Sarcopenia: The older you get, the more important training is. The older you get, the less you sleep: why? (5 photos) The fact that it decreases with age

Sometimes, old people seem to us to be eternally dissatisfied and forgetful citizens, with wrinkles on their faces, but science reveals to us a completely different side of the coin: older people usually become smarter over the years, more tolerant in their views and, basically, satisfied with their fate.

Liberal views

Previously it was believed that getting older, humanity stiffens in its outlook on life, but recent studies by scientists prove otherwise.

The researchers conducted a survey of several thousand people, during which the results were obtained, demonstrating age-related changes in views on the world around different categories of people.

It turned out that with age a person shows more liberality in relation to political activity, family, material and spiritual values.

Stem cell aging with humans

Depending on how quickly the body ages, almost all cells go through a stage of change, and despite the fact that it is constantly being updated and replaced by a new stem cell, it still wears out.

Scientific evidence shows that the ability to regenerate cells decreases with age

Experiments conducted by scientists on mice only confirm this fact.

And, of course, the genetic background of the human body, which is responsible for diseases and stressful situations, becomes more dynamic over time.

The need for sleep decreases with age

After studying the need for sleep of several age groups, with an interval from 20 to 83 years, scientists came to the conclusion that the need for sleep decreases with age by a duration of 20 minutes.

This is explained by the fact that an elderly person does not need much time to sleep, although many people of advanced age 65 years and older suffer from this, this happens when more time is needed to fall asleep.

The ability to abstract is getting worse

The frequent problems of abstraction over time and the comprehensive flow of information are another unfortunate factor affecting the lives of aging people.

The ability to control the situation and focus on something gradually worsens with age

Nevertheless, according to Canadian psychologists, old people can distinguish more important information from insignificant, which has a positive effect on.

Skin condition will worsen

Upon reaching the age of 50, it begins to sag, the epidermis becomes thin, along with this, the elasticity and firmness of the upper layer of the skin is lost, which leads to the formation of wrinkles and folds on the skin of the face.

Usually, in such cases, the use of various injections and rejuvenation procedures gives an insufficient, ineffective result, since the bones of the jaw and eye sockets also wear out over time, as a result of which the upper eyelids sag and the cheeks sink.

Sense of humor will remain the same

Laughter has always been beneficial for the human body, including the elderly.

Old people who appreciate humor and are sympathetic to it react effectively and endure stress more easily.

As a result, the quality of life improves, and the aging process itself is easier and more optimistic accepted by a person.

A more positive attitude towards life

Imaginary stereotypes about dissatisfied and gloomy people of the older generation have not been proven by science, it is quite typical to test the level of joy and happiness in more mature years.

Sociologists, in the course of surveys and observations, note that the level of happiness, in most cases, directly depends on such components as health, family and material income, which usually do not always justify themselves in old age.

And although the younger generation is often happier than the old, the age change still changes the attitude towards the environment.

So, for example, there is scientific confirmation that the older generation remembers their past with optimism and a positive mood, perceiving everything in a rosy light.

Conclusion

Old age is not yet a final sentence, but a special gift.

Despite the fact that over time the physical body and the human body undergo significant changes, the soul always remains young, with a large, rich experience of the past days.

Freed from fears and illusions, a person of senile age becomes kinder, more loyal and less critical of himself.

The main advantage of old age is a great accumulation of wisdom and vital prudence, considering all these advantages, you should not forget about it, and then life will be filled with meaning and become full.

Changes in physical qualities with age are quite individual. You can meet middle-aged and elderly people in whom the state of the neuromuscular system bears clear signs of withering, while other people of the same age have high functional indicators. For example, in some individuals, muscle strength decreases after 20-25 years, when the progressive biological development of the body ends; others - after 40-45 years. First of all, speed, flexibility and dexterity deteriorate with age; better preserved - strength and endurance, especially aerobic. Significant adjustments to the age-related dynamics of motor qualities are made by physical culture and sports, which delay the onset of involutionary processes.

