Infections. Chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, thyroid disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Untreated pain and diseases like fibromyalgia. Anemia.
Ongoing fatigue in seniors can be caused by chronic conditions, making it important to monitor and report any new symptoms of weakness and exhaustion to your care team. Some common underlying health conditions that can contribute to fatigue in older adults include: Diabetes. Heart disease.
ABSTRACT: Fatigue is a common symptom in elderly persons, but it is often ignored as many patients and healthcare providers assume it is a natural progression of aging or may mistake it for somnolence, dyspnea, or muscle weakness.
B12 is a vitamin that is necessary for high levels of energy. As you age, your body isn't as able to absorb B12 from foods as well, so it's important that you eat enough foods with this vitamin. B12 is found in animal products, which should be eaten moderately.
Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as all adults—7 to 9 hours each night. But, older people tend to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier than they did when they were younger.
Ageing, an inevitable process, is commonly measured by chronological age and, as a convention, a person aged 65 years or more is often referred to as 'elderly'.
While a 30- to 90-minute nap in older adults appears to have brain benefits, anything longer than an hour and a half may create problems with cognition, the ability to think and form memories, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Nearly one-third of adults age 51 and older experience fatigue, according to a 2010 study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Fatigue in older adults sometimes occurs as a result of chronic pain from arthritis, fibromyalgia, or other chronic conditions. Your body may tire itself out from trying to manage the pain or inflammation, and living with chronic pain can also lead to mental or emotional fatigue.
Boredom, depression, chronic pain and/or nutritional deficiencies can be some of the underlying causes that account for excessive daytime sleeping. Medications can also be a problem.
But getting older doesn't automatically sideline you from being active. Usually, our energy declines because of normal changes. Both genes and environment lead to alterations in cells that cause aging muscles to lose mass and strength and to become less flexible. As a result, strenuous activities become more tiring.
Changes in sleep patterns, circadian rhythms, and lifestyles in older life make older adults more prone to taking naps during the daytime [4]. Older adults also take naps to counter excessive sleepiness and fatigue from comorbidities or medications [5].
Australia's older generation (those aged 65 and over) continues to grow in number and as a share of the population. The ageing of the population creates both pressures and opportunities for Australia's health and welfare sectors.
Age, Life Cycle and Evaluations of Personal Life
Fully 71% of those under age 50 expect their lives to be better in 10 years than they are today, as do 46% of those ages 50-64. By contrast, only about a fifth of adults ages 75 and older (19%) expect their lives to be better in the future than they are today.
Many experts agree that the recommended steps per day for seniors is 7,000-10,000.
According to their internal body clock, most older adults need to go to sleep around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. and wake up at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. Many people fight their natural inclination to sleep and choose to go to bed several hours later instead.
Some sleep experts suggest that seniors actually need less sleep than other age groups. Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep whereas many seniors can get away with 7.5 hours. Other experts believe that seniors need just as much sleep as the rest of the population.
For people over the age of 65, getting more than nine hours of sleep on a regular basis may be an early sign of the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.
As we age, choosing healthier foods and beverages is even more important for our health. Unpasteurized milk and dairy products, fried foods, high-sodium foods, and certain raw produce are among the foods to avoid or limit at any age.
Fruit and Vegetable Superfoods for Seniors
Apples: Similar to blueberries, apples are a significant source of soluble fiber (daily consumption is said to reduce LDL cholesterol by 40%), but they're also rich in potassium and vitamin C, both of which benefit blood pressure.