What Is Aging?

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Aging is a process which is accompanied by an array of changes in the human body.  Despite being unstoppable, there are many ways that you can help yourself and reduce the impact of the aging process, keep yourself  healthier and feel happier. These changes are part of normal wear and tear process and may not necessarily be in favour of a disease or a health problem. They only shows that your body went through a life and it's exertions. Keeping healthy and staying in a top shape is an excellent way of living life. However, even in that superb living condition, wear and tear is inevitable. As I always say, knowledge is the key. Having some knowledge and expecting these bodily changes will keep you prepared mentally to be familiar with common symptoms and conditions to watch out for. In this case, you are alert enough to take the steps to prevent them or treat them sooner when they happen. 

What Changes to Expect In Your Body As You Age?

Skin: Your skin being exposed to all external agents, shows the signs of aging earlier, and in turn is one of the easiest parts of the aging process to help and prevent. Gradually your skin loses its elasticity and volume. As a result, wrinkles and fine lines will start to appear. By changing in collagen content, your skin becomes thinner and more fragile, which make it prone to easy bruise. Not to mention that sun damage and appearance of sunspots are very common during process of aging. Therefore, taking care of skin should be started years before aging process shows itself. There are many skin care treatments and products in the market which help reduce speed of aging process on the skin and postpone the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. 

Musculoskeletal tissue: As you age, your bones lose their density due to the changes in calcium and vitamin D absorption, production and metabolism. These elements give bone it's strength. The absorption capacity of your gut declines. Therefore, you receive less calcium from foods you eat, and as a result bone and joints become weak. Your bones and spines may shrink in size making them more susceptible to injuries and fractures happens very easily due to minor trauma and falling. Your muscles begin to lose their mass and consistency that leads to becoming weaker while your joints suffer from age related wear and tear causing pain and inflammation. 

Build of Body: Inevitable changes in bone density and supporting ligaments in addition to loss of consistency of muscles from one side and redistribution of fat from other side contribute to a change in the shape and build of your body.  Body stature may become shorter because of reduction of height of spine and the curvature of the back may be altered as well. Continued muscle loss and a slower metabolism help in increased fat redistribution leading to fat accumulation in abdominal and buttocks area of your body. Maintaining an ideal body weight will also become even more difficult. 

Immunity: Declining in the function of your bodily immune system and lower immunity level due to aging, makes you more susceptible to infections and other immunity related diseases. Efficacy and number of the white blood cells that are the first line of defense against diseases  declines in the process of aging mauke you vulnerable against diseases.

Hearing: Changes in the ear structure from external canal to internal small bones in addition to changes in nerves of hearing contribute to age-related hearing decline and even loss. Higher frequencies will become harder to hear. 

Vision: As we age, The globe become smaller, the lenses inside of your eyes gradually lose their shape and elasticity in addition to becoming opaque, resulting in vision problems. The tear glands shrink and your eyes start feeling dryness as it lose the ability to produce adequate amount of tears. That is the reason you feel that your eyes have constant irritating symptoms of dry eye. You need to visit your optometrist more frequently as you get older  to prevent those changes that are preventable and detect age related eye conditions such as glaucoma and cataract at their early stages. 

Memory: you may experience mild and minor memory problems with age which do not always lead to dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Minor gaps in memory such as forgetting where you left an object may happen which are a normal part of aging.   

We all see our hair are graying even some see it in their early thirties or we see the wrinkles are coming. However, it is important to look after other changes that affect your health that is part of inevitable aging process. It is an excellent idea to visit your naturopathic Doctor regularly to help ensure that certain health problems are not advancing on you. Includes your dentist and eye doctor in the circle as well.