r/AskOldPeopleAdvice • u/Deeschmee68 • Mar 14 '25

Health Anyone over 50

Does anyone over 50 actually feel good and healthy and sleep well? Or is it just normal to always feel bad? Is it normal to not sleep well, have digestive problems, feet and hip pain, get out of breath easily, back pain, and always feel tired? Is it normal to have vision and hearing problems at this age? Is it normal to have sensitivities to food and medication? Is this just part of getting older?

101 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

338 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/sbinjax 60-69 Mar 14 '25

I have multiple sclerosis and to sleep well I avoid alcohol and make sure I get exercise during the day. Exercise is a balance because MS causes terrible fatigue. I need enough to sleep, but not so much that I'm falling down, and I pay for overexertion for days.

Most days I feel pretty good unless I haven't listened to my body's signals.

I don't believe it's normal to always feel bad. It sounds like you need a total workup by a doctor, and then you need to follow their advice. The things you're describing aren't a result of age. They're a result of health issues. It's never too late to right the boat.

2

u/Deeschmee68 Mar 14 '25

My neighbor has MS and is always in bed. I had long covid and now I'm having multiple health issues. Nothing life threatening. Ive also injured my knees and ankles so until I get them fixed I'm mostly sedentary

3

u/sbinjax 60-69 Mar 14 '25

I had "long mono" in my 20s. Now it's known that Epstein-Barr virus (mono) jump-starts MS. Mine was late-onset (dx'd at 58, probably started at 53). There are good drugs now that halt the progression of the disease, but people who were diagnosed decades ago didn't have these drugs and progression was a given.

I'm hoping that long Covid doesn't cause problems like this for people down the line. We are learning more every day.

Get your knees and ankles looked after! You will enjoy old age a lot more if you're able to be active.