Aging can be the most empowering and fulfilling time of your life if you are able to take care of yourself. Looking through magazines can often make you wonder how people can still run marathons and jump great heights at the age of 80. Below are a few health tips for the elderly and seniors that can help you get in the best shape you can be as a senior citizen.
Get Some Sleep
First things first, get into your coziest pajamas. Tuck yourself into bed and get some sleep. Getting at least seven to nine hours of sleep assists in your general well-being. Sleep helps with memory loss and concentration. In other words, the more rest you get the easier it is for you to concentrate and perform your day-to-day tasks.
Secondly, it is said that when you are asleep is when your body gets time to repair itself. A good night’s rest can boost your immune system, your metabolism, your mental health, and your general outlook in life. If you have trouble, a visit to the physician or maybe cutting down on your coffee and screen time before bed can help you. Sometimes insomnia is a sign of an underlying condition that you may not be aware of, so make sure you get all the rest you can!
Hit The road
So, hitting the road doesn’t mean running the Cannes Marathon or anything like that. It simply means get active. Make an effort to get out of the house every day and take a walk. Join workout classes for seniors and if you are up to it, then a good jog is very helpful. Staying active is the goal. Activity keeps your weight in control, it boosts your mood because of the chemical released in your brain during and after a good exercise. Exercise also helps you to sleep better. And if you sleep better then you get double the benefits of sleep and activity. Another obvious benefit is that exercise strengthens your muscles, and it strengthens your bones. This leaves you at less of a risk for any diseases that can potentially deteriorate these parts of your body. Medically, staying active makes you less liable to getting diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cholesterol and diabetes. A sedentary lifestyle can put you at risk of getting any of the above illnesses, so for your sake, get moving.
Drink Your Water
Drinking water is the easiest and most accessible commodity we have in terms of our health. It is literally the fountain of youth and. Our bodies are actually made up of 90%water. Drinking water keeps your bowel movements regular and helps clean out toxins in your body. Drinking water is also linked to the increased elasticity of your skin. So, if you want to reduce wrinkles, then pour yourself a glass of water and drink up. The amount of water that you drink is entirely dependent on how active you are, how old you are, how thirsty you are, how much you sweat, how much you weigh, and also any other medical requirements that you may have. It is best to ask your physician how much water you should take in. Unfortunately, with water, there is a risk of getting water poisoning. So, drink your water, but make sure it’s just the right amount for you.
Take Care of Your Oral Hygiene
Next on the list of health tips for the elderly and seniors is Dental care. Dental care is an essential part of this list of health tips for the elderly and seniors. Visit your dentist regularly. Dentists are able to spot nutritional deficiencies in your teeth and even detect diseases like diabetes. Seeing your doctor regularly helps to prevent gum disease which is linked to complications such as heart disease and bacterial pneumonia. Also, the appearance of your teeth tends to make you look younger or older. And if all your teeth fall out, it will more likely give the effect of making you look older than your actual years.
Watch What You Eat
Everyone knows that nutrition is probably the most important part of keeping our bodies healthy and young. Be sure to eat foods that are high in vitamins and antioxidants. Fill your plate with vegetables such as carrots, and green vegetables. Be sure to stock up on fruits for your health. Stay away from foods that are fatty and rich in processed sugars. These types of components in your food put you at risk for high cholesterol, heart disease, and digestive issues. Fruits also assist in boosting your immune system, helping you to fight off things such as the common cold and the day-to-day bacteria that we come across.
Limit Your Intake of Alcohol And Stop Smoking
Smoking literally kills your body by the second. It also contributes to the aging of your skin and teeth. Within hours of quitting smoking, your body already starts to repair itself and you are at a lesser risk of any lung or heart complications. If you are having trouble quitting you can ask your doctor how he can help you to stay healthy and happy. When it comes to alcohol, reduce your intake significantly as it causes complications of the liver like liver cirrhosis or Acute hepatitis which are both potentially chronic and life-threatening diseases. Essentially you are ingesting a percentage of poison into your body so that you feel a certain way. Although a glass of wine apparently keeps the doctor away it is best to reduce your intake especially if you are someone who is used to binge drinking. Men and women have a limited number of drinks that they are recommended to have every day.
