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Aging & Creativity Partners In Time
Aging and creativity go hand in hand. It is with aging that imagination, knowledge, and observation are combined. These are three excellent ingredients for the production of any creative product.
In the brain, nerve connections are slowly broken and neurons die off. As a result, memories can be hard to retrieve, as well as some learned skills and other stored information.
As time goes by, blood vessels also become constricted with calcification and collagen build up that thickens the vessels' walls. As a result, blood flow is reduced and tissues are less readily regenerated.
But despite all of these changes that occur within the brain, the regions home to creativity remain unaffected. Our observational skills improve with age, and knowledge grants us with endless images to work with. Creativity can, in fact, offer us a therapeutic relief from all the changes associated with aging.
Writing a long letter, short essay, or even a novel can not only grant us with leisure and fun, it offers us a sense of satisfaction and expression. It relieves our internal battles and relaxes us, improving internal functions. Painting a protrait, landscape, or abstract can also be a fun way to spend an afternoon. Color stimulates the mind, reinforcing the nerve connections that continue to work for years.
If you're not into writing or painting, creativity can be expressed in a myriad of other ways. Design a flower arrangement for your table if you prefer more mechanical activities. Sew up a tablecloth to match your drapes.
Knitting is also an excellent way to express your creativity while reinforcing cognitive function. It puts your hands and fingers to work, stimulating the muscles, bones, and joints.
BONUS : Aging & Digestion: What's the Damage?
Like all other organs and systems, the digestive system also ages. Even though the effects on digestion are not as significant as those associated with the heart, nervous system, or hearing, the alterations are worth mentioning.
As we age, the parotid glands responsible for the secretion of saliva are impaired. The ducts out of which the saliva is secreted become calcified over time, thus diminishing the amount of salivary liquid produced into the mouth. As a result, chewing and bolus formation is harder than for younger adults, and the presence of salivary enzymes like amylase is reduced.
Muscles throughout our body weaken with age. This is the case with the muscles responsible for swallowing, and later peristalsis. Because of this deterioration of tissue, muscles require more effort to swallow and chew.
Within the stomach, the integrity of the acids produced is comprised, diminishing the ability to digest hard proteins and foods that are high in fat.
Inside the pancreas, enzymes responsible in the digestion and emulsification of fat decline. As a result, fat accumulations tend to increase with age. Nevertheless, the liver's unmodified functionality compensates for the lack of effectiveness of the pancreas.
In the final stages of digestion in the large intestine, it responds to diminished amounts of lubricating mucus and weaker peristalsis. As a result, the food takes longer to be passed on to the rectum for elimination, and leads to constipation.
Because of all these changes within the digestive system, nutrient absorption is diminished. This is especially the case with necessary vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, folic acid, and vitamin B12. Also prominent are vitamin D deficiencies, more commonly caused by low exposure to UV light and sunlight.
Like all other organs and systems, the digestive system also ages. Even though the effects on digestion are not as significant as those associated with the heart, nervous system, or hearing, the alterations are worth mentioning.
As we age, the parotid glands responsible for the secretion of saliva are impaired. The ducts out of which the saliva is secreted become calcified over time, thus diminishing the amount of salivary liquid produced into the mouth. As a result, chewing and bolus formation is harder than for younger adults, and the presence of salivary enzymes like amylase is reduced.
Muscles throughout our body weaken with age. This is the case with the muscles responsible for swallowing, and later peristalsis. Because of this deterioration of tissue, muscles require more effort to swallow and chew.
Within the stomach, the integrity of the acids produced is comprised, diminishing the ability to digest hard proteins and foods that are high in fat.
Inside the pancreas, enzymes responsible in the digestion and emulsification of fat decline. As a result, fat accumulations tend to increase with age. Nevertheless, the liver's unmodified functionality compensates for the lack of effectiveness of the pancreas.
In the final stages of digestion in the large intestine, it responds to diminished amounts of lubricating mucus and weaker peristalsis. As a result, the food takes longer to be passed on to the rectum for elimination, and leads to constipation.
Because of all these changes within the digestive system, nutrient absorption is diminished. This is especially the case with necessary vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, folic acid, and vitamin B12. Also prominent are vitamin D deficiencies, more commonly caused by low exposure to UV light and sunlight.
