunction or impotence in men.  Treatment options are available however, in the form natural health products like ViSwiss and Ezerex or prescription medications like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra.  A number of medications taken as we get older can cause sexual problems and if you notice any changes that are not consent with normal aging then you should talk to your doctor.  These conversations can feel embarrassing, but your doctor can explain to you what is happening and work with you to find a solution.

As we get older less and less background noise is needed to create an interference with our ability to decipher a message being said.  Television for example can cause a problem with hearing others speaking to us.  Conversely we sometimes need to increase the volume on devices such as televisions to hear them.  This can unfortunately create conflict or discomfort for others in the room who are not hearing impaired.

Skin conditions are extremely common in older people with nearly 90% experiencing some type of skin disorder.

A less common form of age related breathing disturbance is central sleep apnea.  Not to be confused with the more common obstructive sleep apnea, this kind is the result of a failure by the brain to control the breathing process.  Snoring is usually not a symptom, but fragmented sleep and increased daytime sleepiness and fatigue will still accompany.

Healthy aging, the theme of this website, is the aim to reduce the negative effects of aging.  We want to maintain our physical and mental health, while doing what can be done to prevent disorders.  We want to maintain our independence and remain active.  This requires a dedicated effort and gets harder as we get older.  Developing healthy lifestyle habits related to diet and exercise are an important first step.  The sooner you commit to these healthy aging activities the better you are positioned to face and take on aging body changes.  The AARP website has a great section on staying healthy by practicing prevention.

Everyone’s body will go through dramatic changes as they grow older and age.  That is where the similarities end however.  Everyone will age differently and even different systems within one person will age at different rates.