HEALTH ADVICE

HEALTH ADVICE FOR MATURE WOMEN

Staying healthy becomes even more important as we get older. When we’re young, we can easily overcome illnesses, falls, and other issues, but as we age these things become more difficult. However, if we take care of our health in the long term, we can ensure that we feel and perform well no matter how old we get. Below, you’ll find the essential health advice mature women should follow in 2021:

Stay Up To Date With Your Healthcare Provider

Start by staying up to date with your healthcare provider. Don’t ignore letters asking you to book an appointment, and don’t ‘worry about making a big deal’ out of any health concerns. Booking a private covid test could be the best thing to give you peace of mind.

Eat A Balanced Diet

A balanced diet should include plenty of color, so fruits and vegetables should be a regular purchase at the supermarket. Balance also means eating a little of what you fancy, however - deprivation is not the key to happiness, and happiness is a must for health, too! Try to make smart choices, but don’t go to extremes. You should enjoy your food.

Stay Active

Exercising can help you to strengthen your muscles and bones, and improve your flexibility and stamina. This can help you to go about your day to day life with ease, as well as reduce your risk of trips and falls. Just find a form of exercise that you really enjoy and you should have no trouble sticking to it. Do something you enjoy, and start slow if you need to. There is plenty of time to build up your sessions and increase intensity if and when you feel ready to do so. Don’t feel under pressure. A gentle yoga session can be just as good for your health as a more intense resistance workout.

Enjoy A Rich Social Life

There is a risk of loneliness as we age and lose touch with our loved ones. This is why it’s so important to put effort into cultivating a rich social life. Join clubs and meet like minded people, and call your friends and family to catch up every so often, even if only for 10 minutes.

Don’t Neglect Sleep

We tend to need less sleep as we age, but this totally depends on how much we naturally need, as well as how active we are. 8 hours usually allows us to perform out best, but it’s up to you to pay attention to how much sleep helps you to feel great. Remember that less than 6 hours is just as bad as none at all, and it can even mean a shorter lifespan.

Keep Your Brain Active

Keeping your brain active is one of the most important things you can do later in life, too. Doing puzzles, reading, and learning new things can all help you to keep your brain and body healthy. You’re never too old to learn something new, and keeping your brain sharp will ensure you stay healthier for longer.

How to clear your brain fog

Many of us have been talking about brain fog of late, whether that is because of ageing, feeling burnout, recovering from illness, or juggling too many balls in the air during this incredibly difficult last year. So what is brain fog and how does it relate to memory and what exactly can we do about it?

What is brain fog?

Brain fog can range from mild to severe and is associated with poor memory, not being able to focus clearly, not being able to retrieve information and a lack of clear thinking and can negatively affect all aspects of our lives. Brain fog can be most apparent when we struggle with our memory and our ability to acquire, store, maintain and reclaim information that we have previously experienced or learned.

A review by Theoharides et al (2015) discusses evidence that suggests stress, exposure to certain toxins and medical health problems causes inflammation of certain molecules in the brain which can contribute to brain fog. Even lack of sleep and nutritional deficiencies can add to the problem. So, what can we do to help ourselves?

How to clear brain fog, sharpen our thinking & improve our memory

Make sleep your top priority. On average, a person goes through 3-5 REM (rapid eye movement) cycles per night which is when we dream and is vital for mental and emotional regulation. It is important to maintain a regular and healthy sleeping pattern in order to prevent or clear brain fog and to be at your sharpest and allow your brain to do all its sorting and coding.

Exercise to get the oxygen flowing. Exercising increases oxygen and blood flow, so incorporate 30 mins of exercise into your daily routine to help clear out the cobwebs especially if you can get outside.

Don’t overload. Take time to properly focus on activities and avoid trying to do too many things at once. The misguided notion of multitasking has been linked to poorer episodic memory, along with a reduction in efficiency, performance and focus. Slow down and do one thing at a time.

Brain fog could be hormonal. Low levels of hormones, particularly oestrogen, have been linked to changes in memory and difficulties thinking or processing information. These disturbances most frequently occur during the menopause.

Check medications. Some over the counter medications can cause brain fog so check the label for side effects. Chemotherapy can prevent the production of oestrogen which may explain changes in memory otherwise known as ‘chemo brain’, which is another type of brain fog.

Consult a medical professional if you think depression, sleep disorders, anxiety or medication you are taking could be contributing to the brain fog.

Reduce stress. Most importantly if you are feeling overwhelmed, remember to be kind to yourself. Have downtime, work out what you need to feel better that can be realistically achieved and surround yourself with positive people.

DO YOU FIND YOU ARE TIRED AT THE END OF THE DAY? ARE YOU HAVING PROBLEMS REMEMBERING WHAT HAS BEEN SAID TO YOU? DO YOUNG PEOPLE BABBLE AND NOT SPEAK CLEARLY?

These are all signs that you may have a slight impairment in your hearing. When you do not hear 100% your brain has to fill in the gaps in conversation.

This can require significant effort by your brain, which leads to you being more tired earlier in the day. When the brain is trying to fill in the gaps of conversation it can be too busy to store the information leading to you presenting as forgetful. Unfortunately, we are not able to multitask as well as we would like to think.

Missing subtle parts of the conversation is like completing crosswords, not all the information is there.

Hence the conversation sounds more like babble.

Consider seeing an Audiologist to check out your hearing, improving your hearing can give you many health benefits, including feeling better about yourself, more engagement in company and less embarrassing misunderstandings. It is said that untreated hearing loss has a negative impact on our health equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Miss Hearing, suffering with Tinnitus? Consult a local independant professionalRemember that if you are eligible for hearing aids they will only be as good as the Audiologist that programmes them.

Dr David J Reed BA MSc MBA AuD RHADConsult a local independent professional, Dr David J Reed BA MSc MBA AuD RHAD

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