With the entire baby boomer generation set to be at least 65 in the next decade, there will be growing health challenges. One of the main ones is understanding how various factors contribute to overall health.
Often, people look to treat specific ailments instead of examining the whole. If you have high blood pressure, for example, diet and exercise are prescribed. Memory fading? Oh, it’s just age. But the reality is that age is just a number, and health treatments don’t always reflect the cause. It is, after all, entirely possible for an 85-year old to be functioning better than someone who’s 65.
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A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine looked at how several distinctive factors influenced physical and mental health in people 65 and older. The goal was to identify how things like wisdom, outlook, loneliness, income, and sleep played a role in the overall health and functioning of older people.
The four main observations made, which were published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, were:
- Physical health correlated with both cognitive function and mental health
- Cognitive function was significantly associated with physical mobility, wisdom, and life satisfaction
- Physical health was associated with mental well-being, resilience, and younger age
- Mental health was linked to optimism, self-compassion, income, and lower levels of loneliness and sleep disturbances
“Traits like optimism, resilience, wisdom, and self-compassion were found to be protective, while loneliness seemed to be a risk factor,” said Dilip Jeste, head of the research team.
So what does all this mean for you? It seems the results suggest that staying active and positive can help promote healthy aging. Maintaining friendships and building new relationships also appear to boost health in older folks, so making human connections is key. It’s likely that sleep is influenced by overall outlook, so it’s possible that if your mind is at peace, sleep disturbances can be kept to a minimum.
Also read:
- Goal persistence and optimism reduces anxiety, depression, and panic attacks: Study
- Best core exercises for seniors
- Strength training for seniors: Tips and exercises
Mohan Garikiparithi got his degree in medicine from Osmania University (University of Health Sciences). He practiced clinical medicine for over a decade before he shifted his focus to the field of health communications. During his active practice he served as the head of the Dept. of Microbiology in a diagnostic centre in India. On a three-year communications program in Germany, Mohan developed a keen interest in German Medicine (Homoeopathy), and other alternative systems of medicine. He now advocates treating different medical conditions without the use of traditional drugs. An ardent squash player, Mohan believes in the importance of fitness and wellness.
