A lot of us are afraid of aging because we often associate it with vulnerability especially when it comes to our physical bodies. There are plenty of us who fear the idea of getting older especially because it brings our mortality front and center. However, you can’t let that fear cripple you and deprive you of being happy as you grow older. Yes, you’re getting older and you’re aging but that’s not always going to be a bad thing.
There are certain advantages and drawbacks that come with getting older but the same is true with any other aspect of life. And in this article, you’re going to be exposed to a few things that specifically happen to your body when you turn 40. Some of these things are going to be negative and some of them will be positive. It all depends on your perspective and mindset as well.
1. Your hair becomes less dense.
You’re not always going to have a full head of hair throughout your life. You’re going to have to learn to accept that early on. It’s a problem that plagues men most of the time but women can also have thinning hair as they age as well. Statistics show that 53% of men actually go bald after turning the age of 40.
2. You will become a much better parent.
There are plenty of advantages to being a parent at 40. For one, you will be much older and therefore, you will have much more life experience. You are probably going to be more financially stable in your 40s than you are in your 20s. The combination of all of these things will enable you to take care of babies better.
3. You might develop some lactose intolerance.
There are those of us who are virtually incapable of processing dairy properly. Some of us are lactose intolerant since childbirth and a bunch of us develop this intolerance later on in life. Studies have shown that lactose intolerance tends to develop itself in the body after the age of 40. So eat all of that ice cream and drink all of that milk while you still can.
4. Your teeth will become more sensitive.
If you happen to be suffering from teeth sensitivity throughout your youth, then you’re in luck. Chances are, the older you get, the less sensitive your teeth are going to become. Dentin is a calcified tissue that grows in your teeth over time. And that helps reduce the sensitivity in your teeth. However, that also means you won’t really know when there are problems with your teeth. Maintain frequent visits to the dentist as you age.
5. You shrink as you become older.
You might not know this but people generally shrink as they grow older. That is why a lot of elders and old-timers seem so much smaller than the average human being. Men gradually lose an inch between the ages of 30 and 70 whereas women can lose as much as 2 inches. This can be prevented to an extent with exercise and proper diet.
6. Your metabolism will slow down.
When you are 40 years old and you’re still eating the same kind of food that you were eating when you were 20, you aren’t exactly going to be experiencing the same kind of weight fluctuations. Your metabolism slows down as you age and that means you’re going to have to diet and exercise more as you grow older.
7. You become more attractive and confident.
Leading experts and scientists have claimed that people typically become more confident after the age of 40. And that newfound confidence in their own lives can make them appear to be more attractive in the eyes of other people. When we get older, we tend to let go of the stressful and toxic things in life – and that can make us look more vibrant and beautiful.
8. You may develop impairments in your hearing and vision.
It’s not just a myth that old people can’t really see or hear well. The senses really do get impaired as we grow older. Studies have shown that people typically start experiencing visual impairment at the age of 40. Changes also take places within the structure of the inner ear which can lead to hearing impairment.
9. Your immune system improves over time.
By the time you reach the age of 40, your body will have been attacked and threatened by so much bacteria already. That’s why it’s likely that you will have a stronger immune system when you reach that age. You just have to make sure that you are still eating the right food and getting enough sleep.
10. Your personal taste is going to change.
Your taste buds die as you grow older. And they don’t necessarily regenerate. That’s just a fact. That’s why food that might once have tasted delicious will eventually become bland as you turn 40.
