Category: harvardhealth_news_UNDEFINED

Mindfulness is the act of paying attention and focusing on the moment. Research has long shown mindfulness can help lower anxiety, but new studies suggest additional benefits. These include feeling less pain, making fewer mistakes, and being more resilient. Many people confuse meditation with mindfulness. Although there is some overlap, meditation is a practice that leads to being more mindful. Both meditation and mindfulness aim to help people stay present and nonjudgmental.

An estimated 30 million Americans experience some level of hearing loss, but only about 20% of them seek hearing aids. Many people can’t accept they can’t hear well, or won’t act on symptoms. People should seek help if they have trouble hearing conversations, TV, and other sounds, and should see a doctor quickly if they have hearing loss in only one ear, pain, ear drainage, or vertigo. Visits with an audiologist and otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor) are typically needed to get prescription hearing aids. Over-the-counter hearing aids are expected to be available online and in stores starting in late 2022.

Each year, millions of couples face one partner’s serious diagnosis with a condition such as cancer, heart or kidney failure, or neurological illness, among others. People can support their partners through a difficult diagnosis and treatment by keeping communication open, maintaining daily routines, becoming informed about the medical condition, attending doctor visits, adding assistive devices in their home, getting wills and other legal documents in order, and seeking and accepting help from others.

A 2022 study suggests that following certain healthy habits throughout life can create a “cognitive reserve” that may protect the brain from dementia. People in their 60s and 70s can still build up their reserve by pursuing a combination of brain-stimulating activities.

Genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors contribute to reaching age 100. More than 100,000 people were 100 or older in 2019, triple the number in 1980. People reaching extreme old age tend to be nonsmokers, are not obese, and cope with stress effectively. Studies show that diets incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains may lower the odds of frailty and increase life span. Siblings and children of long-living people also are likelier to live longer than peers. Optimism is associated with higher odds of living beyond 90.

People may relieve anxiety by cracking knuckles or other joints. Usually it’s a harmless habit, but people with joint problems like arthritis should refrain, since doing so might worsen symptoms.

Standard guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. But many older adults have trouble reaching this mark, as they either don’t enjoy aerobic workouts or have physical or medical issues that make traditional cardio exercise a challenge. Breaking down the weekly requirements into smaller daily segments and trying a variety of activities that can qualify as moderate intensity can help people meet their exercise needs.

After age 50, the number of taste buds begins to decline, so it’s natural for people to notice some changes in their sense of taste. But other conditions also can affect taste, such as nasal issues, certain medications, and conditions like dry mouth and acid reflux.

People who ate large amounts of ultra-processed foods had a greater risk of later developing dementia compared with people who ate little of these foods, according to a 2022 study. Researchers estimated that switching out even 10% of ultra-processed foods for healthier options might lower one’s risk.

A 2022 study found that physical therapy works as well as surgery for degenerative meniscal tears in the knee, an injury related to tissue aging that can lead to osteoarthritis. This approach offers an alternative for people concerned about surgery’s costs and possible complications.