Because it decreases with age. The older you get, the less you sleep: why? (5 photos)
Late pregnancy is becoming increasingly common in Western society.
For example, in the UK the average age of childbearing has risen to 40 years from 23 in 1968 and 29.3 in 2008. There are several reasons why many couples choose to have children after establishing a strong relationship and achieving financial stability. The number of late and second marriages is also increasing. Moreover, there may be a delay in finding a suitable partner, or the partner may have health problems that need to be addressed first.
Relationship between age and fertility
Although pregnancy is sometimes reported in women aged 50 years and above, fertility declines with age. The decline occurs gradually throughout a woman's reproductive life; this becomes noticeable over the age of 30, and accelerates between 35 and 40 years such that fertility by 45 is very close to zero.
Most women can conceive and give birth to a healthy child within the period of time prescribed by nature; but the number of women who will suffer from infertility, miscarriages or development of fetal abnormalities increases rapidly after a certain age.
At the age of 25, only 5% of women take more than a year before they become pregnant with regular sexual activity; this figure rises to 30% at age 35. Only 2-5% of those who want to have a child at the age of 40 will be able to do this.
The risk of miscarriage also increases with age - that is, the risk of miscarriage at the age of 40-44 is 35%. Moreover, advanced maternal age is associated with an increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities in children.
Older women are also at risk for gynecological complications during pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, placenta previa, caesarean section, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm birth and the risk of stillbirth.
Why do fertility rates fall with age?
Ovarian aging– the most significant factor. It is part of the normal age-related changes that occur in organs and tissues. Most women have about 300,000 eggs in their ovaries at the end of puberty. For every egg that is released during ovulation, there are 500 eggs that do not mature.
By the time a woman reaches menopause, which usually occurs between the ages of 50 and 55, only a few thousand eggs remain. As a woman ages, the remaining eggs in her ovaries also age. Aged eggs are susceptible to DNA damage as the DNA repair system wears out. This makes the eggs less suitable for fertilization, and the resulting embryos are less capable of implantation.
Follicle production is mainly determined by genetics, although a woman's lifestyle (such as smoking) can also affect fertility.
As you get older, fertilization is associated with an increased risk of developing chromosomal abnormalities (such as Down syndrome). The risk of chromosomal abnormalities among women aged 20 years is 1/500, while among women aged 45 years it is 1/20.
Gynecological problems- cavity infections, tubal damage, endometriosis, fibroids, ovulation problems, etc. also become more frequent with age. There is also the possibility of premature menopause. As women age, their likelihood of developing diseases that negatively affect their fertility increases.
Sexual functions- libido, frequency of sexual intercourse, etc. also decrease with age. There is information about the influence of age on the implantation readiness of the endometrium - this ability decreases with age.
The aging process affects not only women, but also men, although to a much lesser extent. Age affects sperm quality and coitus frequency. However, there is no fixed maximum age at which men are no longer able to conceive.
Statistics show that for men under the age of 25, the average duration of a relationship for partners to conceive a child is 4.6 months, while at the age of 40 this period extends to 2 years. A recent study in Brazil found that the chances of conceiving a child fell by 7% every year starting at age 41. (ASRM 2011)
Advanced maternal age increases the risk of autosomal dominant diseases (Marfan syndrome, neurofibromatosis and achondroplasia).
Detection of infertility among mature women
Various tests can be used to assess fertility potential in mature women - for example, a blood test to examine the levels of the hormones FSH, LH, estradiol and inhibin on the 3rd day of menstruation.
When planning a pregnancy, you will likely be advised of the risk of miscarriage and chromosomal abnormalities due to your age. In addition, you will learn about potential pregnancy complications, such as blood pressure, bleeding and diabetes.
Infertility treatment options for mature women
There are very limited options for treating infertility in mature women at premenopausal or menopausal age. More mature women respond poorly to ovarian stimulation; the likelihood of having a live birth, even with IVF, is significantly lower than for younger women.
According to data from the SART report 2000, for women aged 40 years, the rate of live births per egg retrieval is 15%, at 41 years old - 11%, 42 years old - 8%, 43 years old - 5%, 44 years old and older - 2 %.
Additionally, older women are at risk for health problems during pregnancy and childbirth, such as gestational diabetes, placenta previa, abruption, cesarean section, premature birth, blood clotting, etc.
