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What ER Doctors Notice About People Who Age Well

Doctor Alex

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https://www.dralexnewsletter.com Join the community by signing up to my daily newsletter! Practical health advice, straight to your inbox, every morning.

Why do some people reach their eighties still sharp, upright and full of plans, while others feel worn out and frail long before they get there? After ten years in emergency medicine I started paying far less attention to the diagnosis on the screen and far more to the person in front of me, and the same four habits kept showing up in the ones who seemed to be ageing well.

This video is about those four habits, and not one of them is a supplement, a diet or a piece of kit. It covers healthy ageing, brain health and dementia risk, what chronic stress and cortisol quietly do to your heart and your sleep, and the research on purpose in life that turned out to be far stronger than I expected when I went looking for it.

I want to be clear about what this is. These are patterns I have noticed across a career in A&E, not the findings of a randomised controlled trial, and what walks through the door on a night shift is a skewed sample of the population. But there is real science sitting behind each of the four, and I point to it as I go, with all the studies linked below so you can read them yourself and reach your own conclusions.

What caught me off guard was the fourth habit, because it sounds like the softest and least medical of the lot, and yet the evidence behind it is genuinely strong. Large prospective studies following tens of thousands of older adults have found that a clear sense of purpose tracks with lower rates of heart disease, better memory and thinking as people age, and longer survival, even after accounting for existing illness and how active people already were.

In this video you'll learn:
-The four habits I kept noticing in people who stayed young
-Why curiosity about food quietly builds a better diet
-How neuroplasticity and cognitive reserve protect an ageing brain
-What chronic stress and cortisol do to blood pressure, sleep and blood sugar
-Practical ways to stop a setback circling in your head at night
-How to test a bold health claim before you act on it
-Why purpose in life shows up so strongly in the research on longevity
-Where to start if all four feel a long way off

Whether you want to stay independent, protect your memory, look after your heart or simply feel better in your sixties and seventies than you did in your fifties, these are habits you can start at any age, from wherever you happen to be standing today.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Introduction
03:36 – Curiosity, and Why It Usually Shows Up Around Food
06:31 – Taking a Knock Without It Flattening You
11:05 – Weighing Things Up and Changing Your Mind
14:47 – Having a Reason to Stay Well

REFERENCES
Purpose in Life and Its Relationship to All-Cause Mortality and Cardiovascular Events: A Meta-Analysis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26630...

Purpose in life and mortality: A meta-analysis of the published literature and individual-participant data of 488,765 participants followed for up to 32 years
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42417...

Association Between Life Purpose and Mortality Among US Adults Older Than 50 Years
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31125...

Effect of a purpose in life on risk of incident Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older persons
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20194...

Sense of meaning and purpose in life and risk of incident dementia: New data and meta-analysis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36347...

Life Purpose Lowers Risk for Cognitive Impairment in a United States Population-Based Cohort
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40555...

Purpose in life is associated with a reduced risk of incident disability among community-dwelling older persons
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20808...

The impact of sustained engagement on cognitive function in older adults: the Synapse Project
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24214...

A 2 year multidomain intervention of diet, exercise, cognitive training, and vascular risk monitoring versus control to prevent cognitive decline in at-risk elderly people (FINGER): a randomised controlled trial
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25771...

Stress and cardiovascular disease
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22473...

Job strain as a risk factor for coronary heart disease: a collaborative meta-analysis of individual participant data
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22981...

Disclaimer: This is not personal medical advice and does not override what your doctor says.

#dralex #doctoralex #healthyageing #longevity #brainhealth #purposeinlife

20 Comments

@DrAlexWibberley Creator 1 month ago (edited) Pinned

https://www.dralexnewsletter.com/ Join the community by signing up to my daily newsletter! Practical health advice, straight to your inbox, every morning. I'd love you to join me.

It's called The Long Game, and it's an extension of everything I do here on the channel. Every morning I'll send you something short, whether that's a thought I've had that day, a tip you can put into practice, a piece of research I found interesting, or something I've learned from years of seeing people at their worst in A&E.

Most take between thirty seconds and a couple of minutes to read, so it fits around a normal morning, certainly shorter than my videos anyway...

I've called it The Long Game because that's what all of this is. There are no shortcuts and no quick fixes in anything I teach. It's small things done consistently over many years, and that's what genuinely changes your health in the end.

It's free, and you can sign up here: https://www.dralexnewsletter.com

This is brand new, and so the first few emails may end up in your spam, as with all new email newsletters, but hopefully this will soon sort itself out....

Let me know what you think!

If you’d like to support me, the best thing you can do is click the like button and subscribe. It really helps these videos reach more people who might benefit from them, and it allows me to keep making them!

Best wishes,
Alex

@solarwave 3 weeks ago

Thank you for not playing annoying, distracting music in your video.

@MalThuKhaOfficial 1 month ago

Thanks ❤
1. Curiosity
2. Resilience
3. Critical Thinking
4 . Sense of Purpose 📌

@Susweca5569 2 weeks ago

When I was in my twenties, I was teaching an aerobic class at the local navy base, and there was a couple in their sixties. I asked them what kept them young.

They said never stop moving, and don't say you're too old to do something, or you'll become too old to do it.

Some of the best life advice I ever received.