With age, speed worsens in all its constituent parameters (the latent period of sensorimotor reactions, the speed of a single movement and the pace of movements). From 20 to 60 years, the time of the latent period increases by 1.5-2 times. The greatest drop in the speed of movement is observed at the age of 50 to 60 years, and in the period of 60-70 years some stabilization occurs. The pace of movement most noticeably decreases at the age of 30 to 60 years, in the period of 60-70 years it changes little, and at an older age it slows down significantly. It seems that at the age of 60-70, some new level of vital activity arises, which provides a certain, albeit somewhat reduced, speed of movement. Streets regularly performing physical activity, reducing all

Rice. 64. The strength of the hand in adulthood

(after: Asmussen E., 1968)

indicators of rapidity is at a slower pace. For example, in trained individuals aged 50-60 years, the decrease in speed is

20-40%, and for untrained - 25-60% of the initial values ​​obtained at the age of 18-20.

The strength of various muscle groups reaches its maximum values ​​by the age of 18-20, remains at a high level until the age of 40-45, and by the age of 60 it decreases by about 25% (Fig. 64). The involution of strength as a physical quality can be assessed by its indicators in individual movements and by the restructuring of the topography of various muscle groups. By the age of 60, the strength of the trunk muscles decreases to a large extent, which is primarily due to a violation of the trophism of the neuromuscular apparatus and the development of destructive changes in it.

In people who do not exercise, the greatest decrease in strength is observed at the age of 40 to 50 years, in those who regularly train - from 50 to 60 years. The advantage of trained people becomes most noticeable at the age of 50-60 and older. For example, the strength of the hands with dynamometry, even at the age of 75 years, is 40-45 kg, which corresponds to the average level of a 40-year-old person, for example, streets involved in sports or physical labor. A decrease in muscle strength is associated with a weakening of the functions of the sympathetic-adrenal system and sex glands (the formation of androgens decreases). These age-related changes lead to a deterioration in the neurohumoral regulation of muscles and a decrease in their metabolic rate.

Speed-strength qualities also decrease with age, but the contribution of one quality or another (strength, speed) to the overall

motor response depends on the nature of the exercise. For example, in long jumps, strength decreases more with age, and in throwing, speed decreases. When performing most physical exercises, speed-strength qualities are interconnected and influence each other. Training with a speed-strength orientation to a greater extent develops these qualities of a person and has little effect on the development of endurance. Conversely, endurance training causes its increase, little affecting the systems and mechanisms responsible for the manifestation of muscle strength. That is why people of mature and old age, when doing physical exercises, should use their various complexes, which make it possible to counteract involutional changes in most organs and systems.

Endurance compared to other physical qualities with age persists for a longer time. It is believed that its decrease begins after 55 years, and when working at moderate power (with aerobic energy supply), it often remains quite high at 70-75 years. This is confirmed by the well-known facts of the participation of people of this age in long races, swims, hiking trips. When performing exercises of a high-speed, power and speed-strength nature (with anaerobic energy supply), endurance decreases after 40-45 years. This is due to the fact that the development of endurance depends, first of all, on the functional usefulness of the circulatory, respiratory and blood systems, i.e. on the oxygen transport system, which does not train enough when performing the above exercises. Regular physical activity for endurance (running, skiing, swimming) noticeably delays its decline, strength exercises (weights, dumbbells, expander) have little effect on the age-related dynamics of endurance.

Flexibility is characterized by the ability to perform movements with maximum amplitude. Without special training, this quality begins to decline from the age of 15-20, which disrupts mobility and coordination in various forms of complex movements. In the elderly, as a rule, the flexibility of the body (especially the spine) is significantly reduced. Training allows you to maintain this quality for many years. When trying to restore flexibility, the best result is observed in those who have good physical fitness.

The main manifestation of dexterity is the accuracy of motor orientation in space. This quality also decreases quite early (from 18-20 years old); special training slows down the decline in agility and it remains at a high level for many years.

With age, our body ages, loses strength, flabby - everyone knows this. But not everyone knows how much and how to deal with it. Let's take a closer look - what is happening to us and can it be delayed by taking care of the problem at any age?

To get started, look at how the foot of a 40-year-old triathlete, a 74-year-old ordinary person, and, at the very bottom, a 74-year-old triathlete looks like in section (on an MRI):

Dark is muscle, white is fat. In the middle is a 74-year-old inhabitant who does nothing. Below - the same 74-year-old, but a fan of triathlon.

What will happen to you over time if you don't exercise?

With insufficient physical activity after 30 years, for every 10 years, 3 to 5% of muscle mass can be lost. On average, by the age of 50, about 10% of muscle mass is lost, and by 80, another 30%.

