How will the aging body change?

The most recognizable signs of body aging are wrinkles and gray hair. However, the aging process also affects other organs such as cardiovascular, digestive, urinary, genital… Find out what changes can happen to proactively protect and enhance your own health. me alone.

Normally, body parts begin to decline in function when we turn 30. This makes it more difficult for you to perform strenuous physical activities, adapt to changes in temperature or to deal with stress.

How does aging affect organ systems?

Effects of aging on the cardiovascular system

With aging, blood vessels become stiffer, causing the heart to work harder to pump blood to the organs. At the same time, the heart muscles also change to adapt. These changes increase the risk of high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems.

Overall, though, your heart is working fine. The difference is only apparent when the heart has to pump more blood, such as during exercise or illness. Aging makes your heart unable to speed up and pump blood as fast as it used to.

The aging of the body manifests itself in the musculoskeletal system

With age, the density and size of bones tend to shrink, making them weaker and more prone to fracture. You may even find yourself shorter than when you were younger.

The cartilage that surrounds the joints thins, in part due to wear and tear over the years. Ligaments and tendons are less elastic, causing joints to feel tight or stiff. Muscles also gradually lose strength, endurance, and flexibility. These factors can affect your coordination, stability, and balance.

Digestive system changes due to age

In general, the digestive system is less affected by aging than other parts of the body. The muscles of the esophagus contract less, the stomach cannot hold as much food because it is less elastic. Digestion and absorption of food is also a bit slower. However, these changes are insignificant.

However, changes in the structure of the large intestine due to aging can cause constipation. In addition, the digestive system produces less lactase, an enzyme responsible for digesting milk. Therefore, older adults are more likely to develop intolerance to dairy products (lactose intolerance).

In addition, the decline in liver function due to aging makes the ability to eliminate toxins from the body less.

Lungs and respiratory system

The muscles used to breathe, the diaphragm, and the muscles between the ribs tend to weaken. The number of air sacs (alveoli) and capillaries in the lungs decreases. Therefore, the amount of oxygen absorbed from the inhaled air will be less.

The lungs become less elastic and less able to fight infections than before. This makes it difficult to maintain the exercise for a long time, and it is also more difficult to breathe in areas with thin air. You are also more susceptible to respiratory diseases.

Kidneys and urinary tract

After the age of 30, the kidney’s filtering function also declines. Over time, the kidneys can excrete too much urine making the body more susceptible to dehydration.

The bladder becomes less elastic, causing you to urinate more often. Weakness of the bladder and pelvic floor muscles can also cause you to urinate incessantly or incontinence. In men, an enlarged or inflamed prostate also makes it difficult to urinate.

Brain and nervous system

The number of neurons in the brain usually decreases with age. Besides, the chemicals involved in sending messages in the brain also tend to disappear, the nerves transmit signals more slowly, the blood flow to the brain decreases… These changes make the brain work. worse than when I was younger.

In addition, the self-healing ability of the nerves is also slow and incomplete. As a result, older people with nerve damage often have less sensation and weakness.

Aging of the body affects the senses

Over time, your senses are no longer as sharp as before. With your eyes, you may have trouble seeing objects up close. You are often more sensitive to glare and have difficulty adapting to different levels of light. Aging can also affect the lens of the eye, causing cataracts.

In terms of hearing, you may have difficulty hearing high-frequency sounds or have to listen in noisy, crowded environments. In addition, earwax also tends to accumulate more, which interferes with your ability to hear.

In terms of taste, the tongue will decrease in sensitivity as you age. Meanwhile, your sense of smell also declines because the lining of the nose becomes thin and dry, and the nerves in the nose are less sensitive. However, this change is not too significant.

The aging process also causes the gums to recede, making it difficult to keep your teeth clean. In addition, enamel tends to wear down and the mouth is prone to dryness. This makes you more susceptible to dental problems, making your teeth more likely to fall out.

Skin aging

As you age, your skin thins and becomes less elastic. Fat tissue under the skin is reduced, making the skin more prone to tearing. The number of nerve endings in the skin is less. As a result, you may be more susceptible to injury due to a lack of sensitivity to pain, temperature, and pressure.

The skin is also more prone to dryness due to reduced natural oil production. Wrinkles, age spots and small nodules become more and more pronounced. In addition, the skin is less likely to form vitamin D when exposed to the sun. So the risk of vitamin D deficiency increases.

Aging affects the reproductive organs

In women, the effects of aging on sex hormones are more pronounced than in men. These effects are most evident during menopause, when levels of female hormones (especially estrogen) drop suddenly and menstruation stops permanently.

Decreased levels of female hormones cause the ovaries and uterus to shrink. The tissues of the vagina become thin, dry and less elastic. In severe cases, these changes can lead to itching, bleeding, pain during intercourse, and urgency to urinate.

Besides, the breast area becomes less firm, fibrous and saggy. This makes detecting breast lumps more difficult.

For men, the change in sex hormone levels is less abrupt. The male hormone testosterone gradually decreases, reducing libido, reducing erection ability, and decreasing sperm quality and quantity.

Endocrine system

In general, the levels and activity of certain endocrine system hormones tend to decrease as we age.

In most cases, changes in the endocrine system have no noticeable effect on overall health. But in some people, they can increase the risk of health problems. For example, changes in insulin increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Immune System

Over time, the cells of the immune system decline and slow down. These cells are responsible for identifying and destroying foreign substances such as bacteria, viruses, cancer cells, etc. This decline partly explains the following aging-related findings:

• Cancer is more common in older people.
• Certain infections, such as pneumonia and the flu, are more common in older people and more likely to cause death
• Allergy symptoms become less severe.
• As the immune system slows down, autoimmune disorders are less common.

Tips to help you slow down the aging process of your body

Aging is a natural process of the body. You can neither evade nor reverse this process. However, you can completely slow down the aging of the body, enhance and protect health by the following ways:

• Build a healthy diet. Add vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fiber-rich foods, calcium- and vitamin D-rich foods to your diet. Limit foods high in saturated fat and salt.
• Exercise regularly, exercise regularly, fit
• Maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight, focus on losing weight to a healthy weight
• Manage stress with measures such as meditation, yoga, or talk therapy. Joining a group or volunteering is also a way to get rid of stress and the risk of depression.
• Get enough sleep. Adults over 18 years old should sleep 7-9 hours a day.
• Avoid substance abuse. Do not smoke and limit alcoholic beverages.
• Go to the toilet regularly. Do not hold your bowel movements for too long as this can cause constipation
• Do Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles
• Stay mentally active to improve memory and thinking skills. You can read books, play mind games, find a new hobby…
• Thoroughly clean your teeth with mouthwash, brush your teeth properly
• Use sunscreen , protective jackets, wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses when going outside
• Get regular health check-ups to detect and treat potential health problems early.

Hopefully the above information has given you an overview of the changes that can occur as the body ages. Instead of worrying about these changes, you can take the initiative to protect and promote your health, live an active life, do the things you enjoy, and spend time with your loved ones.