What Happens To Us As We Age

Trillions of cells in our body are constantly changing, some get destroyed or die and at the same time new cells are formed every minute, this accounts for our body's growth. Birthdays are an important event in everyone's life that measures our age.

Aging is normally associated with wrinkles, dark spots, hair loss and many other things, but it is much more than just all of these. Aging is a process not just related to superficial physical changes, but also related to psychological and social changes.

Although aging is more visible externally, there are a lot of internal effects of aging as well, which are most critical. As we grow old, it is important for all of us to know what is the normal course of aging and what is not.

Some brain regions shrink, while others remain stable as we age. Aging of the brain also impairs the ability of the brain to encode or decode new memories and facts, while processing speed and reflexes decline.

Brain aging can also put one through the risk of having neurological diseases like Parkinson, Alzheimer, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and so on.

This part of aging is visible and very prominent. Our skin begins to develop wrinkles and dark spots (normally called age spots also). The ability of skin to produce oils reduces, resulting in dry and lusterless skin. Hair becomes thinner than normal and changes in hair color from gray initially to white eventually marks aging.

The friction between the joints increases (as the lubrication is reduced) causing pain while moving. The bones also become porous and there is a gradual yet constant loss of density and strength.

Bones are reservoirs of minerals like calcium and phosphorus, but during the process of aging, there is a typical depletion of these minerals making bones fragile and weak.

The retinas become thinner than usual in aging eyes, the sharpness achieved in viewing objects at a distance is impaired, objects placed at a distance appear blurred. The irises get stiffened, hence, the pupils become less responsive and more sensitive to glare. Eye problems like cataracts and glaucoma are common as you age.

Aging also leads to hearing loss. The eardrums thicken, making hearing more difficult than usual. Moreover, exposure to loud noise after 60 years of age can lead to permanent damage of ear cells, or wax building in the eardrums can lead to various infections and diseases.

As we age, the blood vessels lose their elasticity and fatty deposition on the artery walls makes the arteries smaller or rather narrows down, as a result, blood flow to the heart slows down.

All these factors make the heart work harder than usual to pump blood to other parts of the body. The result is hypertension, cardiac arrest, arteriosclerosis and other serious disorders.

The process of aging is unavoidable, however the effects of which vary from person to person and so does its severity. Why we grow old is an enigma, but it is a universal truth which cannot be challenged, and there is no magic capsule or tablet invented yet to stop the process of 'aging'.

Although aging comes in with its own discomforts like aches, pains, sags and forgetfulness; regular exercise, relaxation techniques, keeping stress under control and taking good care of your body and brain can ensure a more active and pain-free old age.