Aging changes in the senses

Additionally, your mouth produces less saliva as you age. This causes dry mouth, which can make swallowing more difficult. It also makes digestion slightly less efficient and can increase dental problems.

The sense of smell may diminish, especially after age 70. This may be related to loss of nerve endings in the nose.

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Studies about the cause of decreased sense of taste and smell with aging have conflicting results. Some studies have indicated that normal aging by itself produces very little change in taste and smell. Rather, changes may be related to diseases, smoking, and environmental exposures over a lifetime.

Regardless of the cause, decreased taste and smell can lessen your interest and enjoyment in eating. Some people become less aware of personal hygiene when the sense of smell is decreased. Enjoyment of your environment may be diminished.

Sometimes changes in the way food is prepared, such as a change in the spices used, may help.

For some people, there is an increased risk of asphyxia because they cannot detect the odor of natural gas from the stove, furnace or other appliance. A visual gas detector that changes appearance when natural gas is present may be helpful.

TOUCH, VIBRATION, AND PAIN

The sense of touch also includes awareness of vibrations and pain. The skin, muscles, tendons, joints, and internal organs have receptors that detect touch, temperature, or pain.

Your brain interprets the type and amount of touch sensation. It also interprets the sensation as pleasant (such as being comfortably warm), unpleasant (such as being very hot) or neutral (such as being aware that you are touching something).

Medications, brain surgery, problems in the brain, confusion, and nerve damage from trauma or chronic diseases such as diabetes can change this interpretation without changing awareness of the sensation. For example, you may feel and recognize a painful sensation, but it does not bother you.

Some of the receptors give the brain information about the position and condition of internal organs. Even though you may not be consciously aware of this information, it helps to identify changes (for example, the pain of appendicitis).

Many studies have shown that with aging, you may have reduced or changed sensations of pain, vibration, cold, heat, pressure, and touch. It is hard to tell whether these changes are related to aging itself or to the disorders that occur more often in the elderly.

It may be that some of the normal changes of aging are caused by decreased blood flow to the touch receptors or to the brain and spinal cord. Minor dietary deficiencies, such as decreased thiamine levels, may also be a cause of changes.