To improve IVF success rates among mature women, some clinics recommend assisted hatching, embryo transfer, preimplantation diagnosis, and high-quality embryo transfer. Also in some countries, transfer of large numbers of embryos is recommended. Other treatment options include:
- Egg donation using eggs from a younger donor. Bewley and Ledger (2009) report that more than half of IVF live births among women over 40 used donor eggs.
- Embryo donation is with the consent of the couple, and if the man has problems with sperm.
- Surrogacy using the biological father's sperm and donor eggs.
- Adoption and guardianship.
- Accepting life without children.
Changes in physical qualities with age are quite individual. You can meet middle-aged and elderly people whose neuromuscular system shows obvious signs of decline, 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; for others - after 40-45 years. First of all, speed, flexibility and agility deteriorate with age; better preserved - strength and endurance, especially aerobic. Significant adjustments to the age-related dynamics of motor qualities are made by physical education and sports, which delay the onset of involutionary processes.
Speed deteriorates with age in all its constituent parameters (latent period of sensorimotor reactions, speed of a single movement and tempo of movements). From 20 to 60 years, the latent period increases by 1.5-2 times. The greatest drop in movement speed is observed between the ages of 50 and 60 years, and some stabilization occurs in the period of 60-70 years. The pace of movement decreases most noticeably between the ages of 30 and 60; in the period of 60–70 years it changes little, and at older ages it slows down significantly. It seems that at the age of 60-70 years, some new level of vital activity arises, which provides a certain, albeit somewhat reduced, speed of movement. Streets that regularly perform physical activity, a decrease in all
Rice. 64. Hand strength in adulthood
(after: Asmussen E., 1968)
speed indicators are progressing at a slower pace. For example, in trained individuals aged 50-60 years, the decrease in speed is
20-40%, and for untrained people - 25-60% of the initial values obtained at 18-20 years of age.
The strength of various muscle groups reaches maximum values by the age of 18-20, remains at a high level until 40-45 years, and by the age of 60 it decreases by approximately 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 system and the development of destructive changes in it.
In people who do not engage in physical exercise, the greatest decrease in strength is observed between the ages of 40 and 50 years, and in those who regularly exercise, from 50 to 60 years. The advantage of trained people becomes most noticeable at the age of 50-60 years and older. For example, street people involved in sports or physical labor, the strength of the hands when measured by dynamometry, even at the age of 75 years, is 40-45 kg, which corresponds to the average level of a 40-year-old person. A decrease in muscle strength is associated with a weakening of the functions of the sympathetic-adrenal system and gonads (the formation of androgens decreases). These age-related changes lead to a deterioration in the neurohumoral regulation of muscles and a decrease in the level of metabolism in them.
Speed-strength qualities also decrease with age, but the contribution of one or another quality (strength, speed) to the overall
motor reaction depends on the nature of the exercises. For example, when long jumping, strength decreases more with age, and when throwing, speed decreases more. When performing most physical exercises, speed and strength qualities are interrelated and influence each other. Speed-strength training develops these human qualities to a greater extent and has little effect on the development of endurance. Conversely, endurance training causes its increase, little affecting the systems and mechanisms responsible for the manifestations of muscle strength. That is why people of mature and elderly age, when engaging in 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, lasts longer with age. It is believed that its decline 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 widely known facts of the participation of people of this age in long runs, swims, and hiking trips. When performing speed, strength and speed-strength exercises (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 system, i.e., on the oxygen transport system, which is not trained enough when performing the above exercises. Regular exercise for endurance (running, skiing, swimming) significantly delays its decline; strength exercises (weights, dumbbells, expanders) 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 impairs mobility and coordination in various forms of complex movements. In older people, 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 results are 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); special training slows down the decline in agility and it remains at a high level for many years.
MRI scan, in order from top to bottom: 40-year-old triathlete, 74-year-old inactive person, 74-year-old triathlete. Nice plump - muscles. The ugly white thing is fat.
Sarcopenia is an age-related atrophic degenerative change in skeletal muscles, leading to a gradual loss of muscle mass and strength.
With insufficient physical activity after 30 years, from 3 to 5% of muscle mass can be lost every 10 years (different sources give different figures, but they all show that the trend is negative). According to the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sarcopenia is recognized as one of the five main risk factors for morbidity and mortality in people over 65 years of age.
