How Your Body Changes As You Age
Aging is an inevitable and normal process in our life. But, do you know how your body changes as you age? Well, it is imperative that you know the changes in your body as you grow older. Knowing what's expected will help you create a balanced lifestyle and address the changes so you can maintain your quality of life and age gracefully. Let us look at some of the common changes you should expect as you grow older.
Changes in your Bones
As you age, the bone cell breakdown rate surpasses the bone cell production rate. The higher breakdown rate reduces the bones' density and size and makes them more brittle. Consequently, this will increase your risk of developing bone disorders like osteoporosis and osteopenia. Moreover, your bones have a higher risk of fracturing.
Changes in your Muscles
Your lean body mass starts to decline between 30-40 years of age as the body's ability to produce muscle cells reduces. The muscles lose flexibility, endurance, and strength, which affect stability, coordination, and balance. Then, the lower body parts tend to lose strength faster than the upper body. This is why you risk tripping and falling as you age. Of course, you will tend to struggle to lift heavy objects because your muscles lack enough strength. The loss of muscles and bones results in a reduction in height; adults' height reduces by ½ inch every ten years after age 40.
Changes in your Mood
You may have noticed that your moods fluctuate more in older adults. This is very common as we age; you will go through overwhelming, intense episodes of anger, sadness, depression, anxiety, and excitement. The mood changes are usually a result of hormonal imbalances. On the flip side, you can overcome this problem with solutions like hormone optimization therapy. In addition to overcoming mood changes, the therapy will improve the quality of life and relieve other age-related symptoms like fatigue, loss of energy, strength, and muscles, to mention a few.
Changes in your Cognitive Ability
Your cognitive ability tends to reduce between 30-40 years of age. The signal transmission by the nerves between your body and the brain reduces. This makes it more difficult to process information, react to stimuli, pay attention and multitask. You may also suffer from cognitive disorders like dementia and Alzheimer's disease. These conditions may affect the quality of your life; you tend to take longer to learn new concepts, and forgetfulness also kicks in.
Changes in your Digestion
With old age comes new digestion problems due to a slowdown in gastrointestinal motility. Thus, food takes longer than usual in the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in acid reflux, constipation, and heartburn. You might also develop food intolerances, for example, lactose intolerance. Moreover, sensory changes occur, and your food no longer tastes like it used to. This is because the taste buds are also aging and losing their ability. However, there are solutions available to support digestive health, such as incorporating probiotics like Bio X4 into your daily routine. These supplements can help maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria, promoting smoother digestion and overall well-being, ensuring that you can continue to enjoy your favorite foods with ease..
Wrapping up
Frankly, you can't halt the aging process. It is inevitable that your body will change as you age. However, you can choose to improve and maintain your quality of life. The key is to know the changes you expect as you age. It will then help you prepare to address the common body changes and slow down the signs of aging.