What Happens to Your Body as You Age?
Every day that we live, we are at risk to developing some type of ailment: allergies, colds, pneumonia, flu, muscle pains, joint injuries and so on. We don't know either if we are going to die the next day, next week, next month or next year; our life expectancy shortens because we may end up a victim of a crime or accident one day or develop a serious illness.
We also live in a world where crime and violence is prevalent. We may be walking on the street one minute and the next minute we could be struck down by a stray bullet or run over by a drunk driver. You could turn your head the other way and say something like that isn't going to happen to you, but who's to say it won't? It can happen to you and to the people you love. Are prepared to deal with it?
Not a lot of people relish or welcome the idea of having to face reality head-on. However, this is something you must be prepared to do. For instance, if you live in a place that often gets hit by tornadoes or hurricanes, you wouldn't stand idle and not prepare for the day when a huge tornado or hurricane hits, would you? You'll be prepared for that day -- perhaps you'll have a basement that's fully stocked, a survival kit in the trunk of your car in case a tornado or hurricane finds you on the road, or you may have reinforced your home to make it stronger and not easily blown away or damaged.
It's basically the same thing for your health as you age. You'd prepare for when you are older; you'll take steps to ensure that you can handle anything that old age may throw at you: illnesses, wrinkles, injuries from old age, etc. As we age, our risk of developing some ailments or conditions goes up. When we age, our brain, eyes, ears, mouth, sense of smell, heart, lungs, and all the other parts undergo various changes; they all become senescent -- grow old.
The Brain
The brain is composed of blood cells, dendrites, tissues and cells. All these elements make up the central nervous system. As we begin to age, our brain experiences reduced blood flow. In addition, the chemicals produced in the brain as well as in the body decline. Naturally, the central nervous system declines too.
The Eyes
As we age, our vision goes bad. This is because the lens stiffen with age, the retina becomes less responsive to daylight and artificial light, and the pupils begin to respond more slowly.
The Ears, Mouth and Nose
Your ears may become poor as you age; you are less likely to hear high-pitch frequencies. Your taste buds gradually lose their sense of taste; in fact, it is likely that you won't like the foods you once liked as you grow older. As for your nose, you may find that the more you age, the less sharp your sense of smell becomes; you'll find it more and more difficult to identify odors.
The Heart
As you age, your heart and pulse becomes slower. The muscles of your heart start to stiffen, which in turn causes circulation of your blood to become slower.
The Lungs
Like the heart, the lungs begins to gradually lose its ability to obtain air as we age. As you grow older, you'll find that it becomes a bit harder to take breaths since your lungs won't be able to carry oxygen to your blood as quickly as it used to.
The Liver
The liver actually becomes smaller as you age as well as reduce its blood flow.
Basically, as you advance in years, your body undergoes a lot of changes, with most of these changes affecting the bladder, kidneys, colon, large intestines, immune system, skin, metabolism and the reproductive organs. Men's reproductive organs will lose their ability to function properly due to enlarged prostate glands, and their testosterone reproduction will decrease as they age. In addition, men won't be able to perform sexually as they get older because blood flow to the penis will slow down or cease.
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