The muscle mass of the lower extremities is lost more actively and more intensively than the total mass: mobility suffers from this, the risk of falls, fractures and the inability to get up from a chair and walk to the toilet increases. Plus, osteoarthritis processes and other degradation are taking place in the hip and knee joints.

Strength also decreases with age. The study found that in the US, 40% of women aged 55-64, almost 45% of women aged 65-74, and 65% of women aged 75-84 are unable to lift 4.5 kg with outstretched arms.

Comparison of the strength of the quadriceps femoris in young and elderly healthy people revealed an age-related decrease in strength in the range of 20-40% in the seventh to eighth decade of life compared with young people. An even more significant decrease in muscle strength was observed in people in their ninth decade of life and later (50% or more).
Muscle contraction also slows down in response to electrical stimulation.

Different sources give slightly different figures, but all studies show a negative trend. This age phenomenon is called - sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia is a complex of age-related atrophic degenerative changes in the muscles, expressed in a decrease in muscle mass, strength and quality of skeletal muscles.

Sarcopenia is one of the top five risk factors for morbidity and mortality in people over 65 years of age, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Why do muscles lose volume and strength with age?

1. Hormonal changes

For example, with age, testosterone levels decrease, which directly affects the amount of muscle mass in men.

Menopause in women is associated with a decrease in the level of circulating 17β-estradiol (in middle-aged and elderly women). The deterioration of muscle function is observed in women in perimenopause and is associated with a sharp drop in the production of hormones by the ovaries.

These observations indicate that female sex hormones play an important role in the regulation of the muscular system in middle-aged and elderly women. Experts suggest that perhaps hormone replacement therapy in combination with exercise may be the best solution in the initial period of menopause.

A recent study showed an increase in total body weight, body weight excluding legs, and arm and leg strength after 6 months of testosterone replacement therapy in older men to maintain normal testosterone levels. These changes were accompanied by an increase in the level of somatomedin-C (insulin-like growth factor 1 or IGF-1 for short), which indicates the significance of the effect of this hormone on muscle growth in the elderly.

Somatomedin-C levels decrease with age, and given their positive effect on muscle growth, their potential for action in sarcopenia is being explored. Scientists have found that the introduction of somatotropin in pharmacological doses (without physical exertion) increases muscle mass, but not strength. For example, a monthly course of growth hormone in older women increased nitrogen balance, protein metabolism, and muscle protein synthesis.

2. Decreased protein intake

In general, regardless of the mechanism, muscle atrophy develops when the breakdown of muscle fibers (muscle proteins) begins to predominate over synthesis.

Protein intake decreases with age (a large number of people over 60 consume less than 75% of the recommended daily amount of protein). Adequate protein intake is essential to provide skeletal muscle with the necessary anabolic support.

In conditions of starvation (and a lack of protein), the amino acids necessary for the body (we remind you - amino acids, these are the “bricks” that make up all proteins, including our muscles) have to be released from muscles that do not experience sufficient physical activity in this life situation. Roughly speaking, when there are not enough amino acids, the body uses up the least needed muscles (consisting of proteins, i.e. amino acids), splitting them into components that are needed elsewhere.

Muscles that do not participate in physical activity themselves signal this: they produce the hormone myostatin, which at the paracrine and systemic levels allows you to start catabolic processes in less active muscles.

3. Decreased physical activity

Finally, the third important factor: in old age, physical activity sharply decreases, which also does not have the best effect on the creation of new (and preservation of old) muscles.

What to do?

The recipe for life extension is very simple and comes directly from the above three factors.

1. Exercise

To correct sarcopenia, it is necessary to grow muscles. BUT muscle hypertrophy is not possible without physical activity (for example, strength training). Moreover, training works best in comparison with other methods (for example, hormone replacement therapy without training) and at any age.

Even relatively short training sessions, typically 10-12 weeks of training 2-3 times a week, resulted in significant increases in strength in older men and women.

It is significant that increased strength and muscle mass through training has been achieved even by very old people (over 90 years old).

In addition, the study also showed that strength training in older people for 6 months partially restored the spectrum of mRNA synthesized by myofibrils to the state characteristic of 30-year-olds, i.e. for the first time at the molecular level, the real rejuvenating effect of power loads has been proven.

(Before training, the older participants were 59% weaker than the younger control group, but after six months of training, the result improved, and they were only 38% weaker. The expression of some genes also changed and began to resemble a picture of younger people more).

