Sex in the senior years: Why it's key to overall health
(HealthDay)—Lovemaking isn't just for the young: Older people gain a lot of satisfaction from amorous relations as well. But things get complicated as people age, and many folks let this important part of life drift away rather than talk about sexual problems with either their partner or their doctor, experts told HealthDay Now. "Not many people talk about sex with their doctors, especially as we age," said Alexis Bender, an assistant professor of geriatrics with the Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta. "So many people do report sexual dysfunction on surveys, but they don't when they're talking to their doctors. And so it's important to have those conversations with primary care physicians." It's worth discussing. A healthy sex life brings many benefits to seniors, experts say. Sex has been linked to heart health, as well as overall mental and physical health. "It's definitely an association, and it's positive," Bender said. For example, lots of beneficial biochemicals are released by the body during sex, said HealthDay medical correspondent Dr. Robin Miller. These include DHEA, a hormone that helps with cognitive function, and oxytocin, another hormone that plays a role in social bonding, affection and intimacy. "Having sex is a really important part of overall health and happiness, and people that have it, they live longer," said Miller, a practicing physician with Triune Integrative Medicine in Medford, Ore. Sex can actually get better as you get older, Miller added. "For instance, for men, they can control their ejaculation better as they get older," Miller said. "Women aren't worried about pregnancy once they go through menopause, so they're freer." Unfortunately, aging does complicate matters a bit when it comes to sex, Bender noted. "For both men and women, we see changes in physical health such as diabetes or cardiac conditions that might limit desire or ability to have sex," Bender said. "Activity decreases with age, but interest and desire does not, for both men and women." The changes wrought by menopause and andropause also can affect the sex lives of older men and women, Miller said. "For women, vaginal dryness is a big issue. With men, it's erectile dysfunction," Miller told HealthDay Now. Luckily, modern medicine has made advances that can help with these problems. Hormone replacement therapy can help women with the physical symptoms of menopause that interfere with sex, Miller said, and men have Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs. "The story of Viagra is very interesting, actually," Miller said. "In 1998, they were experimenting using it as an antihypertensive. What they noticed was when they were experimenting with these men, when the nurses arrived to check on them they were all on their stomachs, because they were embarrassed since they had erections." "That's when they realized this was a much better medicine for erectile dysfunction than high blood pressure, and that's made a big difference for men," Miller continued. Women can take Viagra as well, "but women don't like the side effects. Men don't really like them, either, but they're willing to put up with them," Miller said. "What I found is for women that you can use Viagra as a cream on the clitoral area," Miller said. "I call it 'scream cream.' You can get it made up at a compound pharmacy. It works like a charm. You still have to wait 40 minutes like men do, but there's no side effects, and it works, especially for women who are on antidepressants, who have trouble reaching orgasm. It really is very helpful." So help is out there, but seniors will have to get over their hang-ups and talk to their doctor to take advantage of these options, the experts said. "Sex and sexuality are taboo in our society," Bender said. "Especially for women, sex is highly regulated and talked about at an early age, and we're really socialized to not be sexual beings." Miller said, "I think it's generational. Some Baby Boomers have a hard time talking about sex. My kids don't have any trouble talking about it. I bet yours don't either." Women also face practical problems when it comes to finding a sex partner, particularly if they're looking for a man, Bender said. Women outlive men, so the dating pool shrinks as time goes on, and men tend to choose younger partners. Through her research, Miller was surprised to learn that many women just give up on the search. "Even though I think it's important to have a healthy sex life and healthy partnership, a lot of women don't want to reengage in partnership as they get older," Miller said. "They've been married. They've taken care of people for a very long time. They've taken care of their husbands and their children. And they just say, I don't want that anymore. I'm happy to sit and hold hands with someone, but I don't want to get into a relationship again. And so that kind of challenged some of my generational thinking about what relationships mean over time." More information: The Mayo Clinic has more about good sex and aging. HealthDay. All rights reserved. https://www.seniorvoiceamerica.org/senior-health-news/sex-in-the-senior-years-why-its-key-to-overall-health https://www.seniorvoiceamerica.org KevinLeonard@SeniorVoiceAmerica.org 813-693-5511
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Ask the Expert: Exercising Safely If You Take Insulin
Why is it important to balance what you eat, your insulin doses, and exercise?Healthcare professionals recommend exercise to help improve blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Exercise also reduces the risk of heart disease and death. However, exercise can cause hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, especially in people with type 1 diabetes and, less commonly, in people with type 2 diabetes who use insulin. Low blood sugar and the fear of going low can be barriers to exercise participation. But there are strategies that people can use to reduce the occurrence of low blood sugar, such as eating additional food and reducing insulin doses before and after exercise. FEATUREDDiabetes: Get The FactsMore than 30 million people live with Type 2 Diabetes in the US. Listen to Dr. Kelly Wood explain treatment options, medications, and more. WATCH NOW How does exercise affect blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity? Can different types of exercise affect these differently?Exercise increases uptake of glucose by your muscles and liver so that your body can use it for energy. Your body then takes glucose from your blood to rebuild these stores, thereby lowering blood sugar. Exercise also makes your body more sensitive to insulin, so you will need less insulin during and after activity. However, the type, intensity, and duration of activity influences the impact on blood sugar and insulin sensitivity:
