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5th December 2024
Soundtrack to a Healthy Life: 10 Musical Tips to Keep You Healthy As You Age
Finding the rhythm to live a healthy life as you age can feel challenging, but it’s achievable with the right mindset and tools. To help you get moving in the right direction, we have curated our soundtrack to a healthy life playlist. Each song was hand-picked by Dr. Shane O’Hanlon, consultant geriatrician at Mater Private Network in Dublin, to plant a musical seed in your mind to help you focus on your physical and mental health. So, put on your walking shoes and have your earphones ready as we share our 10 tips to help you stay healthy as you age.
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1/10 Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles
Although they probably did not realise it at the time, when The Beatles released Here Comes the Sun in 1969, they provided us with a very important message as we age – enjoy the outdoors and use it to maintain your mental and physical health.
A recent study, which used eye tracking technology on people while they were outdoors, measured the association between intentional visual attention to natural areas, or green areas, versus human made grey elements like buildings, and how each impacted on the subject’s well-being.
The researchers found that the subjects who spent more time viewing green spaces or nature landscapes had lower anxiety and felt healthier, stronger, and more cheerful. They noted that the presence of trees in a green area had a strong effect on those who took part. Eng in outdoor hobbies such as walking or gardening is an effective way to get outdoors more. The knock-on effect is an increase in your physical activity which will have positive benefits for your overall fitness and heart health.
2/10 Young at Heart - Frank Sinatra
Maintaining a healthy heart throughout your life is one of the best ways you can ensure you live a long life. After all, Frank did say ‘don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth to be young at heart’.
It is common for a geriatrician to meet patients with smoking-related and other cardiovascular diseases which have developed into vascular dementia. A 2023 study looked at participants’ cardiovascular disease risk score and how that may affect each participants’ brain function. The study found that those who were at a lower risk of cardiovascular disease had higher cognitive function than those with higher cardiovascular risk.
Geriatric Medicine
Geriatric medicine is a specialist medical service focused on the healthcare needs of older people. The aim of geriatric medicine is to prevent and treat diseases and improve quality of life.
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3/10 (Let’s Get) Physical - Olivia Newton-John
How can we improve our heart health? Well, in the wise words of Olivia Newton-John, ‘let’s get physical, physical’. Increasing physical exercise, specifically aerobic exercise, is one of the key things we can do to improve our heart health. If you can maintain a prolonged period of aerobic exercise, you will experience improvements to your cardiac health, lung capacity, it aids weight management, and boosts your immune system.
4/10 Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
While aerobic exercise is beneficial, so too is ‘pumping iron’. There is no need for you to replicate prime Arnold Schwarzenegger, but it will help if you take advice from the Black Eyed Peas to ‘pump it’.
A long-term study published in 2020 including 480,000 adults, found that the risk of mortality from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lower respiratory tract disease fell by 40% in those who did a combination of aerobic and weight exercise. It also found that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease fell by 40%.
Engaging in meaningful weight training does not require you to buy expensive equipment or to sign up for an expensive gym membership. You can easily use household items like bags of sugar or cartons of milk to increase your weight-based activity. This type of training, alongside protein supplementation, has been found to have delayed and reversed frailty in older people.
5/10 Food, Glorious Food - Lionel Bart / Oliver!
With Christmas approaching, it’s the time of year when food takes centre stage for all of us. It is well within our rights to have Food, Glorious Food, but it is more beneficial for your health to ensure your food intake is nutritious.
Ultra processed foods have been linked with increased risk of dementia. According to a 2023 study, the more ultra processed foods we eat, the higher the risk we have of developing dementia. This holiday season, give some time to thinking about what healthy vegetables, fruit and protein sources you can incorporate into your diet. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to be associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
6/10 Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
Understanding the risks associated with physical injury is important in staying healthy as you age. Nobody needs to be Free Fallin’ and hurting themselves!
According to Bill Bryson’s book - At Home: A Short History of Private Life - in which he describes the history associated with each room in a standard house - approximately 85% of people who fall on stairs are above 65. Also, 90% of falls occur on the way down the stairs, so pay extra attention when descending.
The chance of a severe fall is approximately 57% on straight stairs, but this drops to 37% on stairs that are at an angle, often referred to as ‘dog-legged’ stairs. Distractions, such as using mobile phones, play a huge role in the potential for a fall on stairs. It is estimated that two out of every three falls on stairs happen on first or last three steps.
7/10 With a Little Help from My Friends - Joe Cocker
Due to several factors, social isolation and loneliness are prevalent among people who are older and may be living alone. Isolation and loneliness have been linked to several medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, depression.
If you are feeling lonely or are isolated from other people, it is important to seek out help from anywhere you can. Remaining in touch with family and friends is fundamental if you have that available to you. If you do not have family or friends who you can speak to, by doing something as simple as saying hello and having a chat to your neighbours you can reduce your risk of several health issues which are associated with social isolation and loneliness. A recent study found that by greeting up to six of your neighbours, you can maximise your well-being. If possible, engaging in exercise or social clubs is a great way to boost your social interactions.
8/10 Dream a Little Dream - Mama Cass
Setting yourself up for a good night’s sleep will have untold benefits for your health. We know that lack of sleep is connected to several different medical conditions and even early mortality. The good news is that a 2017 and a 2021 study showed that by sleeping between seven and eight hours per night, you can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, stroke, and dementia.
The quality of your sleep is also important. If after sleeping you still do not feel as rested as you feel you should, it is advisable to visit a sleep specialist who can carry out a sleep test on you to determine the cause of your lack of quality sleep.
Every breath you take during sleep is important and a common sleep-related issue is sleep apnoea. This is when your airway is obstructed by the narrowing of your throat as the muscles relax while you sleep. By engaging in a sleep test, your sleep specialist can help to pinpoint these kinds of conditions and help resolve them.
9/10 Rehab - Amy Winehouse
Overconsumption of alcohol is known to have an impact on your sleep quality and your overall health. The more alcohol you drink, the higher your risk of developing diseases like cancer, heart disease, and stroke is.
It may be difficult to curb alcohol intake, but it will be beneficial for your health to keep your consumption to two drinks in any one sitting. To help you manage this if you are at a party or out at dinner, consider having one non-alcoholic drink for every alcoholic drink. Also, you will have more health benefits If you avoid drinking two or more days in a row.
10/10 Do you Hear What I Hear? - Bing Crosby
What?... How many times have you found yourself asking someone to repeat themselves as you get older? While hearing loss is something that can happen as you age, it is advisable to be mindful of the effects that hearing loss can have on your overall health.
Studies have shown that hearing loss can be associated with dementia. A new study published in 2024 found an association between the severity of hearing loss and global cognitive impairment among the 62,072 participants. It is not known whether hearing aids can help to prevent dementia, but where needed they help the brain not to miss out on important conversation and stimulation.
We hope Dr. O’Hanlon’s punchy playlist has given you some food for thought about the importance of looking after your health as you get older. If you are concerned about any of the points raised in this piece and wish to arrange an appointment with Dr. O’Hanlon, you can find his contact details on his bio page. This service is available in our Eccles Street hospital and in our Cherrywood day hospital. Visit our Geriatric Medicine service page to find out more.
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