The loss of muscle quantity and quality with age is a consequence of age-related hormonal changes, changes in the central and peripheral nervous system, systemic inflammatory reactions and a decrease in the density of the capillary network of skeletal muscles.
On average, by age 50, about 10% of muscle mass is lost and by age 80, another 30%.
What’s most disgusting is that the muscle mass of the lower extremities is lost more actively and intensively than the total muscle mass. Of course, this affects mobility, increases the risk of falls, fractures and the inability to get out of a chair and walk to the toilet on your own. Plus, osteoarthritis processes and other degradation occur in the hip and knee joints.
Strength also decreases with age. This study showed that in the USA, 40% of women aged 55-64 years, almost 45% of women aged 65-74 years and 65% of women aged 75-84 years are not able to lift a weight of 4.5 kg with an outstretched arm .
Comparisons of quadriceps strength in young and older healthy adults revealed an age-related decrease in strength ranging from 20 to 40% in the seventh to eighth decades of life compared to younger adults. Even more significant declines in muscle strength were observed in people in the ninth decade of life and later (50% or more).
Muscle contraction in response to electrical stimulation also slows down.
Unfortunately, muscle innervation does not improve with age either.
About hormones
Testosterone levels decrease with age. Which does not have the best effect on MM in men. Estrogens, which also do not increase during postmenopause, do have some anabolic effects on muscle in women.
Menopause is associated with a decrease in circulating levels of 17β-estradiol in middle-aged and elderly women. Deterioration in muscle function is observed in perimenopausal women and correlates with a sharp drop in the hormone-producing function of the ovaries. These observations indicate that female sex hormones play an important role in regulating the functioning of the muscular system in middle-aged and elderly women. Perhaps hormone replacement therapy in combination with exercise may be the optimal solution in the early stages of menopause.
A recent randomized, placebo-controlled trial showed increases in total body weight, non-leg weight, and arm and leg strength after six months of testosterone replacement therapy in older men to maintain normal plasma concentrations. These changes were accompanied by an increase in the level of somatomedin-C (insulin-like growth factor 1 or IGF-1 for short), which suggests the significance of the anabolic effect of this hormone on the skeletal muscle of older people.
Growth hormone and somatomedin-C levels decline with age and, given their anabolic effects, their potential therapeutic effects in sarcopenia are being explored. It has been shown that the administration of somatotropin in pharmacological doses (without physical activity) increases muscle mass, but not strength. For example, a monthly course of somatotropic hormone or somatomedin-C in elderly women increased nitrogen balance, protein metabolism and protein synthesis in muscles.
In general, regardless of the mechanism, muscle atrophy develops when the breakdown of muscle proteins begins to dominate the synthesis.
Protein consumption decreases with age (a large number of people over 60 years of age consume less than 75% of the recommended daily amount of protein. And in old age, even more is desirable. And even if in old age and in a kcal deficit). Adequate protein intake is necessary to provide skeletal muscle with the necessary anabolic support.
Under conditions of starvation (and lack of protein), amino acids are released from muscles that do not experience sufficient physical stress in a given life situation. Muscles that are not involved in physical activity synthesize the hormone myostatin, which at the paracrine and systemic level allows the initiation of catabolic processes in less active muscles.
In old age, physical activity sharply decreases, which also does not have the best effect on the condition of the muscles.
To correct developed sarcopenia, hypertrophy of existing muscle fibers is necessary. Hypertrophy is impossible without physical activity (strength training!).
The effectiveness of physical activity in counteracting sarcopenia exceeds the results of other approaches used without combination with physical activity, such as various options for hormone replacement therapy, nutritional correction, etc. Even relatively short courses of training, usually 10-12 weeks with sessions 2-3 times per week resulted in significant increases in strength in older men and women. It is significant that an increase in strength and muscle mass through training was achieved even by very elderly people (over 90 years old). In men and women aged 60-70 years, the effect of training was especially high if immediately after training (over the next 20-60 minutes) a protein meal was followed at the rate of 0.4 g of protein per kilogram of dry body mass.
