Turning 60 feels a lot like joining an exclusive club…except nobody told you the rules. You’ve been through enough birthdays to think you’ve got your body figured out, but the truth is, there are many new things you probably don’t expect. Here are thirteen changes nobody expects in their 60s.
Which one of these caught you by surprise, whether you’re 60 or not?
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Your Feet Get Wider Even If Your Weight Stays the Same
As you’re trying on shoes in the same size you’ve worn forever, they suddenly feel a little too tight. What changed? It’s not your weight but your feet, as your ligaments get lazy with age and your arches flatten a bit. This could mean you’re now a size 8.5 instead of an 8, so your favorite sneakers no longer fit.
Your Sense of Thirst Gets Weaker
While you might think that you’re not thirsty, so you’re fine, your body’s thinking something differently. By your 60s, your brain’s sense of thirst isn’t as strong, and that’s why so many older people are dehydrated. They genuinely don’t realize that their body is crying out for water. Gotta love that silent sabotage.
Your Sweat Glands Slow Down
One day, you notice that your shirt’s dry after a summer walk, which is weird because you used to sweat buckets. That’s a big sign of aging. Your sweat glands start to work less in your 60s, and while that might sound convenient, it can actually affect your body’s cooling system. You might not feel hot until you’re already overheating.
You Get More Earwax and It Gets Drier
During your 60s, you stop producing little bits of wax, as it becomes crumbly and stubborn instead. There’s also some more of it, and that’s never nice. Dry earwax clogs your ears up faster, which means you’ll need to ask people to repeat themselves more often. There’s a reason why older people struggle to hear.
Your Dreams Get Less Emotional
Those wild, vivid dreams where a bear was chasing you through a shopping mall start to disappear in your 60s. During this decade, your dreams become a little more bland, with less action and fewer feelings. That’s not to say you won’t have any weird dreams at all, but they’ll be far less frequent.
You Might Get Shorter Sleep Cycles
Speaking of sleep, by the time you’re in your 60s, eight solid hours of sleep start feeling like a thing of the past. It doesn’t matter how tired you are, as your body might just not stay asleep as long. Many older people wake up in the early mornings not feeling groggy, but awake. That’s because their sleep schedule has rearranged itself.
Your Teeth Shift
You survived teenage braces and wore the retainer. But out of nowhere, your bottom teeth start moving around, and that’s because your gums recede. Your bone density also changes, which means your teeth start to move. While your orthodontists won’t be shocked, you might be, though, because your bite suddenly feels off.
Your Nose and Ears Actually Keep Growing
You’re not imagining it, as your nose really does look a little longer in the mirror, and it’s the same with your ears. Technically, it’s not because they’re “still growing,” but because cartilage never totally stops changing. Gravity doesn’t help either. It makes your ears and nose look quite a bit bigger than you might expect.
You May Develop a Sudden Sweet Tooth
Although you might’ve never cared for dessert, that could change around your 60s. Your taste buds for bitter and salty stuff start to disappear, while the sweet ones stick around longer. Don’t be surprised if you begin hoarding toffee or sneaking candy into the movies like a kid again. It’s not your fault.
You Can Develop Allergies For the First Time
When you’re 62, all of a sudden, you might not be able to eat shrimp without breaking out. Welcome to adult-onset allergies. Your immune system’s in a different phase now, and it can start treating harmless things like the enemy, so stuff that never bothered you before could be an issue now. Whether it’s dairy or pets, it’s all fair game.
You Blink Less Often
Without even realizing it, you might be staring at a screen or reading for a while and suddenly feel like your eyes are extra dry. It’s because you’re blinking less than you used to. It’s a gradual thing, but it matters, because fewer blinks means less moisture on the eyes. This could lead to dryness or irritation, as well as more trips to the pharmacy for eye drops.
You React Less Strongly to Caffeine
After you have a sip of your morning coffee, nothing really happens. No buzz or kickstart, and that little jolt you relied on might feel watered down. As you age, your body doesn’t process caffeine the same way, and it doesn’t hit with the same punch. Your system slows down how it breaks down foods and drinks, so you may not get that morning buzz anymore.
You Could Get Shorter Between Your Ribs And Waist
After you try on something from the back of the closet, you notice that it fits weirdly, but the number on the scale hasn’t moved. What gives? It’s probably your torso, as the space between your ribs and waist may shrink over time, due to changes in your spine or posture. This means your upper body could feel more compact, even if nothing else has changed.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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