Healthy aging and longevity Archive

Balancing on one leg for 10 seconds or longer is a good way to improve balancing skills.

A 2023 study suggests that women who prefer to stay up and wake up later are more likely to develop diabetes and to have unhealthful lifestyle habits compared with those who prefer to go to bed and wake up earlier.

A 2023 study suggests that toothbrushing twice daily can lower rates of hospital-acquired pneumonia in seriously ill hospitalized patients.

A 2024 study found that the risk of premature death was 24% lower among people who used hearing aids regularly, compared with people who never used hearing aids.

Medical gaslighting describes when health care professionals seem to invalidate or ignore a patient's concerns. It can have many causes, such as a health care provider who has poor communication skills, limited time to speak with a patient, a lack of medical knowledge, or unconscious bias. Someone who suspects gaslighting is occurring during an appointment might try to reframe or rephrase health concerns or questions, or ask a buddy to speak on his or her behalf. If there's no resolution, it might be a good idea to get a different clinician.

A 2023 study found that people with chronic conditions who took part in high-intensity interval training in the water-called aquatic HIIT or AHIIT-experienced a similar boost in endurance (their maximum sustained physical exertion) as people who took part in land-based HIIT. An AHIIT workout includes a warm-up, such as treading water, followed by intervals of rest and intense activity (such as swimming laps or doing four or five pool exercises in a row, as quickly as possible), for a total of 30 minutes.

A 2023 study found that between the 1930s and the mid-1980s, life expectancy in the United States was generally longer than in other wealthy nations. However, since the mid-1980s, the United States has been doing progressively and dramatically worse. Among many reasons for this change is the fact that the country doesn't make health care as widely available to all citizens as do other wealthy countries. For example, tens of millions of people in the United States do not have health insurance. Ultimately, it will be up to society to make health improvements nationwide.

Many strategies that reduce chronic pain are activities that support a healthy lifestyle. Examples include exercise, meditation, deep breathing, mindfulness, yoga, tai chi, stretching, sleeping seven to nine hours per night, staying socially connected, and managing stress. There are lots of free or low-cost ways to practice the activities or get better at them, such as apps, online videos, classes, and support groups. Strategies that require a little financial investment include physical therapy, dietitian services, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, in-person exercise classes, and talk therapy.

Resistance training (also called strength training or weight training) can improve heart-related risk factors such as blood pressure, blood sugar, blood lipids, and body composition. It's especially beneficial for older adults and people with an elevated risk for heart problems. A 2024 scientific statement from the American Heart Association recommends focusing on eight to 10 different exercises that target all the body's major muscle groups. Examples include chest presses, biceps curls, squats, and abdominal crunches.