Keep Your Mind Healthy
Practice mindfulness on a daily basis. Make sure that your mental and emotional well-being are well taken care of. Take time out to talk to friends and family. Maintaining friendships and close relations is known to increase longevity and boost your health. Search for your local therapists and book a session, talk about how you are feeling about your life in general. This helps as you will find yourself talking to someone who can be objective, and who you can also vent to with no judgments. Take yourself to a medical wellness center and have a dip in the hot tubs. Spoil yourself, take up a new hobby and just do something that you really enjoy doing. All of these health tips for the elderly and seniors are the key to keeping your mind healthy. Accept that you are growing older, a lot of people struggle with acceptance and that can lead to anxiety and all sorts of negative connotations for your health. Positivity goes a long way in this health journey as a senior. The benefits of mindfulness include lowered stress levels, a boost to the immune system, and a better emotional response.
Take Better Care of Your Skin
Your skin is the biggest asset you have in terms of staying youthful. It is the first thing that people use to judge how old you are apart from the way you carry yourself. So, you have to take care of it. Create a regular skin routine that works for you and your skin. Keep it well moisturized and hydrated. Wear your sunscreen every day. The sun’s UV rays are working overtime to make your skin look older and saggy, so don’t let it win. Healthy skin gives the illusion of youth and taking care of it reduces the appearance of dark marks and wrinkles.
Go For Regular Checkups
It is very important to find yourself a doctor that is specifically for adults. Doctors for adults have experience with elderly people. They can even personally give you health tips for the elderly and seniors. Signed and stamped true by your doctor. Regular checkups are necessary as they assist in figuring out any underlying issues earlier and you know what they say, “the earlier the better’. Also, be sure to see your doctor every time you are feeling unwell. It is better to see your doctor than to assume that you are fine and leave a small problem to then turn into a life-threatening one. There are many illnesses that start out undetected that then lead to you becoming bedridden or that can significantly deteriorate your quality of life, so get those regular checkups in. In addition, you can sign up for Medicare, which is a health insurance program designed for people that are 65 years and above. This type of health insurance can be very crucial for seniors.
Get a Flu Vaccine
I’m sure in this list of health tips for the elderly and seniors you didn’t expect to find such an item on the list, however, the flu can be potentially dangerous to people who are over the age of 65. Getting the vaccine decreases the risk of you catching the flu and potentially allowing your immune system to take a knock. The flu virus changes every year so be sure to get the vaccine at the beginning of each year so you can keep yourself safe. The flu virus has the potential to be deadly to older people as it can develop into pneumonia which is when your lungs become saturated with fluids, and you essentially drown from the inside.
Stay Away From Sick People and Wash Your Hands
If there is one thing that the Covid 19 Pandemic has taught us all, it is to stay away from people who are ill and to wash our hands. Generally practicing good hygiene is a good start towards keeping yourself well and healthy. The recommended amount of time for you to wash your hands is 20 seconds at a time. Use warm soapy water and make sure to get your wrists in the wash too. We come in contact with all sorts of surfaces and being mindful of this can help to protect you. Staying away from sick people although it is not as easy to do is a part of our health tips for the elderly and seniors. Obviously, as you grow older, your body becomes more susceptible to all sorts of viruses and diseases. It is best to try and avoid them by all means necessary. Prevention is better than cure.
Stay Connected
In this long list of health tips for the elderly and seniors, this might be the most important tip. Loneliness can literally send you to your grave. Studies have proven that people who are lonely do things slower, they forget what they are doing and are most likely to fall ill. Human beings are social creatures. We crave to be around other human beings no matter how much we enjoy being alone. So, give your sister a call or better yet, go and see her. Take up a hobby that will allow you to meet new people. Also, in getting a new hobby you stimulate the mind, and you avoid being bored and feeling like you’re “done living life”. Loneliness can lead to depression and high-stress levels. High-stress levels release bad chemicals into the brain that can hinder the body from functioning properly. So, by all means, keep the stress down and do as many fun and exciting things as you can. Don’t take for granted the time that you spend with the people you love, it could be increasing your lifespan.
Taking care of yourself as you continue to age is very crucial to your future quality of life. Keep yourself active, hydrated and happy. Eat well and essentially live life to the fullest so that you don’t end up with a medical malpractice suit when you could have avoided going to the doctor in the first place by taking care of yourself. Also, you absolutely want to avoid reaching a stage in your life where you require assisted living. If you can help it, take care of yourself so well that you are able to see generations and you are able to do things with your body that even some younger people can’t do.