Each Decade For Men's Health
June 3, 2013
Men through many changes from our early to late adulthood. From our 20's to our 70's many changes are expected and there are different focuses for men's health through each decade of life. Starting in the twenties men often neglect their health as they transition from adolescence to early adult life. The easiest thing to do is schedule a yearly physical to detect problems early. A good doctor can correlate family history and your habits to make an accurate diagnosis. Many problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol might have latent symptoms which you may not physically feel. This is a good time to develop healthy habits for a healthier future. Of coarse exercise and diet are important, but curbing smoking, drug use and alcohol consumption can pay off dividends in the future.
Into the third decade men should be focused on protecting their hearts. The high blood pressure that wasn't detected in the 20's start to show up in this decage. Nearly 28% of Americans have hypertension in this age range. Developing healthy eating habits are crucial in this period. Sodium consumption has shown to have crippling effects on the heart due to its relation to high blood pressure. Most of us consume nearly two and half times what is recommended, 1,500 mg per day. This is the decade to take care of those nagging injuries. Your schedule typically changes in your 30's to a more sedentary lifestyle. You may have stiffer muscles that you remember and more weight that in your 20's which can lead to more injuries and pain. See you chiropractor to check these injuries.
In your 40's stress seems to be at its highest. You're reflecting on your current family and financial situation. This increase in stress can cause blood pressure to sky rocket, effect sleep, and increase your weight. Its important to have a trusted mental health physician to keep you in top shape. You also may begin to notice more vision problems as well as hearing problems. This is the decade that those fine muscles in the eyes begin to show signs of strain and a lowered ability to focus clearly. Most hearing loss doesn't start till later, but can start in some men now.
In your 50's, you should set up regular colon cancer screenings to prevent conditions which are treatable with early detection. If men have medical histories of colon cancer those screenings should be earlier than this decade. Colo rectal cancer is the second cause of cancer death among Americans.
In your 60's its again time to check your mental health. Older Americans are showing a higher risk of depression. Some of the factors which raise this finding are deaths of family members, loneliness, social roles changing, and even prolonged illnesses. This is the time of life to check bone density and osteoporosis. True, this is more common in women at a younger ago, bone loss is equal in both sexes at the ages of 65 and over. Men should be screened for bone health. Men should be eating healthy greens and calcium-rich foods. At this age weight bearing exercises are important to perform regularly.
