When it comes to ageing and healthy living, we're often given the same advice: Eat better, exercise every day and sleep more. But solely focusing on your physical health isn't enough to achieve longevity, a new study has found.
Researchers looked at older adults' optimal well-being, which they define as having social support; positive perceptions of ageing, physical and mental health, happiness, and life satisfaction; and the ability to carry out daily activities without severe limitations. "Our study of over 8,000 older adults found that many who were not in optimal well-being at the start of the study were able to regain it within just three years," said Dr. Mabel Ho, the study's 1st author. "These findings challenge the notion that well-being inevitably declines with age and highlight the potential for positive change later in life."
"These findings apply to older adults aged 60 and over who are not currently in optimal health or well-being," said Dr. Esme Fuller-Thomson, the study's senior author. "The study offers hope and practical insights for older adults, caregivers, and policymakers by showing that with the right supports and lifestyle choices, many older adults can regain a high level of well-being even after experiencing sub-optimal well-being."
In 2023, about 93% of adults age 65 or older in the United States reported having at least one chronic disease, such as heart disease and diabetes. While not all chronic conditions can be avoided, many can be prevented by altering your lifestyle.
"Individuals who began with strong psychological and emotional well-being were nearly five times more likely to reach optimal overall health by the end of the study," said Ho, a recent doctoral graduate at the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Institute of Life Course and Ageing.
The results "also underscored the critical influence of supportive relationships, socioeconomic conditions, and healthy lifestyle choices such as regular physical activity, not smoking, and good sleep," she added.
Physically, there are three main lifestyle changes you can implement to achieve healthy aging:
- exercise
- sleep
- diet.
And while behaviours like nutritious eating and strength training are important, they won't be as effective if you aren't also addressing issues of loneliness and maintaining positive relationships.
"One of the things I always say to my patients is, believe it or not, there's no disease, dis-ease or lack of ease, without your mind. The mind-body connection is unbelievably underestimated by Western medicine," said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver. He was not involved in the study.
Chronically lonely adults age 50 and older have a 56% higher risk of stroke than adults lower on the loneliness scale, according to a previous CNN report.
No matter your age, you can start making choices to get physically and mentally healthier, experts say.