Skip to main content

Senior living and care Archive

Articles

Do products that claim to stop your snoring actually work?

Snoring can strain sleep and relationships, but certain devices and habits may help. Positional aids, oral appliances, and lifestyle changes sometimes reduce noise, while persistent or severe symptoms warrant a medical check to rule out conditions like sleep apnea.

Pilates: A good workout option, even as we get older

Pilates can be a good low-impact workout option, especially as people get older. It focuses on core strength, balance, and flexibility, and can be adapted-on a mat, reformer, or even in a chair-to different abilities and comfort levels.

Could you benefit from wearing compression socks?

Compression socks are snug, supportive stockings that can help people who struggle with leg swelling or circulation issues. They're commonly used for certain vein problems or clot risks, and a doctor can help decide who needs them and how to use them.

A measure of balance

People can evaluate their balance and fall risk at home by taking the four-stage balance test. More advanced tests like single-leg standing, heel-to-toe-walking, and timed up and go can also aid in assessing balance and coordination.

Musical engagement may help lower dementia risk

A 2025 study found that adults ages 70 and older who listened to music most days or played a musical instrument at least weekly may have a lower risk of developing dementia than those who did neither.

Safe and effective high-intensity interval training

High-intensity interval training alternates short bursts of hard effort with recovery, boosting aerobic fitness, heart health, and muscle in less time. For older adults, adjusting intensity to current fitness levels helps keep HIIT safe and effective.

Can you increase your metabolism?

Metabolism-how your body turns food into energy-is strongly influenced by genes, but lifestyle still matters. Choosing nourishing foods, avoiding extreme diets, and building muscle through regular exercise can modestly boost calorie burning and support weight loss.

Boost your cognitive fitness in the new year

The new year is a good time to focus on cognitive fitness. Exercise, healthy eating, mental challenges, good sleep, controlling stress, and social engagement support neuroplasticity and help keep thinking and memory sharp.

Tips to master the power nap

A power nap lasts anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. The shut-eye can effectively increase alertness and focus, enhance mood, reduce fatigue, and possibly support work performance.

Free Healthbeat Signup

Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox!

Sign Up
Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE 32-page gift worth $29.95.

PLUS, don’t miss out on your 25% off promo code.

Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle—You’ll discover powerful, research- backed strategies for health longevity drawn from Harvard Medical School experts—ways to eat for a longer life, build strength and flexibility to stay independent, protect your bones, heart, and brain as you age, and even cultivate the habits linked with “super-agers” who stay sharp and active well into their 80s and 90s—all delivered to your email box FREE.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of Living Longer, Living Well!.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of Living Longer, Living Well.