Traditionally, the emphasis has been on aerobic exercise, which is beneficial for improving cardiac and respiratory health and has a positive effect on the ratio of lean to fat body mass. However, anaerobic strength training has been found to have a greater impact on the musculoskeletal system, preventing osteoporosis and sarcopenia. It was shown that strength training of elderly people, carried out 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, the real rejuvenating effect of strength training has been proven at the molecular level.
(Before the training, the older participants were 59% weaker than the younger controls, but after six months of training, the results improved and they were only 38% weaker. The expression of some genes also changed and became more like the pattern of younger people).
Placebo-controlled studies have found that during strength training in recreational physical education, increased protein nutrition leads even in very elderly men and women to significantly greater increases in strength and muscle mass compared to placebo.
The beneficial effects of strength training can be achieved in two to three 15-20 minute workouts per week.
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 older people;
- prevent age-related bone loss;
- the risk of falls and, accordingly, fractures is reduced;
- reduce pain and improve the functional state of patients suffering from arthrosis, in particular * arthrosis of the lower extremities (coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis).
In general, if you just “diet” and, for example, run on a treadmill, ride a stationary bike, etc. – muscles will continue to be lost, and you will like your figure less and less. In addition, after menopause, the hormonal profile changes - and fat begins to be deposited not according to the female type (on the hips), but according to the male type (on the stomach and sides) - which does not contribute to the beauty of the figure and is dangerous for the cardiovascular system. That is, if you follow the standard female scheme - gain 2-3-5 kg in winter, and lose them in summer, then more and more muscles will be lost. Strength training will allow you to even out the imbalance and, if desired, look something like this:
(Ernestine Sheppard, born in 1937, began bodybuilding at age 56).
The influence of a woman’s age on the ability to conceive and successfully complete pregnancy
Epigraph
“This scoundrel! How dare he shout PATHOP?!
look, LOOK, it’s him himself standing in a PUDDLE!”
hissed an aging lady in a coat and with a dog,
and walked away into the unknown.
(from personal experience)
Introduction
Passport age itself has an impact on fertility. It is obvious to everyone that over the years a woman’s ability to conceive changes. Historical data confirms that among populations not using contraception, fertility rates decline as women age. However, there are still brave souls who want to challenge this fact.
It is also clear that in the two extreme age categories, before the first menstruation and after the last, a woman who does not demonstrate cyclical functional activity is not capable of conceiving, and therefore, of bearing a pregnancy. And if the first category of women, gradually maturing from menarche to the peak of their fertility, is not of practical interest from the position of bearing a pregnancy, since it is protected by moral norms and the criminal code. With the opposite category of women, who gradually decline from the peak of fertility to menopause, everything is not at all simple. Unfortunately, the majority of women have only meager, subjective ideas about the connection between age and the ability to realize the reproductive function. Often taking as a guiding principle statements like: “My grandmother had an abortion at age 49.”
However, this whole topic is of interest not only to those who did not have time, and most often simply did not want to think about pregnancy in the time interval optimally calculated for this by nature. Today's society, with the only promoted value in the form of various forms of manifestations of selfishness, has practically destroyed the principle of the selfless gift of life, and devalues the status of a merciful mother, implying the limitations, inconsistency and inferiority of the personality of a woman with a child, and the child himself as a source of suffering. This could not but lead to a decrease in the birth rate, a delay in the first birth and the abandonment of a complete family (with children). This is a fact that no one wants to admit. By prioritizing the socio-economic factor and imagining the world around us as an object of use and satisfaction of needs, we still sometimes have to comment on our life choices, and at such moments it is much more pleasant to hide behind illusions, suddenly noticing the features of ugliness and inferiority in the same shabby world:
“Where can I find a NORMAL man??”
“How will I live with this child, because I only have an apartment in Moscow??”
“I have no time for this yet!”
“This country doesn’t care about ME!”
Well, so be it...
However, there is another category of women, among which anyone may be, these are those women whose life plans have changed or required to give birth again. There are many life situations here, from major personal and family changes, including the creation of a new family, to the newly awakened simple but strong desire to have a child.
In fact, it turns out that every woman should have an objective idea of her current fertile status and the prospects that await her in the near future, so that the reproductive steps she takes are measured and not reckless.
Increasing women's awareness of the impact of age on fertility is necessary in counseling patients who want to achieve pregnancy and are considering the range of options for assisted reproductive technologies.
But what actually happens, how does a woman’s fertility change during her conscious life from the point of view of starting a family?
