Aging can bring about changes to your health. By knowing something about what these changes might be, you’ll be able to take precautions against them as you age.
Depression
Did you know that millions of Americans over the age of 65 suffer from depression or some other type of mental issue? You can see a doctor about depression or take an online OCD test if you think that might be your issue. Either way, mental issues of all sorts can be more important than you may think.
For example, they can lower your immunity and actually compromise the ability your body has to fight infections. No matter what you think your mental issue might be, get it checked out before it makes everything worse.
Cancer
Cancer is high among the list of causes of death for people over a certain age. Also, a large portion of people in their golden years are living with some form of cancer or another. This isn’t part of the usual aches and pains that go hand in hand with age. It can kill you if not caught and treated. Screenings like skin checks, colonoscopies, and mammograms are among those that are recommended in order to catch the disease and treat it. While cancer isn’t always preventable, you will be able to improve the quality of your life if you have it by working closely with your team of doctors and maintaining the recommendations for healthy living.
Arthritis
Arthritis might be the most common condition that people in their golden years contend with. Nearly half of the people over 65 deal with arthritis on a daily basis. This condition can lead to a lower quality of life and higher level of pain in some cases. Even though it can discourage you from being more active, it’s still critical for you to work with your doctor in order to come up with a personalized plan for activity that, when combined with other treatments, can assist with maintaining your overall health.
Heart Disease
In the US, heart disease is one of the largest killers of golden-age adults. A chronic illness, heart disease affects millions of both men and women in this country. Sufferers can also be of any age.
However, as people grow older, they increasingly contend with higher and higher risk factors, like high cholesterol and high blood pressure. These risk factors also increase the risk you have of having a stroke. If you want to attempt to stave off this condition, you should eat right, exercise, and get enough quality sleep each night.
Respiratory Issues
Things like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other lower respiratory illnesses are quite common when it comes to causes of death for people over 65 in America. A good number of people live with asthma, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis. Having one of these conditions increases health risks for golden-agers and makes you much more vulnerable to infections and pneumonia. However, by making sure you get your lung function tests and that you take the right medication or use your oxygen as the doctor recommends, you’ll be able to try to preserve a bit of your health along with your overall quality of life.
Making healthy choices about your lifestyle, such as losing weight or quitting smoking, can assist you greatly when it comes to avoiding health risks common to golden-agers. That said, you also need to have a healthy diet and be physically active. Listen to your doctor and follow their instructions. Don’t be stubborn and wait until the pain or discomfort is unbearable before finally going to see a doctor. It could be the difference between life and death.