Physiological Effect of Aging

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:

As one ages, it may take longer to respond to stimuli. After an illness, it may also take longer to return to feeling your best. Body changes associated with aging usually make us more vulnerable to various diseases. Aging can also be defined as a state of mind, which does not always keep pace with our chronological age.

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What is Aging?
Even though everyone is familiar with aging, but it is difficult to define the term. Aging is the accumulation of changes in an organism or object over time. It is also known as senescence. In order for some average reader to understand, the term aging is usually used. Aging is one of the most complex biological process. The aging process is constant and it cannot be avoided, but how fast we age is different from one person to another person. We might not notice the changes of aging unless we see the changes in our body like wrinkles, hair loss or graying hair. As we age, most of the bodys organ will perform less efficiently. Our vision and hearing power become less sensitive, strength of muscles weakens, immune system weakens, skin and blood vessels become less flexible. Hence, the overall performance of our body declines.

Senior adulthood
Stages of life

Infancy: 0-2 Childhood: 2-13 Adolescence: 13-18 Young adulthood: 18-40 Middle adulthood : 40-65

Stage of Life
CONTENT: Infancy
What is Aging? Stage of Life Natural Change With Age How to Slow Down Aging Process Aging Test

Adolescence They have improved ability of self-expression but may have difficulty refining a self-identity and controlling their emotions and impulsions. They also experience rapid growth due to puberty as well as hormonal changes. Young adulthood Human reach their physical maturity and stop growing at this stage. At the age of 30, human bodys major organs begin to decline.

Middle adulthood After age 40, metabolism slows down, skin and hair may show more signs of aging. Muscles strength decreases, vision and hearing diminish while bones become weaker. People in their late 50s will experience a small degree of declining cognitive abilities. Senior adulthood The advanced signs of aging including skin elasticity are apparent in adults over 65. Arthritis and osteoporosis affect the joints and bones of many senior adults. Other chronic conditions like heart disease and cancer also may attack them.
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From birth to age 2, human develop muscle strength and nervous system control. Infants start to develop verbal communication skill. By age 2, their vocabulary may include as many as 200 words. Childhood

Humans begin to develop a sense of humor along with their emerging sense of identity and self-expression. After puberty, they move into adolescence with the development of genital organs and characteristics.

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Natural Changes With Age

Aging has an effect on the way we function. These are some changes that occur as the effect of aging. ity and strength.

Digestive system

Wrinkle skin on face

The process of digestion become slower and may cause constipation.

can damage the hair cells of inner ears. The walls of auditory canals become thin while the eardrums thicken.

Heart

Skin

Aged people will experience hearing loss. Sounds and noise can damage the hair cells of inner ears.

Heart muscle becomes less efficient . Heart functions begin to slow down with age. Its pumping power declines and the maximal heart rate also decreases. Some fatty deposits may form on the walls of arteries. As the results, the arteries become stiffer. This will make the heart to work more harder which later can lead to high blood pressure or hypertension.

Hormone

Hormones are natural chemicals produced by the organs of the endocrine system. They are secreted into bloodstream to be used by other organs and systems in the body. As aging goes by, some hormone levels decrease and some are metabolized more slowly.

Blood vessels The connective tissue that make up the walls of vessels become less elastic and therefore less efficient in carrying the blood.

Kidneys, bladder and urinary tract

Kidneys become less efficient while the bladder will loss control.

Skin become drier, rough and produces more wrinkles. Skin also become slack. The loss of elastic tissue which in the skin causes the skin to hang loosely. As we age, skin will be more transparent. This is caused by thinning of the epidermis. Besides that, skin also will become more fragile because of the flattening of the area where the epidermis and dermis come together. Next, skin becomes more easily bruised, this is due to thinner blood vessel walls as we age.

Sleep

Brain and nervous system The number of neurons in brain will decreases. The memory is also become less efficient and the reflexes on past events become slower. Other than that, body coordination will decrease.

Eyes

Eyes produce less tears. The retinas become thin and lenses gradually become less clear. Cataract, glaucoma and macular degeneration may happened to some individual.

Aged people will experience disturbed sleep which make them wake up several times each night.

Weight and metabolism

Bones and joints The bones shrink in size. Their density also reduces and become more susceptible to fracture. Less calcium is incorporated into the bones and thus making them more fragile which later leads to osteoporosis. Muscles, tendons and joints will lose their flexibil-

Teeth

Mouth will feels drier and gums may have pulled back. Teeth will become more brittle.

Body metabolism gradually slows down. Calories are not utilized efficiently and stored as fat. Weight may increases as the level of activity decreases.

