Growing Old is Inevitable, Knowing What it Brings is Important

Let’s take a look at some of the age related changes

1. Your Heart Works Harder

Age hurts your heart. The chances of a senior citizen being at risk of heart diseases are way more than a person half his age. This happens because the oxygen-rich blood struggles more to reach your heart. When we don’t follow a healthy lifestyle or stop being active, plaque builds up in the coronary arteries and the blood flow to heart muscles is reduced. Also, since the heart is a muscle, it can weaken over a period of time and finds it difficult to adjust when the workload increases. All these changes escalate the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) and other cardiovascular problems. Stay active to keep your heart healthy.

2. Your Skin Feels Different

With age, your skin becomes thinner and less elastic. The fatty tissue beneath the skin decreases. And since it also becomes more fragile, older people bruise more easily. If you notice drier skin, it is because of the reduced production of natural oils. Ageing gracefully requires you to embrace the wrinkles instead of finding surgical solutions to hide them. Sweat more to stay slim and use creams.Wear glares and protective clothing when stepping outside. Indulging in warm water baths can also help keep skin healthy.

3. You Find It Harder to See and Hear

Difficulty in focusing on objects is age related change. You may become more sensitive to glare and struggle to adapt to different levels of light. Ageing affects your eye's lens and causes clouded vision better known as cataracts. Similarly, the hearing power might diminish with the person facing difficulty in hearing high or low or mixed decibels. Wearing sunglasses and earplugs can help when light or sound becomes too much to handle.

4. Your Teeth and Gums Change

Long-term mismanagement of dental health can cause chronic gum inflammation aka gingivitis (bleeding gums). Also, medications for the treatment of allergies, asthma, high BP, and high cholesterol, can result in dry mouth and subsequently make teeth and gums more vulnerable to decay and infection. Brushing twice a day and flossing once is the way to go.

5. Your Bones Become More Brittle

Bones have a tendency to shrink in size with age. Their density weakens and they become more susceptible to fracture. You may have noticed that senior citizens become a bit shorter. Also, fluid and cartilage that lines the joints can wear away. The chances of developing arthritis also go up substantially. A good amount of Calcium and Vitamin D can help keep bones healthy.

6. Going to the Bathroom

While old people may complain more of constipation because of structural changes in the intestines, they may also require more bathroom breaks as the bladder becomes less elastic with age. Weakening of bladder and pelvic floor muscles causes difficulty in emptying the bladder or loss of bladder control. A little or more leakage while coughing, sneezing, or before reaching the washroom is embarrassing. For women, menopause and for men enlarged prostate, can be a factor. Avoid consuming alcohol and aerated drinks and drink more water. Kegel exercises make pelvic muscles strong and eating high-fiber food can relieve constipation.

7. It’s Harder Getting Around or Staying Strong

And not just bones, even the muscles lose their endurance and flexibility. All these factors culminate to hamper coordination, stability, and balance. Losing muscle mass leads to weakness and reduced activity. Cut down on your consumption of sugar and start lifting weights to strengthen those muscles.