The ability to bear children in women does indeed gradually decrease, but acquires a clear downward trend from the age of 32. The negative dynamics are especially noticeable after 37 years of age, and after 41 years of age the vast majority of women are no longer capable of conceiving and successfully completing pregnancy (Spira et al., 1998). It is necessary to pay special attention that there is still quite a lot of time left before the onset of menopause and the beginning of real aging of the female body (on average about 10 years), but all these years of life no longer have a reproductive role. It is important to understand that you will have to rejoice and educate previously born children or devote the rest of your adult life only to yourself and the dog.
Why does a woman's fertility decrease with age?
1. The sexual activity of women, just like men, is quite naturally suppressed with age. In general, if you think about it, it is quite difficult to isolate and weigh the factor of sexual behavior in the process of decline of general reproductive function. However, based on one classic French study (Schwartz D. et al., 1982), it is possible to fairly objectively separate the significance of sexual behavior from true age effects. Researchers assessed pregnancy rates in healthy women with azoospermic husbands. In this case, the factor of sexual activity was excluded, since each woman underwent artificial insemination with donor sperm on the optimal day of the menstrual cycle. The authors noted that the likelihood of pregnancy decreased with increasing age of the patient (Schwartz D. et al., 1982). The cumulative pregnancy rates over 12 insemination cycles (calendar year model) were as follows:
- 74% in patients under 31 years of age
- 62% in patients aged 31-35 years
- 54% in patients over 35 years of age
2. A woman’s age is associated with an obvious risk of the onset and progression of diseases and conditions that can affect the ability to realize reproductive function. Such diseases are usually classified as
- purely gynecological nosologies, such as uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and pathology of the fallopian tubes
- physical diseases, such as conditions requiring cytotoxic therapy
- as well as environmental and lifestyle factors, the most relevant example being smoking
The maximum number of oocytes (6-7 million) is observed at 20 weeks of intrauterine development of a female fetus. From this moment on, the total number of oocytes decreases, reaching 1-2 million by the time of birth and only 300 thousand-500 thousand by the time of puberty. At the age of 37 years, only 25 thousand oocytes are in the ovaries and 1000 by the time of menopause, which usually begins after 50 years (Baker T.G. et al., 1963; Block E. et al., 1952; Faddy M.J. et al., 1992).
4. Similar to the reduction in quantity, the quality of eggs stored in the ovaries also decreases with age. Statistical studies evaluating data on the effectiveness of in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles have quite clearly demonstrated the dynamics of the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the resulting oocytes (ASRM, 2013). When a live birth was registered in
- 42% in women under 35 years of age
- 32% of women aged 35 to 37 years
- 22% of women aged between 38 and 40 years
- 12% of women aged 41-42 years
- 5% of women aged 43-44 years
- 1% in women over 44 years of age
5. With increasing age, the frequency of spontaneous abortions as a result of aneuploidy increases steadily (Balasch J. et al., 2012). It has been shown that even in IVF, when transferring visually selected morphologically normal embryos, the prevalence of aneuploidy increases in direct proportion to the patient’s age and in the extreme age group always remains very high (Munne S. et al., 1995). The increased frequency of aneuploidy is associated, at least in part, with changes in the meiotic spindle (Battaglia D.E. et al., 1996), which leads to chromosome nondisjunction (Pellestor F. et al., 2003).
The frequency of fetal losses increases steadily with increasing age of the patient. So Farr S.L. et al., 2007 showed that the probability of pregnancy loss, depending on the age of the woman receiving embryos in an IVF cycle, reached:
- 9.9% for women under 33 years of age
- 11.4% for women aged 33 to 34
- 13.7% for women aged 35 to 37 years
- 19.8% for women aged 38 to 40
- 29.9% for women aged 41 to 42
- 36.6% of women are over 42 years old.
Similar data were obtained in another large national study, which showed that the rate of pregnancy loss progressively increased with age, from 13% in women under 35 years of age to 54% in women 44 years of age and older (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Society for Reproductive Medicine Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. 2010 assisted reproductive technology: fertility clinic success rates report. Atlanta (GA): CDC; 2012. Available at: INTER REF http://www.cdc.gov/art/ART2010/PDFs/ART_2010_Clinic_Report -Full.pdf. Retrieved September 13, 2013).
