What Are the Main Physiological Effects of Aging?

Warning: A non-numeric value encountered in /home/wealffco/public_html/wewt/wp-content/plugins/adsense-daemon/Adsense-Daemon.php on line 243

Warning: A non-numeric value encountered in /home/wealffco/public_html/wewt/wp-content/plugins/adsense-daemon/Adsense-Daemon.php on line 243

It goes without saying that aging takes a pretty significant toll on the body.

If you aren’t experiencing it yourself, you have no doubt seen relatives who have suffered from the negative effects of aging.

But, have you ever wondered what the precise, physiological effects of aging are?

In this article, you are going to see a more detailed explanation of what happens to your body as it starts to get older.

Circulatory System

One of the leading causes of death of people over the age of 80 is heart attacks.

This may make you wonder exactly what aging does to your heart and circulatory system for this to be the case.

Everyone’s heart muscles contract periodically, this is known as myocardial contractility.

Studies have shown that older people’s hearts contract for longer than a younger person’s heart does.

This greatly increases the chances of heart failure.

Now, the heart does adjust a bit for this, but it is still isn’t enough to offset the issue, which is why older people suffer from heart attacks at a greater rate than younger people.

Immune System

As people age, there is a general degradation of the immune system.

Why this is exactly is unclear, but it is generally accepted.

This is why it is considered so important for the elderly to be kept away from sick people and why it is important for them to get vaccinations on time.

It is also why certain diseases are deadlier to elderly people.

Respiratory System

While the decline of the respiratory system isn’t as pronounced as the decline of other systems in the body, it is still there.

As you get older, your lung capacity slowly decreases.

There are slight differences in sex, with women’s lung capacity decreasing at a slightly slower rate, but the end result is the same.

Thankfully, this decrease can be offset by things like cardio, staying thin, and other general health tips.

Genitourinary System

Older people’s bladders simply don’t have the capacity of younger people’s bladders.

As a person gets older, their bladder can hold less urine and their ability to hold in urine decreases.

A younger person will only start to feel the need to pee when their bladder is over half full.

An older person will feel the need when their bladder is well-under half full.

Finally, as many of you no doubt, know incontinence becomes a bigger issue as well when people age because the bladder weakens.

How to Take Care of Your Mental Health As You Age

Your mental health has a direct impact on your quality of life.

So, maintaining a healthy mental state should be paramount when it comes to your lifestyle choices.

But, how can you support mental health as you age?

With many seniors suffering from things like dementia and depression, is it even possible to remain mentally healthy as you grow older?

The fact is: yes!

You can remain completely mentally healthy at any age, as long as you follow some basic advice.

1) Support Your Physical Wellbeing

Perhaps one of the most direct ways to boost your mental wellbeing is to support your physical wellbeing.

Eating right and exercising are two huge factors in having the energy and mood to get out and live life each day.

So, it’s easy to see how physical and mental wellbeing go hand-in-hand with each other.

Support one and it will trickle over into the other.

2) Have a Mental Outlet

It helps to have someone to vent to when things don’t go our way.

But, we don’t all have an outlet like that.

If you are lacking one, you can try to find one by discovering common ground with someone close to you.

Alternatively, you can seek a local group or club that may help you make a connection with someone.

Even if you don’t feel comfortable opening up to someone, having a social outlet is a huge part of supporting a healthy lifestyle.

3) Find Things You Love

When most people retire, they think of it as a whole new start to life.

You might not have a lot of money, but you still have the time and ability to have more fun than you ever thought possible.

If you want to travel, you can find bargain deals to fly to some far away place or you can save money by staying local with a day trip or even a train ride somewhere.

Getting creative and finding new things that you enjoy doing will directly feed into your mental health.