 Hearing:
The normal wear and tear of sounds over the years can
damage the cells of the inner ears. The walls of auditory
canals also thin, and eardrums thicken which makes greater
difficulty hearing higher frequencies.
Kidneys:
The size of kidneys shrinks, and they become less efficient
at removing wastes from the blood and so the amount
the bladder can hold decreases.
Muscles:
Muscle mass and strength decrease that affect the increased
physical activity. The amount of water in your tendons
and ligaments also decreases, increasing stiffness.
Reproductive
system:
Women produce less estrogen, progesterone and testosterone
as they age. The uterus and the vagina shrink, and there's
less vaginal lubrication. While in men they produce
less sperm, and their levels of testosterone also decrease.
Skin:
The skin thins, and the nails grow at about half the
pace they once did. The sweat and oil (sebaceous) glands
become less active, and the moisture in the skin decreases.
Vision:
Eyes are less able to produce tears, as the retina gets
thin and lenses yellow. In your 40s, focusing on objects
that are close-up becomes more difficult due to changes
in your lenses. Later, your irises stiffen, making your
pupils less responsive. This can make it more difficult
to adapt to different levels of light. Further changes
to your lenses can make you sensitive to glare.
As individuals age, they lose some ability to do activities
that they typically would do when they were younger.
People start to feel and think, "I'm older so I
can't do what I used to be able to do." Well, that's
not necessarily true. Older adults who improve their
levels of mental and physical activity show improvements
in perceptions of their strength and overall physical
well-being.
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