Might I need to adjust my insulin dose before exercising? Low blood sugar can occur during and after exercise. To help prevent this, if you use multiple daily injections, you can reduce your basal, or long-acting, insulin dose in the morning before exercising. If you use an insulin pump, you can suspend your pump at the start of exercise. It’s important that you don’t suspend it for more than 90 minutes. Another option is to reduce your basal rate 30 to 60 minutes before exercising and continue until after you complete your exercise. You may also need to reduce your bolus, or mealtime, insulin. If you plan to do mild to moderate aerobic exercise within 2 to 3 hours after your mealtime insulin, you may need to decrease that insulin by 25 to 75 percent based on how long you plan to exercise. If you plan to do prolonged high intensity or anaerobic exercise, healthcare professionals don’t recommend an adjustment. You can talk with your doctor about how to adjust your insulin dose before exercise. HEALTHLINE NEWSLETTER Get our Diabetes newsletterTwice a week you’ll receive tips on eating wisely, news on breakthroughs, and more resources to help you stay on top of your diabetes. Enter your email SIGN UP NOW Also sign up for our popular Heart Health NewsletterYour privacy is important to us What is the goal blood sugar target before exercise? What should I do if my blood sugar is high? If it’s low?It can help if your pre-workout blood sugar is between 90 to 250 milligrams/deciliter (mg/dl). If your blood sugar is less than 90 mg/dl, ingest 15 to 30 grams (g) of a carbohydrate about 15 to 30 minutes before exercise. Choose a type of carbohydrate that your body can absorb quickly, such as:
If your blood sugar is high, which can be above 250 mg/dl, check your urine for ketones. Do not perform any exercise if ketones are present. Correct the high blood sugar and wait to exercise until there are no longer ketones in your urine. If there are no ketones, you can do mild to moderate intensity exercises. Avoid high intensity, however, as this can worsen hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar. Can certain types of exercise raise my blood sugar? If so, should I take a correction insulin dose during my workout?Sustained high intensity workouts can raise your blood sugar levels. This is due to the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, as well other counter regulatory hormones such as glucagon, which raise blood sugar by stimulating your liver to release glucose. Your blood sugar may be high during and even after your workout. It’s important not to give a correction dose during your workout. After you finish, to lower your blood sugar, you can hydrate with water or do a light aerobic cooldown. If this does not work, you can then give correction, but half of what you would usually give for the same blood sugar level. What might happen if my workout is longer or more intense than I anticipated?If your workout is longer or more intense than you planned, you could be at risk for hypoglycemia while exercising. Try to check your blood sugar every 30 minutes during longer periods of exercise. If your blood sugar is less than 90 mg/dl, have a snack containing 15 to 30 g of carbs and continue with your workout. If your blood sugar is less than 70 mg/dl, you may start to have symptoms of hypoglycemia. In this case, stop exercising and treat the low blood sugar. Do not restart your exercise until the low blood sugar corrects. What signs of low blood sugar should I be aware of during or after exercise? How can I correct low blood sugar?Hypoglycemia occurs when your blood sugar is less than 70 mg/dl. Symptoms can vary from person to person, so the only way to know for sure is to check your blood sugar. Some early symptoms include:
Severe low blood sugars are medical emergencies. Your family members, friends, or workout partners can call 911 if you’re unconscious or give you emergency glucagon to raise your blood sugar. HEALTHLINE RESOURCE Eating well for diabetes, simplified — in just 10 minsOur free weekly micro-lessons can empower you with wisdom you need to make healthy changes for your diabetes. Short and easy to follow tips for the week ahead. Enter your email SIGN UP NOW Also sign up for our popular Type 2 Diabetes newsletter.Your privacy is important to us How long after exercising do blood sugar levels continue to drop? Will I need to adjust my insulin doses during this time?Blood sugar can continue to drop 4 to 8 hours after you complete exercise. This is because muscles use up their glycogen stores during intense, prolonged activity and need replenishing. You can help prevent low blood sugar by eating carbohydrates after exercise that absorb slowly, such as a granola bar or trail mix. You may also need to decrease your insulin dose after exercise. A small 2013 study found that decreasing the bolus dose of insulin by 50 percent at the meal following exercise helped to prevent early-onset hypoglycemia up to 8 hours after exercise. If you use multiple daily injections, reducing basal insulin by 20 percent that day can help prevent low blood sugar. If you use an insulin pump, decreasing your basal rate by 20 percent for 5 to 6 hours after exercise can reduce your risk of going low during the night. Many factors can affect your insulin dose adjustments. You can talk with your doctor about how to adjust your insulin after exercise to help prevent low blood sugar. Is it safe to exercise at night if I take insulin? How can I reduce my risk of overnight lows?If you exercise at night, especially after you eat dinner with the usual insulin dose at the meal, you can often be at an increased risk of low blood sugars overnight. However, if this is best time for you given your lifestyle, you can reduce your risk by decreasing your evening insulin doses and having a post-exercise snack. Neuroscientists recorded electrical activity from areas of the brain (yellow and red dots) as patients listened to a 3-minute snippet of the Pink Floyd song, “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1.” Using artificial intelligence software, they were able to reconstruct the song from the brain recordings. This is the first time a song has been reconstructed from intracranial electroencephalography recordings. |