A man starts falling apart in his thirties? The doctor tells you what gets off soonest

If you believe internet memes, the quality of life in your XNUMXs drops so drastically that it’s hard not to complain. Each late night requires a decent sleep, and the hangover after a drunk party seems to be endless. Thirty-year-olds cry that they are getting old, forgetting that their lives no longer resemble the carefree days of college. They work full time, start a family, have children and suffer from a chronic lack of time. In addition, they have to deal with stress on a daily basis. Are we really behind our best years at this age?

1. In our XNUMXs, we already have well-established beliefs, we are pessimists or optimists, we have a high or low level of self-esteem and defined needs
2. After age 35, getting pregnant is a little more difficult as some menstrual cycles may be anovulatory
3. Thirty-year-olds spend a lot on cosmetic dentistry, because the Hollywood smile gives them confidence
4. The period between the age of 30 and 40 is the best time for prophylaxis and developing healthy lifestyle habits
5. By practicing endurance sports, you can reduce your biological age, which will be lower than the actual age by up to 25 years
6. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

The thirtieth, which is the peak of possibilities

People in their thirties and forties say they have less energy than 10 years ago and are losing shape… They don’t like it.

– We are not surprised that most professional athletes end their careers between the ages of 30 and 35 – says Dr. Krzysztof Pujdak, an internal medicine specialist and cardiologist. – There is one reason, after the age of 25, the efficiency of the body decreases. However, this process can be slowed down. Regular training is the solution. Based on the measurements of fitness and oxygen consumption per kilogram of body weight, Danish scientists have proved that practicing sports, especially endurance sports, makes the difference between our actual and biological age up to XNUMX years! Of course, in favor of the latter. Meaning that The biological age of a 55-year-old who avoids sports, eats poorly, drinks, smokes and has a stressful lifestyle may point to 80 years. To lower it, it is enough to start playing sports. It is never too late for that.

The rest of the article is available under the video.

– After the age of 30, changes in the cardiovascular system begin, which also occur after the age of XNUMX – emphasizes Dr. Pujdak. – The vessels lose their flexibility, leading to an increase in blood pressure, and the heart has to work more efficiently to pump the same amount of blood. That is why you must not neglect physical activity, but not the one in the gym, but rather make a long-term effort. Of course, you also need to get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet, avoid stimulants and try to deal with stress.

Appropriate strategies for dealing with stresses

– It is assumed that around the age of 30 a person has a developed identity – begins psychologist Marta Boczkowska from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Institute of Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. – Modern psychology says that our character develops and changes all our lives. Until the age of XNUMX, it develops very dynamically, and then we already achieve the feeling that we are formed, we have well-established beliefs about ourselves and the world, and formulated needs. We are pessimists or optimists, we have high or low levels of self-esteem. After the age of thirty, these characteristics attain relative constancy.

Psychologists explain the complaints of XNUMX-year-olds with the words: old age and youth are also states of mind. Low physical activity, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, remote work, switching from the computer to the TV. This life is like retirement … Nothing speeds up the aging process like inactivity. When we add stress to it, we get an extremely unhealthy mix.

– Let’s stop being afraid of stress – says Marta Boczkowska. – Somatic diseases do not come from stress, but from how we deal with it. We have styles, i.e. tendencies to respond to stress stimuli in a certain way, but we can also apply strategies, go beyond our own style, e.g. by confronting ourselves, although we usually avoid it.

Avoiding stress is a characteristic of the Type C personality (emotional suppression). Research shows that such people most often develop oncological diseases. By contrast, explosive individuals – personality type A (fast-reaction and competitive) – are prone to cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks and strokes.

– Research conducted at Harvard University proves that stress becomes lethal if we believe that it kills us – explains Marta Boczkowska. – It’s about the so-called distress, i.e. tensions, crises, moments that weaken us, which does not mean that we cannot return to balance and become stronger. Our coping strategies can be adaptive or maladaptive, whether helpful or not. Maladaptive strategies include, for example, drinking alcohol and using stimulants, i.e. avoidance strategy. It makes the consequences of stress negative, but if we react task-oriented in a crisis situation or use social, emotional or information support, we will emerge victorious from it. You can learn these reactions yourself, from others, or through psychotherapy.

The biological clock is ticking louder and louder

Many women postpone having a baby until later, giving themselves time to pursue a career or a carefree life for as long as possible. However, when three on the age counter replaces two, they start to worry that they are running out of time. This anxiety is justified.

– At this age, we do not think about old age, because XNUMX is a period of peak form for both men and women, the latter also sexual – says gynecologist Dr. Małgorzata Gołąb-Lipińska from the PoliClinic Medical Center of the Lodz University of Technology Foundation. – However, already after the age of 35, a woman’s body changes. The anatomical structures of the genital organs are slowly starting to age. Women feel this, notice that their breasts are losing firmness and shape, vaginal dryness may appear. The vagina, larger and smaller labia also change the appearance. The changes are gradual, but during the menopause, the labia minora become even atrophic. Additionally, giving up sex causes a loss of flexibility in the genital organs.

– The time of our youth has moved to the age of 40, but after turning 35 it is a little more difficult to get pregnant – adds Dr. Gołąb-Lipińska. “One of the reasons is that some menstrual cycles are anovulatory.” If a woman is planning a child, she must be aware of this. Of course, genetics must also be taken into account, because some age slower and others faster. Due to the development of medicine and the possibilities of supporting reproduction, the age at which a woman gives birth to her first child becomes less important. The term “old element” has not been used for many years. Anyway, now it would be a woman in her forties, and a 20-year-old 25 years ago. Nevertheless, for pregnant women after the age of 35, we conduct genetic tests, reimbursed, where age is one of the criteria.