I'll be seventy one years old in a couple of months, and my Siberian husky and I have walked enough miles to walk from the Pacific coast in America to the Atlantic coast and back again, and halfway back to the other side. In the last twelve months, I built an 8'x12' chicken coop, a chicken yard, a multi level deck for my tent that I put out in the woods that I cleared for my own at-home camping ground, and just finished completely remodeling the bathroom. I have gardens, forage, and do all my own landscaping and yard work, live in the forest in a rural area with mountains, beaches and beautiful parks available anytime I want them. We have small artisanal organic farms and wonderful farmers markets. I do puzzles every day, read real books, and as a Meyers-Briggs INFJ I never stop learning things. Love to cook and really upped my culinary game during covid. I'm also professional housekeeper and all of the homes I work in have stairs. Been divorced for thirty years and do everything for myself. If i'm anxious, angry, frustrated, or sad, I find a project to do to redirect my energy.

I've never stopped moving, and I don't tell myself I'm too old to do it.

@mikep499 1 month ago

At 67 I broke my arm; however, when the cast was removed, my arm was paralyzed. As a musician and artist, it was life shattering. Miraculous, after 6 months my nerve function came back. I'm now 70, back at my job full time, rocking in a band and creating art and painting daily. So true that resilience and purpose is the key to health and longevity!

@pattisarokas3366 3 weeks ago

Finally retired 2 yrs ago after working as a nurse; a job that was highly stressful and traumatic at times. At first I was too tired to do much and had difficulty walking due to arthritis. I have been on my feet for about 50 yrs. Gradually as I worked around the house and in the garden I noticed a decrease in pain and increase in movement. I now have time to pursue interests, healthy cooking, art, music, and studying all the books I've collected over the yrs.

@anamariaguadayol2335 1 month ago

I am 75. I tutor about 12 children. I shop and cook for myself. I have a little mobility problem, but overall, I am pretty happy with the way I live. I also have four dogs, eat mostly free from my container garden, read every day, listen to music and keep abreast of the news from three countries 😅

@mattsimandl1 1 month ago

Having a purpose is like the the Japanese way of life known as ikigai 😊

@kimboucher1064 2 weeks ago

This talk was very helpful. My in-laws are 90 and 96 and just moved from Florida to Colorado to live with their daughter. They are the most amazing people when it comes to attitude and overcoming health issues that obviously pop up. Her hands are better in the morning, so she gets up early and knits or crochets for an hour or two. He just asked us for advice on purchasing a new computer. They remain active and involved and passionate about life in a way I have never seen in others. My heroes! 😊

@timcisneros1351 2 weeks ago

I'm 70 years old. My wife and I are building a Timber Frame cabin in the mountains after renting our entire lives. I am a Blacksmith and Timber Framer. We eat healthy. I quit smoking a year ago. I don't drink alcohol. I exercise daily with low impact stretching and brisk walking. I am very fit and agile. Just stay active, eat well and have an adventure to look forward to. I have to learn a new skill constantly. Electrical wiring, plumbing, roofing, insulation, foundation work, milling lumber, Timber Frame joinery, tool making for Timber Framing...etc...There is NEVER "nothing to do". Any questions? Haha Aspirin daily for over 40 years........

@JulieH-me 1 month ago

Best thing I ever learned in my 30s was to mentally picture my problems , worries etc . And get rid of them by throwing , or pushing into stream , ocean , space anywhere , just let them go and walk away , might have to do it a couple of times but it always works .
My only sense of purpose is long term travel 😆

@Liz-qc5qs 1 month ago

My neighbour is a miracle. He uses a colostomy bag from bowel cancer some 25 years ago. I have never ever heard him complain once about anything over decades. He is indefatigably cheerful always. So is everyone I have known still healthy and alive in their 90s. My neighbour lives alone, is fiercely independent and goes out alone to buy his food everyday. His diet is probably dreadful. His genes are great! TODAY, this very day, is his 95th birthday 🎉.

@brittrubin9461 1 month ago

Thats me 72 and feel 21 yrs old ..curious / outward looking / friends / good food / get out and about / travel / SINGLE ❤

@donnagray1306 1 month ago

One of my doctor's has a brain tumour and he still practices. He credits a purpose of healing patients keeping him going.

@barbarahengstenberg7000 1 month ago

I started learning to weave and spin my own yarn this past year, at 65. It's a lot of planning, math, learning about fibers, etc., as well as being a very meditative process. Plus, I can make nice things for people!!! A win, win, win!

@BurntToast1965 1 month ago (edited)

I was 425 pounds at one time with several chronic illnesses...I'm 257 now, and although I treated my body like a dumpster for half a century, it's all been reversed!

Fortunately, my genetics saved me. Now, I eat whole foods, track my nutrients on Cronometer, strength train 3x, Peak/ Vigorous cardio 3x/ week, and plenty of 1 mile dog walks...

I love learning...I'm currently learning Spanish & medicine 😀y

@Pam-th7qx 1 month ago

I agree with these four and would add a couple more that I've observed that make people older. The first is spending a lot of time talking about what ails them, even to the point of playing a game of one upping their friends who are complaining about their ailments, aches and pains. I think it's healthier not to focus on these problems and to seek out and celebrate the ways in which we feel well and are able to do what makes us happy. The second point involves having a negative, judgmental mindset, particularly about the younger generation. This includes judging other people about how they spend their money or raise their children. This mindset keeps one rooted in the past and doesn't reflect a learning mindset. Thanks for your videos! I really enjoy them!

@DonColeman-yc1ge 1 month ago

Regarding the resilience. If something bad happens, look for the silver lining?

I got hit by a car at age 67. The car mirrorbroke of on the back of my arm. I have decided not to ride my my bike on the road anymore.

The silver lining. I am alive. I did not fall, I credit GOD for that. I can still ride my mountain bike and I have good insurance. I am thankful, thus happy.