What exactly happens to your body as you age that makes you more tired or seem to have less energy? Are these changes reversible?
Let’s explore this topic further, so we can separate fact from fiction.
Aging causes a lot of changes to the body, most of which aren’t necessarily welcome. One complaint that is common among older adults is that they seem to be more tired, more easily fatigued, and generally have less energy.
Often, they will state that they can’t do as much as when they were younger, need longer to recover from physical exertion, and need more time sitting, lying down, or otherwise resting in between daily tasks, chores, and so on. They may start to take naps on occasion when they never used to in their younger years. Bedtime may come earlier, too.
Body Changes With Age and Less Energy
There is no doubt that your body goes through a lot of changes as part of the normal aging process. Some cellular damage or decrease in efficiency is common, though it can vary quite a bit from person to person. But that accounts for only a small fraction of the reported changes in energy associated with age. So what else is going on beneath the surface of this problem?
In fact, there are many chemical and biological processes occurring as you age, several of which are triggered or governed by hormones and similar chemical messengers, which may contribute to a feeling of less energy with age.
In women, the massive decreases in estrogen, the primary female sex hormone, are often associated with a variety of bodily changes during menopause. In men, the changes happen more gradually, with a linear, fairly consistent loss of the male sex hormone testosterone over time as men age.
In both cases, however, the decreasing levels and effects of these hormones alter the body’s systems and responses. Some of the ways in which this occurs include increased difficulty in creating new muscle tissue, decreased muscle mass, changes in fat metabolism, thinning of various tissues of the body (such as the skin), and variations in the efficiency of bodily processes such as digestion and nutrient absorption.
This is by no means a comprehensive list but does highlight some of the ways in which a lack of energy – or a perception of less energy – can develop. Less muscle tone or mass, slower metabolic rates, less nutrient absorption – those can easily add up to result in a greater feeling of fatigue, and a sense of having less energy to go about your day.
Lifestyle Factors and Energy
Bodily changes are not, in fact, the only thing at play in this feeling of less energy, either. In fact, many experts argue that lifestyle changes associated with aging are equally if not more impactful in the sensation of having less energy. Some of the lifestyle factors associated with aging that fall into this category include:
Less physical activity or exercise. This creates a vicious cycle, where things become harder to do, and you feel like you have less energy to do them. As a result, you exercise less or are less active. Rinse and repeat, and you have a recipe for one of the most common reasons older adults report having less energy than when they were younger.
Poor diet or nutrition. The aforementioned physical changes to nutrient absorption are one aspect of this. Many older adults also relax their dietary standards somewhat and are more likely to indulge in less healthy options. At the same time, some adults report feeling less hungry with age (which is, again, a result of changing levels of hormones and other chemical messengers in the body), which can make it harder to eat as much or as wide a variety of foods, resulting in poorer nutrition.
Older adults, especially those who are retired, are not generally expected to be physically active, fit, or capable as younger adults. As with exercise, this can be a self-reinforcing cycle leading to less flexibility, mobility, and activity, or self-imposed, artificial limits on what you are capable of doing. That adds up to a more sedentary lifestyle for many older adults.
Smoking, alcohol, and other drugs – including many prescription medications – can result in fatigue or a sensation of less energy. As health problems tend to increase with age, it is more likely you’ll be on medications than when you were younger; this can explain some of the perceived “less energy” situations among older adults.
Depression, loneliness, reduced social interactions, or diminished social relationships can create a sense of fatigue or general malaise and are surprisingly common among older adults. Left untreated, these problems can easily be interpreted through one of their primary symptoms, a sensation of lack of purpose, lack of motivation, and lack of energy.
Likewise, emotional problems or concerns, such as excessive stress or worry, uncertainty about the future, health-related anxiety, and so on can all take not just a mental toll, but a physical toll on your body.
It’s often said that health begets health and sickness begets sickness, and this is certainly true in the case of stress, anxiety, and related issues among all ages. Excessive stress predisposes you to an increased risk for several physical ailments and health problems and can do a number on your energy, fitness, motivation, and fatigue levels as well.
Poor sleep hygiene, an inability to sleep through the night or enter deep sleep, a variable or inconsistent schedule, and discomfort during sleep can all result in poor sleep quality, as well as reduced hours of sleep. Either or both of those factors will naturally mean your body isn’t getting the sleep it needs to reset and feel refreshed, and you’ll develop a sleep debt, feeling tired all the time.
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