Thirty-year-olds most often visit the gynecologist for the first checkups. It is mainly about cytology, because at this age there is a risk of cervical cancer, which usually affects younger people, as opposed to ovarian cancer, which attacks more often after the age of 40.

– Women who are more exposed to cervical cancer are those who started sexual intercourse early – explains Dr. Gołąb-Lipińska. – For example, if it happened before the age of 18, the risk increases fivefold. In addition, women who have multiple partners have a sevenfold increase in risk compared to women who are in a long-term relationship. Also ladies who have given birth more than three times are at greater risk due to injuries and microtraumas during childbirth.

Thirty-year-olds invest in appearance

Investing in appearance is fashionable among thirty-year-olds. Ladies visit aesthetic medicine clinics, gentlemen try different ways to get rid of the first signs of baldness. Those who work at the computer do not part with eye drops, and on a sunny day do not leave the house without sunglasses.

– The eyes of today’s thirty-year-olds are in incomparably better condition than a hundred years ago – says Karolina Dulczewska-Cichecka, MD, PhD from the Nawroccy Ophthalmology Clinic. – Due to the development of medicine, juvenile cataracts, glaucoma and retinal detachment can be treated much more effectively than before. Although we live longer and in greater comfort, it is impossible not to notice that the long hours spent in front of a computer, tablet or smartphone are associated with the problem of dry eye that appears more and more often among young people. Staying in closed air-conditioned rooms or working in front of a computer causes the surface of the eye to dry out and symptoms such as tearing, burning, and a feeling of sand under the eyelids to intensify. Therefore, let’s not forget about breaks at work and the use of moisturizing drops.

Modern XNUMX-year-olds are not afraid of the dentist. Especially those working in professions that require contact with clients; business people, but also teachers and salespeople care for a young smile that increases self-confidence. Teeth whitening and sandblasting, as well as custom-made orthodontic appliances, are popular. Such a camera is no longer an embarrassing attribute, but rather a source of pride.

– Healthy teeth, their correct position, number or length is not only a matter of health and aesthetics of a smile – says Dr. Łukasz Konopka from Dentest Clinic in Łódź. – Tooth disorders can significantly accelerate the aging process of the face, leading to the appearance of wrinkles around the mouth and on the cheeks. Due to the so-called dental aging at 30, we can look a lot older.

One of the components of dental aging is enamel abrasion. As the years go by, the teeth wear and tear, and when the process is excessive, the smile grows older.

– There are many causes of tooth abrasion, for example stress manifested in grinding or clenching teeth, improper hygiene or missing teeth – explains Dr. Konopka. – It affects not only the actual shortening of the teeth, but also their color. The dentin is exposed, which is yellowish and absorbs dyes from the external environment better. Aging teeth as a result of long-term overload have cracked enamel and exposed roots due to the recession of the gums with age.

The best period between the ages of 30 and 40 to take care of your health

– The 30-year-old goes to the doctor because something hurts him, and not for preventive purposes – notes Dr. Katarzyna Śleziak-Barglik, head of the POZ clinic in Ruda Śląska. – Men come when their spine hurts, because they picked up something, and girls most often with cystitis, because they drink too little and rarely urinate.

– If they are well-groomed children of well-groomed adults, they know that they should undergo regular preventive examinations – adds Dr. Śleziak-Barglik. – There is no 30+ program and I don’t think it is necessary. However, a 30-year-old who remembers one of his parents had a heart attack in his fifties, had cholesterol treatment, or had thyroid problems, should get tested. Knowledge about diseases in the immediate family is the basis for preventive examinations, which the doctor will guide you appropriately. At this age, it is enough to make them once every five years.

Turning 30 is also a great time to quit smoking. Every year counts here, because then the chance of cleansing the body increases. There is no need to limit the number of cigarettes smoked a day, you just have to quit them or replace them with HNB products.

– I explain to my patients that quitting smoking has a beneficial effect on the skin and the formation of mimic wrinkles around the mouth – adds Dr. Śleziak-Barglik. – Most young people attach importance to appearance. Modern 30-year-olds are media-minded, so such arguments matter to them. Smoking definitely worsens the condition of the skin, and cigarette puff wrinkles are difficult to treat. On the other hand, a textbook could be written about the effects of nicotine – cancer of the lung, larynx, lips, but not only. After all, bladder papillomas are also nicotine-dependent tumors. I tell my patients that breathing can also be an expensive addiction, especially if you have to pay for an inhaler or even oxygen.

The doctor’s practice shows that changes are easier to introduce when you are younger, because they have a chance to become a habit. – It is difficult to persuade a patient over 60, who has degenerative changes in joints, to move – he says. – When his only pleasure is eating, it’s hard to lose weight. And yet the silhouette of a man who is physically active from the age of XNUMX will look different than the one who mainly sits in an armchair.

Although thirty-year-olds do not care much about the state of their body, it is the best time to change their lifestyle. All you need to do is follow three basic rules: maintain a healthy diet, drink plenty of water, and keep moving.

– You also have to measure your intentions, not everyone should jump on a bungee or parachute, because a damaged knee will always be damaged, and the adhesions of a broken leg can hurt for the rest of their lives when the weather changes, just like all scars – concludes Dr. Śleziak-Barglik. – I urge you to precede such extreme activity with warm-up training.

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time, we asked Orina Krajewska what, according to her, a holistic approach to health is. How to combine the three aspects – body, spirit and mind to enjoy balance and good health? You will hear about this and many other aspects of the topic in the latest episode of our podcast.