In general, the list of positive effects of power loads is very extensive. Power training:

• improve anabolic hormonal status;
• reduce the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines;
• increase physical endurance;
• normalize high blood pressure;
• reduce insulin resistance;
• reduce general and visceral (most associated with age-related diseases) fat deposits;
• increase the level of basal metabolism in the elderly;
• prevent age-related bone loss;
• reduces the risk of falls and, accordingly, fractures;
• reduce pain and improve the functional state of patients suffering from arthrosis, in particular, arthrosis of the lower extremities (coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis).

2. Eat enough protein

The study showed that in men and women aged 60-70 years, the effect of training was especially high if protein nutrition was followed after training at the rate of 0.4 g of protein per kilogram of dry body weight.

In placebo-controlled studies, it has been found that during strength training in recreational physical education, increased protein nutrition leads, even in very old men and women, to a significantly greater increase in strength and muscle mass compared to placebo.

The beneficial effects of strength training can be achieved with as little as two to three 15-20 minute workouts per week.

In general, if you do nothing, or sit on the usual calorie deficit (so as not to gain weight over the years), the result will still be deplorable: without power loads, muscles will still be lost over the years, and the body will rapidly weaken, age and move faster to death.

Therefore, moderate power loads (in any form) are an inevitable and important point in prolonging the youth of the body.

Here's an example of the oldest bodybuilder in the world - Ernestine Shepard, who started bodybuilding at 54, next year she will turn 80 and look how she looks:

15. Does attention decrease with age!

If you ask yourself: “Why have I become so distracted lately? I used to be much more attentive,” perhaps you have valid reasons for this. As we age, we become more and more sensitive to outside interference and distractions. That is why it is difficult for older people to do several things at the same time with the same efficiency. Some people get tired and irritated more quickly from their own inability to concentrate. Many tests of divided attention have shown that this syndrome worsens with age. The consequences of this are often deplorable: older people tend to give up activities that gave them pleasure, on the grounds that they cannot do it as successfully as before.

In fact, a lot here depends on the organization. After giving up "polymorphic activity" (that is, combining several things), a person must learn to focus on things of paramount importance. Let's remember Montaigne's charming saying: “When I dance, I dance; when I sleep, I sleep." Long live those who know how to give themselves completely to one thing! They get much more pleasure from it. Yes, indeed, some consequences of aging are unavoidable (slow metabolism, sensitivity to extraneous interference), but a person is able to adapt to them by slightly changing the usual norms of behavior. You either read or watch TV. You are either studying a recipe or chatting with a friend. Being engaged in one thing at a certain point in time, you will get satisfaction from the effectiveness of your actions.

Internal organization helps identify problems and find solutions. As attention wanes, you must learn to anticipate situations and prepare for them in advance. By solving problems related to attention, you will get rid of half of the so-called memory troubles. Get into the habit of asking for help. If you suddenly remember: “I must send this letter and return the book to Mike,” do both the first and second immediately. If this is not possible, take urgent measures to ensure that you do not forget about business by the time you leave the house. Put a letter and a book near your bag or coat - then you will not forget about them. The weaker your attention, the more you need these strategies. So, be more organized:

Act immediately after thinking about the need to do something: “do it this minute”;

Use visual or auditory cues;

Put the items you need in prominent places;

Do only one thing at a time;

Anticipate situations in which your attention is dulled.

Chapter Four Why Time Speeds Up with Age Take a look at this list of events. Can you name the year and month of each without looking anywhere? Assassination of John Lennon Margaret Thatcher takes office as British Prime MinisterChernobyl accident

With age, tastes change Perhaps, it is coffee that is an example of a true drink for adults. Its thick aroma, its bitter aftertaste, its sensation of warmth and blissful anticipation the moment you blow on it before you take your first sip, this pleasant

Myth thirteen With age, you need to be more serious “No matter how old we are, each of us is still a little girl jumping a rope, roller-skating, breaking her knees, wearing braids with hairpins or ribbons and eating ice cream ...” * *

2. The Million-Year-Old Brain, or Psychogenetic Structures Among the images that appear in free-falling waking dreams, some symbolize universal values. C. G. Jung showed that each person has a predisposition to exteriorize these values,

Do they change with age? Think of the relatives and friends you've known since childhood: the shy and insecure girlfriend, the outgoing and always cheerful brother, the chattering cousin with a dubious reputation, the ill-mannered and unfriendly neighbor. What they were