23.12.14 5 Signs of Aging That Sound Scary But Are Usually Normal

[김상태]

When you’re young, no one warns you of all the perfectly natural but unexpected changes our bodies are bound to undergo with age. Sure, everyone knows about the superficial things like partial vision loss, grey hair, or wrinkles, but it isn’t only our appearance and eyesight that changes with time.

젊었을때는 우리의 몸이 나이가 들면서 겪게될수밖에 없는 지극히 자연스럽지만 예상치 못한 변화에 대해 경고하는 사람은 아무도 없다. 물론 부분적인 시력의 상실, 횐 머리 또는 주름과 같은 외견상의 변화는 누구나 알고 있지만 시간과 함께 변화하는것은 외모와 시력뿐만이 아니다.

For example, your digestive system slows down with age, your blood vessels become stiffer and more fragile, and bone size and density tend to decrease.

In some cases, these perfectly normal signs of aging can be confused with serious symptoms of devastating health conditions like a heart attack or dementia, which can result in a lot of unnecessary stress and anxiety.

어떤 경우에는 이러한 지극히 정상적인 노화의 징후를 심장마비나 치매와 같은 치명적인 건강상태의 심각한 증상과 혼동하여 불필요한 스트레스와 불안을 초래할수 있다.

In this article, we'll focus on 5 such perfectly normal symptoms of aging that can sound scary but are usually normal.

That said, keep in mind that everything depends on your personal life context.

For example, people experiencing any of the symptoms we list below that also have a family history of the respective condition associated with these symptoms should immediately seek medical help, as they have a much higher risk of said diseases. Thus, be careful and when in doubt, do seek professional help.  

예를 들면 우리가 아래에 열거한 증상중 하나를 경험한 사람이 해당질환의 가족력이 있는 경우에는 그러한 질환에 걸릴 위험이 훨씬 높기때문에 즉시 의사의 도움을 받아야 한다. 따라서 주의를 기울이고 의심스러운 경우에는 전문가의 도움을 받으시라.

1. Heart Palpitations

Changes in heart rate are part of everyone's life, and in many cases, a racing heart is a sign that you're a living breathing person. Increased heart rate is a normal hormonal response to increased physical activity, stress, or even emotions - it's a sign that your sympathetic nervous system is activated and your body is ready to act and defend itself. So, if you feel like your heart is pounding after a workout, a morning run, or a stressful situation, it's probably no cause for concern.

That said, an irregular heartbeat can also signify cardiovascular issues and even medical emergencies like a heart attack, so it's not a good idea to dismiss a racing heart completely. Cardiologists point out that heart palpitations that do not stop or worsen after a few minutes are a reason to visit a doctor. Likewise, if your heart rate increases many times a day during everyday activities like watching TV, especially without any apparent reason like being emotional or stressed, is a reason for concern.

2. You Feel Cold All the Time

Feeling cold all the time is another one of those side effects of aging no one warns you of. The thing is that, with age, the body's muscle mass naturally decreases, and no matter how much we exercise and how well we eat, the blood circulation is becoming less effective, too, and you may start noticing that your hands and feet always get cold. If this process is gradual, and there are no other symptoms that you've noticed, like sweating and sudden weight changes, you have nothing to worry about.

However, if you noticed that this symptom has developed rather rapidly, your hands and feet become pale and numb, or you experience sweating together with freezing even in hot weather, it may be a sign that something is wrong with your thyroid gland or cardiovascular system, and in this case, you definitely ought to visit a doctor.

그러나 만일 이 증상이 급격히 진행되거나 손발이 창백해지고 저리거나 더운 날씨에도 차거우면서 땀을 흘리는 경험을 하게되면 갑상선이나 심혈관계통에 이상이 생긴 신호일수도 있으니 이런 경우 반드시 의사에게 보여야 한다.

3. You Can't Hear High Pitch Noises Well

It's strange that age-related vision loss is such common knowledge, but hearing loss isn't, even though it often starts much earlier than vision problems, with most people starting to lose some of their hearing as early as in their 30s.

노화와 관련된 시력감퇴가 그렇게 통상적인 지식이라는것은 이상하지만 청력감퇴는 그렇지 않는데 청력감퇴는 흔히 시력문제보다 훨씬 일찌기 시작하고 대부분 사람들이 30대 때부터 시작된다.

The hearing of high pitched sounds seems to be the first to be affected by age, and it's perfectly normal and nearly always happens.

Still, be mindful of your personal context, too, and assess the situation systematically. If the hearing loss is symmetrical and gradual, it's likely no reason to be concerned, but sudden hearing loss or hearing loss in just one of the ears is a different story and may warrant a trip to your GP.

4. You Forget Things From Time to Time

We live longer today than people ever did in the past, and with an increasing number of people with a lifespan of 80 and above, dementia and Alzheimer's disease have become more preval‎ent than ever before. This makes perfect sense, and raising awareness in the public regarding these neurodegenerative diseases is extremely important, but with a raised awareness also comes some confusion.

If you sometimes forget whether you left the lights on in the living room before leaving to work or not, that's perfectly normal, even if you're only in your early 30s or 40s. We must remember that our memory is affected by many other factors, especially stress, lack of sleep, or even a poor diet, so misplacing things or not remembering some information is perfectly fine most of the time. As Dr. Cleveland, a geriatrician, recently reported in an interview, “You’re stressed, rushed, tired, or you have one too many drinks. It doesn’t mean you have Alzheimer’s. It’s a matter of degree. If you forget where your keys are, that’s one thing; if you forget what your keys do, that’s another.”

So, if your symptoms do not involve repeated and fundamental memory loss and you're nearing your golden years, don't worry.

