All articles tagged with #midlife
Sharon Horgan’s HBO comedy Youth follows a newly minted 50-year-old London book agent as she negotiates an empty nest, perimenopausal mood swings, and dating in a light, breezy rom‑com tone that doubles as a candid look at midlife ambitions and insecurities; the series positions Horgan’s signature wit in auto-fiction‑tinged territory, with the first two episodes set to premiere on HBO and HBO Max on Sept. 20.
Sharon Horgan's new HBO Max series Youth follows a 50-something mother balancing a demanding publishing career, caring for aging parents and a teenager, and re-entering the dating scene after divorce, using autofiction to deliver a candid, humorous look at midlife and women's evolving lives.
The Hollywood Reporter reviews HBO’s Youth, praising Sharon Horgan’s witty, candid portrait of midlife as Alex, a 50-something divorcée juggling a demanding career, aging parents, a teenage son, and evolving romance. Set in London with a strong supporting cast, the eight-episode series blends sharp humor with honest emotional insight, arguing that growing into yourself is a lifelong journey rather than a countdown to irrelevance.
A Swedish long-term study shows physical performance typically begins to decline around age 35, but starting exercise later in adulthood yields about a 5–10% improvement in capacity, meaning aging isn’t fixed. A practical program from coach Jason Smith centers on five compound movements—squat, hip hinge, push-up, row, and farmer’s carry—done three times a week with mobility work and smart recovery to preserve independence, posture and real-world strength well into later life.
Midlife endurance cyclists have a higher risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), a common heart rhythm disorder linked to decades of riding and an enlarged left atrium. AF can cause sudden drops in power and dizziness during rides, but it’s treatable with medications, rhythm-control strategies, and sometimes ablation. Prevention isn’t foolproof, but risk can be managed through moderate training, healthy weight and blood pressure, good sleep, limiting alcohol around workouts, and treating related conditions like sleep apnea.
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) often begins in midlife and can resemble a psychiatric disorder, leading to missed or delayed diagnosis. Although relatively rare, FTD is the most common form of early-onset dementia, affecting about 50,000–60,000 people in the U.S. and accounting for roughly 5–10% of all dementia cases. Public attention from cases like Bruce Willis and Wendy Williams has raised awareness, but recognizing early behavioral and language changes remains crucial for timely care planning.
Midlife adults, especially women, can develop or relapse into eating disorders during menopause and life transitions, a phenomenon often overlooked as it doesn’t fit the teen archetype. Experts note hormonal shifts, aging, and a culture fixated on dieting contribute to symptoms like restriction or bingeing, while access to compassionate, flexible care—often virtual and weight-inclusive—offers paths to recovery and connection.
Gen Xers are increasingly seeking therapy as midlife pressures—burnout, caregiving, relationship shifts, menopause, and unprocessed childhood wounds—catch up with them. Therapists note many grew up in self-reliant, stigma-filled environments, making help-seeking feel foreign; once in the room, they’re often highly engaged and motivated to understand their patterns. Common topics include shifts in long-term partnerships, parenting adult children, financial anxiety from the sandwich generation, and trauma-informed work like EMDR. Beneath the stoicism, this generation is learning to ask for help and prioritize self-care.
A 26-year study of 12,409 adults found that avoiding midlife vascular risk factors—diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking—was associated with about 12 more years of dementia-free life, with women showing longer dementia-free years than men; however, the observational design means causality can’t be established.
New long-term study of over 12,000 adults from the ARIC cohort links avoiding three midlife vascular risk factors—high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking—from ages 48 to 68 with a roughly 13-year extension of dementia-free life. Among participants, 3,008 developed dementia and 5,238 died without it; women and White participants showed more dementia-free years. The study, observational and based on one-time risk assessments, suggests vascular risk reduction could benefit brain health and help curb rising dementia cases as the population ages, though it cannot prove causation.
A USC-led study of about 1,700 adults followed for more than two decades found that watching television very often in midlife is associated with smaller memory-related brain regions, reduced frontal and occipital lobes, and greater white-matter damage later in life, even after accounting for physical activity and other risk factors. The research suggests what you do while sitting may matter more for brain health than how long you sit, though it cannot prove causation and calls for further work on whether substituting cognitively engaging activities could help preserve brain health.
A USC study of about 1,700 adults (average enrollment age ~53) found that those who reported watching TV very often in midlife had smaller memory-related brain regions and broader brain-structure changes two decades later, including smaller frontal and occipital lobes and more white matter damage. These changes persisted after accounting for physical activity and other risk factors; other sedentary activities did not show the same pattern. While observational, the findings suggest what you do while sitting (TV viewing) may influence brain health, and more research is needed to test causation and whether replacing TV time with cognitively engaging activities helps preserve brain health.
A study of 12,000+ people finds that maintaining normal blood pressure, not smoking, and not having diabetes in midlife (ages 48–68) adds about 13 dementia-free years; dementia-free years decline with each risk factor (0 factors ~30 years vs 3 factors ~17), with women generally living more years free of dementia than men.
A NYU Langone Health study followed 12,409 people for about 26 years and found that keeping blood pressure in check, avoiding diabetes, and not smoking between ages 48 and 68 could delay dementia onset by up to 13 years. Those with none of the three risk factors lived roughly 13 years dementia-free longer than those with all three, though the work shows associations rather than proven causation. The study also noted that women lived longer without dementia than men, and Black participants developed dementia sooner, suggesting vascular risk reduction benefits across groups with potential targeted prevention needs.
A study published in Neurology Open Access followed more than 12,000 people for about 26 years. Starting in midlife (ages 45–65), researchers found that keeping blood pressure normal, remaining diabetes-free, and not smoking were each associated with more years lived without dementia; those with all three healthy factors lived roughly 13 years longer dementia-free than smokers with high blood pressure and diabetes. The study shows association, not causation, but supports the idea that midlife vascular health and lifestyle choices can influence dementia risk, alongside other factors like activity and social engagement. The World Health Organization has guidelines emphasizing multiple modifiable risk factors to reduce dementia risk overall.