Summary
Women's fertility declines progressively during their reproductive years, a process that is steady and cannot be slowed down. As a result of two main factors (a reduction in the number of oocytes through atresia and oocyte aging) and a complex of additional factors, a fairly young and often somatically unburdened woman practically loses her potential for procreation long before the cessation of menstrual cyclicity; as a rule, about 10 years pass between these two events .
Our society with the slogan “I don’t owe anyone anything, let me live a little longer, and I’ll have time to give birth, I’m a healthy person!!!” with clear examples of pseudo-idols establishing socio-cultural values, and also trying to justify their own childless choice, therefore elevating absurdity to moral standards, actually misleading both women and men, instilling an imaginary sense of limitless possibilities.
Taking into account that the possibility of conceiving and carrying a pregnancy is the main and unique mission of a woman, fully revealing its content, allowing one to feel and experience the amazing roles and abilities hidden in the depths of consciousness. Everyone who wants to become a mother should have an objective idea of her fertility and the contribution to this ability of the main factor - passport age, in order to be able to objectively plan the solution of her reproductive problems. It is very important to realize that the cost of error here is very high.
Every gynecologist or specialist involved in reproductive medicine within the framework of his practice is obliged to:
- Ensure that women are fully informed about the impact of age on fertility.
- Do not mislead women who, due to age, have lost the chance to conceive and carry a pregnancy using their own oocytes. It is necessary to realize that this is fraud, since it is carried out for the sake of profit, and the patient is biased by definition and is always inclined to consider medical actions correct (Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Article 159. p. 3. Fraud committed by a person using his official position, as well as on a large scale ).
- Women over 35 years of age who apply for family planning should be offered more expedited examination and more effective methods of achieving pregnancy if their unsuccessful attempts to conceive have exceeded 6 calendar months or immediately if there are other clinical indications.
- Women over 40 years of age should be immediately offered examination and treatment with highly effective methods of achieving pregnancy.
- Women over 33 years of age who do not plan to conceive in the coming years should be informed about the possibility of safety cryopreservation of their own oocytes or embryos.
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Today I want to expand a little on the topic of decreased motivation and procrastination in the context of age. Many people complain that the older you get, the less energy and desire to achieve your goals, the enthusiasm and fighting spirit disappear. Not for everyone, and not always, but there is a certain tendency. However, the thirst for change, the thirst for more, our dreams do not go away, that is, the desire to receive remains, and the desire to achieve becomes weaker over time.
What are the reasons for such changes? Where does the former courage, ambition, determination and willingness to act go?
1⃣ As we age, we have more worries and responsibilities, we perform different roles, and we take on much more responsibility than in our youth. All this depletes us, takes energy, reduces willpower resources, so ambitious goals that seemed quite achievable in the early years can be perceived as empty dreams and fantasies with age. It seems to us that we cannot cope, that we do not have enough strength and abilities, that we are no longer the same.
2⃣ Our willingness to take risks decreases significantly, we tend to be more careful in our decisions, we have something to lose. In addition, we are already responsible not only for ourselves, but also for our children, and sometimes even the parents we care about and who count on us. The tendency to take risks and make bold decisions is also reduced because we can more fully assess the possible consequences of our choice, we already have experience, and not always positive, not to mention limiting beliefs and attitudes that do not allow us to follow our dreams .
3⃣ The older we get, the more we value stability, comfort and the usual order of things. This happens partly due to the fact that in this way, unconsciously, we try to conserve energy, our internal resources, to complete current tasks and solve endless problems and life challenges. In addition, we often neglect sleep and quality rest, we cannot find time for sports and our hobbies, that is, we take away the opportunity to recover and replenish our reserves of vitality.
4⃣ We tend to draw conclusions about the future based on our past: if we couldn’t achieve our goals before, then we’re unlikely to succeed in the future. Do not forget about the influence of the environment, which does not always support our endeavors, and sometimes openly suppresses our desire to change something. The role of stereotypes and all sorts of folk wisdom also adds fuel to the fire: “it’s too late to change anything, the train has left”, “chasing a crane you will miss a tit”, “where you were born, you will come in handy”, “those born to crawl cannot fly” and so on.
👉Write in the comments how you are doing with motivation, energy, have you noticed changes with age in your readiness to achieve ambitious goals?