Most people probably know that aging comes with wrinkles and that you’ll need to buy reading glasses at some point. However, there are other things that come along with aging that are less discussed. The great news is that some of them can be avoided by living a healthy lifestyle and practicing good old prevention. Here are some of the most common things that happen when you get older that nobody talks about.
You Get Shorter
That’s right, we’re talking full-on Benjamin Button shrinkage. You will get shorter as you age, and the reason is because of your spine. As the fluid in your spine starts to dry up, your spine compresses and you get shorter. Surprisingly, we shrink as much as half an inch every 10 years past the age of 40.
If that wasn’t crazy enough to believe, you may end up being up to three inches shorter by the time you retire! The great news is that practicing healthy spine exercises and sitting up straight can reverse some of the effects of your loss of spinal fluid.
You lose collagen and fat in your skin
As we age, our skin begins to lose its collagen, muscle and fat pads. This is what causes it to become wrinkly and saggy. Collagen is what make skin bouncy and firm. The fat pads, along with muscles and bones in our face, are what our skin ‘hangs on’ to. When these elements start to degrade, we begin to form signs of aging.
Thankfully there are measures one can take to help keep up their collagen production, such as non-surgical anti-aging treatments.
You Sleep Less
A common misconception is that you sleep more as you get older since your body must be more tired. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Studies suggest that as your brain ages, your quality of sleep starts to degrade. The older we get, the less our brains produce a chemical that promotes falling asleep.
Unfortunately, sleep deprivation can start to lead to all sorts of medical conditions. In order to get better quality sleep as you age, you should follow healthy habits like avoiding screens right before falling asleep, avoiding eating too much, and limiting your alcohol intake.
You Get Injured Easily
In our younger years, we’re practically elastic. We can fall down a set of stairs and barely get scratched. But, as we get older, the slightest bump or bruise can leave us bedridden. It’s important to get your injuries checked out early on after the age of 40, or it could develop into something much worse. If you start to feel a pain that gradually worsens, don’t delay seeing the doctor.
While you can’t avoid getting injured entirely, you can reduce your chances of an injury leading to something more serious. The best way to do it is by strengthening your muscles through regular exercise. The more you work out, the more you’ll prevent injury. Exercise doesn’t have to mean breaking a sweat at the gym for two hours a day, either. Something as simple as a brisk walk around the block several times a week is enough to keep your core strong and your muscles toned.
