The aging is a process of becoming old, which is genetically determined and environmentally regulated. It’s a natural procedure. Everyone must undergo the procedure at their own time and speed. It denotes time-bound deterioration of bodily functions required for survival and fertility. In accordance with World Health Organization, ageing is a course of biological fact, which begins at conception and ends with death. The scientists have categorized how human beings age to four unique classes known as “ageotypes”.

Take note

  • Metabolic ageotype  The people, belonging to the course, might be at a greater for as they grow old.
  • Immune ageotype – The people, belonging to it, create higher levels of inflammation and therefore are more vulnerable to immune -related ailments as they age.
  • Hepatic ageotyle – The people, belonging to it, are more prone to liver disease as they age.
  • Nephrotic ageotype – The people, belonging to it, are more vulnerable to kidney ailments as they age. Most of us want to keep young for as long as possible, both for our health and our look.

The researchers have found that genetics accounts for only about 20 percent of how people age, while lifestyle and environmental factors play a much bigger role. Each chromosome has two protective caps at both ends called telomeres. As telomeres become shorter, their structural integrity weakens, causing cells to age faster and die younger.

Chronic stress

It contributes to shorter telomeres. That’s the reason it is important to handle your stress levels. It’s been discovered by the researchers that those who meditated experienced genetic changes after mindfulness practice that weren’t seen from the non-meditating group after other comfort activities. So the normal practice of mindfulness meditation slows down the aging process in the professionals. Calorie restriction means reducing average daily caloric consumption under what is habitual, without malnutrition or deprivation of essential nutrients. It’s a consistent routine of decreasing average daily caloric consumption. It’s been observed in several studies that calorie restriction is associated with living longer.

Experts recommend 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous walking on most days but gains begin with even less action. Active individuals may live about five years longer on average than inactive individuals. A program of regular exercise, including aerobic activity and strength training, reduces genomic instability. Additionally, it reduces telomere attrition. The association between physical exercise and telomere length may also be attributed to reduced oxidative stress and inflammation.

Exercise and nutrition

The regular exercise certainly can’t reverse the aging process, but it does attenuate lots of its deleterious systemic and cellular consequences. As individuals age, they generally need fewer calories. However, their nutrient needs are just as large as or higher than when they were younger. That’s why, it’s very important to consume nutrient-rich, whole foods. For healthy aging, we should pick many different colors in fruits and , and change protein resources by selecting fish, poultry, whole , nut butters, and legumes. We should try to avoid saturated and trans fats as much as possible. Saturated fats are usually fats that come from animals.

Trans fats have been processed fats in stick margarine and vegetable shortening. We may locate them in certain store-bought baked goods and fried foods in some fast- restaurants. Good unsaturated fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which lower disease risk. Foods high in good fats include vegetable oils (like olive, canola, sunflower, soy, and ), seeds, nuts, and fish. So the use of good fats and avoidance of bad fats are essential for healthy aging.

Saturated fats, although not as dangerous as trans fats, negatively affect health. Thus they need to be consumed in moderation. Foods containing large amounts of saturated fat include red meat, butter, , and ice cream. Some plant-based fats such as olive oil and palm oil are also full of saturated fat. As we age, our mental health is an important part of being able to live independently. Any action that challenges our thoughts and needs us to learn new information or skills is considered an exercise.

Good to know

It’s been discovered that reading books, studying foreign languages, and playing games that involve mental activity stimulate the mind. By making your brain actively work you are able to slow down the aging process in the brain. Older adults need about exactly the same quantity of sleep as all adults, i.e. 7 to 9 hours every evening. This is crucial for healthy aging. It’s a frequent misconception that our sleep declines with age. In reality, research shows that our sleep needs remain constant throughout adulthood.

So, what’s keeping seniors awake? The changes in the patterns of the sleep, known as sleep architecture, happen as we age, which may contribute to sleep difficulties. Other factors affecting sleep would be the circadian rhythms which coordinate the time of our physiological functions, including sleep. For instance, older people have a tendency to become sleepier in the early evening and wake up earlier in the morning when compared with younger adults.

This pattern is known as advanced sleep phase syndrome. The sleep rhythm is shifted forward so that 7 to 8 hours of sleep are still obtained but the people will wake up extremely early since they’ve gone to sleep very early. There’s an old adage – An hour before midnight is worth three later. That’s why sleep specialists advise to go to sleep early. According to the study of this body-clock, there are times when our body clock investigates the many processes to happen in skin and hair.

The experts feel that from 8 PM to 11 PM is the time for stimulation and hydration, while 11 PM to 3 PM is the time for nourishment and regeneration, and 3 AM to 5 AM is the time for resting. The global population is aging quickly, thus driving up age-related disease morbidity. Young individuals are the most attractive targets for strategies for slowing down aging. However, there’s skepticism about whether aging processes are available in young adults, who don’t yet have chronic ailments. But specialists indicate that aging processes can be quantified in people still youthful enough for avoidance of age-related disease, opening a new door for anti-aging approaches.