Health changes in middle age – middle age, hah! I had never even thought about the word until someone told me I was middle aged. What is it and why is this when all sorts of things start happening to your school friends and your family?
Middle age is typically considered to be the time between the ages of 40 and 65, is a time when both men and women may experience various health changes and challenges. There is significant individual variability and there are some common health changes that can affect both genders during middle age. Lets go over a few briefly here and we can expand in more detail on other pages.
Common Health Changes for Both Men and Women
Common Health Changes for Middle Age Men and Women
Metabolism: Our metabolism tends to slow down with age and this can lead to potential weight gain and changes in our body composition leading to us feeling uncomfortable in our own skin and struggle to look in the mirror.
Cardiovascular Health: The risk of heart disease and high blood pressure increases for both men and women in middle age and something that we need to regularly keep an eye on. Always have regular check ups with your Doctor to monitor your cardiovascular health, especially if it has been an issue with other family members.
Bone Health: Bone density may decrease, leading to an increased risk of osteoporosis in both genders. We often don’t find this out until we fall over skiing or trip carrying the laundry.
Joint Health: Joint problems, such as arthritis, can become more common and may affect mobility, keep those muscles strong to support your joints and always get advice from your Doctor on what options you have to reduce pain and maintain as much mobility as you can.
Vision Changes: Many people experience changes in vision, including presbyopia (difficulty focusing on close objects) and an increased risk of eye diseases like cataracts and glaucoma. Eeek! Sounds ghastly doesn’t it. Regular eye checks can ensure you can get the best from your eyesight using glasses or contact lenses. They will also pick up on any changes in your eye and be able to recomend how any eye diseses can be treated or managed.
Specific Changes That Effect Men
Prostate Health: Middle-aged men are at risk for prostate issues, including benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) and prostate cancer, technology has come a long way and getting tested is not as invasive as it used to be. Very important to look out for any potental symptoms and get to the Doctor for a test and/or make it part of a regular check up from your GP. I know that this is not what men like to do but it is critical that you look after yourself and getting check ups and finding problems early usually means the outcomes are better for you.
Sexual Health: Some men may experience changes in sexual function, such as erectile dysfunction or decreased libido, which can be related to factors like hormonal changes and vascular health, always talk to your Doctor about this, it is normal and part of us aging…….here we go again, part of being middle aged but there are ways to manage this, the hardest part is talking to your Doctor, it’s actually not as hard as you think. They deal with peoples’ bodies on a daily basis and they are here to help us lead a healthy life, so don’t wait and stress about it – go get help and keep your relationship on track.
Manage our Health Changes well and have Middle age fun!
Specific Changes That Effect Women
Menopause: Menopause typically occurs in the late 40s or early 50s and involves a cessation of menstrual cycles, with associated symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings, and changes in bone density, it is a much talked about subject as everyone experiences it differenlty and some love to share their experiences as a way of dealing with it! This topic will be well covered on the website, just remember that it is part of our life cycle, we are lucky to get to this age and we have usually been through a lot of hormonal and body changes by this age, some of us may have had a child (and our mind helps us forget the pain involved in that experience!) and menopause is just another one of life’s experiences!
Breast Health: Women should continue to monitor their breast health for changes or signs of breast cancer, many countries have a brest screening service, if you are lucky enough to have this, use it! If not there are a lot of different signs or changes in our breasts that can mean you have breast cancer. We will explore what they are in a different article and if you experience any of these signs, don’t be scared, pick up the phone and see your Doctor ASAP! Don’t wait. We need you here and I am sure your family do too!
Hormonal Changes: Fluctuations in hormone levels during perimenopause and menopause can impact mood, sleep, and overall well-being and lets face it, this is probably one of the reasons you are at this website. Finding out how to cope with feeling up and down, grumpy and grouchy, tired and overwhelmed, forgetful and frumpy. Obviously we all exerience different things but hopefully on this website you will find out that you are not alone and there are things we can do to make our daily life better.
Reproductive Health: Fertility declines, and the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth increases with age. This is something that can be quite devastating, we have worked to get what we need to start a family and then before we know it we are told we are going to have difficulty conceiving because of our age. Who needs that news when you are mentally prepared to bring an new baby into the world.
It’s important to note that genetics, lifestyle choices, and overall health habits play a significant role in determining how we experience these changes in middle age. This will sound cheesy but it is really important that we look at preventative ways to keep ourselves ship shape to enjoy our middle age years and that starts with regular check-ups with your Doctor, eating a balanced diet, getting some exercise, being aware of any changes in your body and choosing healthy lifestyle choices. These things can help mitigate some of these health challenges and promote overall well-being during middle age. And don’t forget be proactive about about screenings and preventive health care to catch and address any potential health issues early, it will make managing them so much easier for you and your family.