Sexuality

Ears

Graying hair

Aged people will experience hearing loss. Sounds and noise

Sexual performance may change. For women, vagina walls become less elastic and experience vaginal dryness. For men, they become impotent.

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Hair

The color of hair will change. They will graying or even whitening. As we get older, the pigment cells in our hair follicles gradually die.. When the pigment cells become fewer in hair follicle, that strand of air will no longer contain as much melanin and will become a more transparent color like gray, silver or white as they grow.

half. Nails also become less shine and more brittle. Other then that, the yellow color of nail increased.

Immune system

Nails

White blood cells are the central component of the immune system. Although the number of these cells are constant throughout the age, but the relative proportion of the different types of white cells changes. That is why older people become less able to fight off infections and therefore make them easily to get diseases.

The growth of nails reduces to

Percentage of diseases with age

How to Slow Down Aging Process?

As we know, growing older cannot be prevented. It is continued from day to day. However, some of the effects of aging can be slowed down or even prevented. Lifestyle determines how well we age. Practice healthy lifestyle can improves the quality of our life, prevents decline in bodily function and contributes to longevity. Here are some health practices for a long healthy life: ranges from 25 to 29.9. Above 30 is considered as obesity. If it is 20 percent over the ideal weight, you must drop some extra pounds. Being an overweight is a factor in adult-onset diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer.

Limited alcohol consumption

Limit the alcohol intake as it can take off deplete the nutrients of the body.

Eating balanced food

Exercise

Enough sleep Getting enough sleep are important to let our mind and body rest and prepare for the next days adventure. Sleeping six to eight hours a day is enough.

Maintained normal body mass index

Body mass index is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. Normal BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9. Overweight

As we age, our muscles and tissues break down. Keeping them healthy is necessary to avoid broken bones and strains. The more we use our muscles, the stronger they will be. Strong tissues don't break down as easily. Standing on one foot for as long as possible and then switching to the other foot and repeating is a best single exercise which improves motor coordination. It can be done at any time and without any special equipment. Exercising for 30 minutes three times a week is an ideal program.

Eat a varied and healthy diet. Include plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods. Fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium and vitamins all play a part in keeping our body functioning at its best. Drinks a lot of water to maintain healthy skin and drain out waste. Eating right can help us to maintain ideal weight.

Stimulate your mind.

This can be done by reading books, articles or newspapers. Do some puzzle games. Find things that we like to do and do them often. The more we use our brain, the sharper it will remain for longer periods of time. Avoid artificial sweeteners. Some studies have shown that because of their excitotoxin effects, they overstimulate the brain cells until

they die. This will leads to diseases like Alzheimers and dementia.

Quit smoking

cially organized network. It is seen that people with a strong support network of family, friends, and acquaintances are less susceptible to stress-related problems.

Smoking is bad for your health as it can lead to lung problems and some forms of cancer. It also has an adverse effect on your skin's texture. Sucking on a cigarette could encourage lines to appear around the mouth.

Manage stress

Social interactions

Stress accelerates the aging process. When we suffer stress we lose our bodies natural balance which causes damage to hormone secretion, cell repair, and collagen production. When the body is exposed over a long period of time to stress hormones, it can speed up brain aging.

Having a network of connections to other people is beneficial for brain health and well-being. Humans appear to benefit and function more optimally when connected to other humans in a so-

Aging Test
Skin Elasticity Test for Skin Aging Pinch the skin between your thumb and forefinger on the back of your hand for 5 seconds. Now check how long it takes for the skin to flatten out. Average rates: 45-50 yrs: 5 s 60 yrs: 10-15 s 70 yrs:35-55 s

Reaction Time Test Tell a person to hold an 18-inch wooden ruler at the top, large numbers down, Average score suspended centered above your thumb and middle finger. Ask the man to drop 20 yrs: 11 in. mark the ruler without warning, and you try to catch it. Repeat 3 times. 60 yrs: 6 in. mark i.e. a younger person will catch it quickly. Eye Visual Accommodation Test Hold a newspaper in front of your naked eyes. Slowly bring the paper in closer to you, until the regular sized letters start to blur. Measure the distance from your eyes to the paper at this point. 21yrs: within 4 in. 30 yrs: within 5.5 in. 40 yrs: 9 in. 50yrs: 15 in. 60yrs: 39 in.

Static Balance Test Stand barefoot on a hard and flat surface. Have someone stand close by in case you fall. Close your eyes and lift your dominant foot about 6 inches off of the floor and bend your knee at an angle of 45 degrees. Stay still. How long you are able to do this without moving and opening your eyes. A younger person: usually 30 s or more An older person: usually a few seconds only.

Prepared by:

Sandra Meru

D20091035087

Pendidikan Sains (AT16)

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