Poor sleeping, no energy and low libido are possible signs of aging [STUDY]

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Loss of sleep, low energy, decrease in sexual drive, all these are among the health issues that are often considered as a person grows older. However, a new study shows that they do not always have to be a part and parcel of aging.

Consumer Reports debunks some common myths about the health problems that may affect you as you age, they include the following:

Sleep Disorder

Sleep patterns does change as a person gets older. "It takes longer to fall asleep, and you tend to have more frequent awakenings than younger individuals," Raj Dasgupta, a sleep specialist at the University of Southern California says.

Older people also get less delta or slow wave sleep. They also lack deeper sleep which helps to consolidate memory, lack of good sleep will make a person feel more tired, irritable and forgetful during the day.

However, most of the sleep disorders common among older people stem from a range of other causes, mostly, medication used to treat unrelated health conditions, according to Washingtonpost.

A person affected by sleep disorders are advised to seek medical help in other to rule any underlining medical conditions. If medical issues are ruled out, he is advised to consider cognitive behavioral therapy.

 Sleeping pills can also be the cause of sleep disorder as they can pose risks such as next-day grogginess, confusion and memory problems.

Falling off

Older people tend to become frail and prone to falling down. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, up to one-third of people who are older than 65 years fall every year.

This is partly caused by the natural decrease in the flow of blood to the Cerebellum, the brain's balancing center and also the inner ear and vision changes which makes it more difficult to orient one's self, according to Mary Tinetti, chief of geriatrics at the Yale School of Medicine.

Blood pressure medications sometimes lowers the blood pressure, thereby causing dizziness, mostly when a person stands up very quickly which also increases the risk of falling down.

Decrease in sex drive

For women, the levels of both estrogen and testosterone would decline at menopause, which can lower the sex drive and make sex less comfortable. Some older men have a strong sex drive, but they may have issues with erection because of the decrease in blood flow to the penis, according to parsseh.

This is as a result of clogged arteries stemming from conditions such as high cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Even with these changes, "as people are living longer, healthier lives, they have all the same expectations that they have in their younger years, which includes sexuality," says Marc Agronin, medical director of mental health and clinical research at Miami Jewish Health Systems.

People having low sexual drive are advised to see a doctor. He should also screen for other medical conditions such as diabetes and mood disorders, which can also affect sexual arousal.

Prescription drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction, including  tadalafil (Cialis) and sildenafil (Viagra), improve sexual drive in men, but they also have side effects such as dizziness, headaches and blurred vision.

Thought Disorders

 "As part of so-called 'normal' aging, your mind does slow a bit," says Ronald Petersen, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

He said brain neurochemicals change with time, which explains the forgetfulness in older people. But studies however note that, only up to 20 percent of people experience severe problems associated with thinking or memory loss.

A person suffering from memory associated problems should see a doctor in other to rule out other medical conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, sleep apnea and depression.

Antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Nytol, Benadryl Allergy, Sominex and related generics), anti-anxiety drugs such as diazepam (Valium and generics), and antidepressants such as amitriptyline, have been linked to cognitive impairment and dementia.

Depression

According to Robert Roca, chairman of the American Psychiatric Association's Council on Geriatric Psychiatry, older people are not any more likely than younger ones to be depressed.

But Roca explains that when they get depressed it is usually associated with the loss with growing older.

"They lose loved ones or friends, they lose their identity because they retire, their physical vigor declines and they cannot do as many activities as they used to," Roca added.

A person suffering from depression should seek medical assistance and also screen for depression. For mild depression, an increase in physical and social activities will help.

Lastly Anti-anxiety medications, popularly known as benzodiazepines, are sometimes prescribed to treat depression, but drugs in this class are not appropriate for the purpose.