You may also find that memorizing things becomes more difficult as you age and you may need more repetition and practice to learn new information and skills, and that's fine, too. The good news is, though, that older people are less likely to then forget the skill or information they learned compared to youngsters, so there is a silver lining to these age-related memory changes, too.

나이가 들면서 암기가 더 어려워지고 새로운 정보와 기술을 배우기 위해 더 많은 반복과 연습이 필요하다는 것을 당신도 알수 있겠지만 이것 역시 괜찮은것이다. 하지만 좋은소식은 노인들은 젊은 사람들에 비해 배운 기술이나 정보를 잊어버릴 가능성이 적기때문에 이러한 나이와 관련되는 기억력 변화에도 희망이 있다는 사실이다.

5. Your Knee Pops

Have you ever been told by your parents that you should stop popping or cracking your fingers because it will give you arthritis?

I know I have, and to this day, I have negative associations with the sound of cracking joints, although I know well that in most cases, it's completely harmless. That said, our joints do tend to pop more with age, which can be because of the breakdown of collagen that happens with age, which is the main "ingredient" of cartilage and connective tissue and is crucial for healthy joints.

나도 그랬던것을 알고있고 지금까지도 관절이 꺾어지는 소리를 내는것에 부정적인 관념을 가지고 있으며 그렇더라도 대부분늬 경우 전혀 해가 없다는것을 잘 알고있다. 하지만 우리의 관절은 나이가 들면서 뚝소리가 더 나는 경향이 있는데 연골과 결합조직의 주성분이며 건강한 관절에 중요한 콜라겐이 나이가 들면서 쇠퇴하기 때문일수도 있다. 

So, doctors point out that in some cases, popping joints can signify the beginning of osteoarthritis, and if you start noticing it more, it might be useful to start some sort of exercise regimen, to walk more, and lose some excess weight if you have any. But all in all, it's only if you experience popping joints accompanied by stiffness and soreness of the joint that it's a cause for concern

Joke-A Sudden Confession

A woman driver is speeding along the highway, when suddenly she gets stopped by a police car which instructs her to pull over.

한 여성 운전자가 고속도로에서 과속으로 달리고 있을때 갑자기 경찰차가 갓길로 대라고 신호를 보내 멈추었다.

Woman: "Is there a problem, Officer?" 경관님, 문제가 있나요?

Officer: "Ma'am, you were speeding." 부인, 과속하셨습니다.

Woman: "Oh, I see." 알겠어요

Officer: "Can I see your license please?" 면허증 좀 보여주시죠

Woman: "I'd give it to you but I don't have one." 보여드리면 좋겠지만 면허증이 없네요

Officer: "Don't have one?" 면허증이 없다구요?

Woman: "Lost it 4 times for drunk driving." 음주운전으로 4번이나 걸려서요

Officer: "I see...Can I see your vehicle registration papers please." 그럼 자동차 등록증좀 보여주세요

Woman: "I can't do that." 보여주지 못하겠네요

Officer: "Why not?" 왜 못합니까?

Woman: "I stole this car." 이 차를 훔쳤거든요

Officer: "Stole it?" 훔쳤다구요?

Woman: "Yes, and I killed and hacked up the owner." 네, 그를 죽여서 난도질을 했어요

Officer: "You what?" 뭐라구요?

Woman: "His body parts are in plastic bags in the trunk if you want to see."  잘린 신체들이 플라스틱백에 싸여                   트렁크안에 있으니 보시던가요

The Officer looks at the woman, slowly backs away to his car, and calls for back up. Within minutes 5 police cars circle the car.

경관은 여자를 살펴보다가 천천히 그의 차로 돌아가 지원을 요청했다. 5분도 안되어 경찰차 5대가 차를 둘러쌌다.

A senior officer slowly approaches the car, clasping his half drawn gun.

경찰관 팀장이 반쯤 꺼낸 총을 쥔채 천천히 차로 다가왔다

Sargent: "Ma'am, could you step out of your vehicle please!"  팀장:부인, 차에서 내려주시겠습니까?

The woman steps out of her vehicle. 여자는 차에서 내렸다.

Woman: "Is there a problem sir?" 무슨 문제라고 있나요?

Sargent: "One of my officers told me that you have stolen this car and murdered the owner."

              팀장: 내 부하 경찰관이 나에게 당신이 차를 훔치고 주인을 죽였다고 말하든데요

Woman: "Murdered the owner?" 차 주인을 죽였다구요?

Sargent: "Yes, could you please open the trunk of your car, please." 네, 차의 트렁크를 열어주시겠습니까?

The woman opens the trunk, revealing nothing but an empty trunk.

              여자는 트렁크를 열었는데 아무것도 없이 텅 비어있었다

Sargent: "Is this your car, ma'am?"  팀장: 당신 차가 맞습니까?

Woman: "Yes, here are the registration papers." 네, 여기 등록증도 있어요

The first officer is stunned. 처음 경찰관은 깜짝 놀랐다.

Sargent: "One of my officers claims that you do not have a driving license."

 팀장: 당신을 처음 본 경찰은 당신이 면허증도 없다고 하든데요

The woman digs into her handbag and pulls out a clutch purse and hands it to the officer. The officer snaps open the clutch purse and examines the license. He looks quite puzzled.

여자는 핸드백을 뒤져 지갑을 꺼내 경찰 팀장에게 주었다. 지갑을 열고 면허증을 검사했다. 팀장은 무척이나 어리둥절 한듯했다.

Sargent: "Thank you ma'am, one of my officers told me you didn't have a license, that you stole this car, and that you murdered and hacked up the owner."

팀장: 부인,고맙습니다. 부하 경찰은 나에게 당신은 면허증도 없고 차를 훔쳐 주인을 죽이고 난도질 했다던데요.

Woman: "I bet the bastard will say I was speeding too."  그 새끼는 틀림없이 내가 과속했다고 말하겠지요.