We all have those habits we tell ourselves aren’t that bad — like skipping the gym, staying up way too late, ignoring the dentists, or pretending stress isn’t slowly eating you alive. I always wonder, what will happen to me when I’m older and those habits start catching up to me?
Well, over on Reddit, doctors, nurses, and others are sharing the everyday behaviours that can seriously take a toll on people’s health once they’re older. These answers are a pretty convincing reminder that maybe we should start taking care of ourselves now:
1. “Not sleeping enough.”
“*Cries in healthcare*. The tragic irony.”
“Chronic sleep debt. People treat it like nothing, then their body starts falling apart fast by forty.”
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2. “Wearing sunglasses can protect eyes from UV rays. I’d say it’s a daily occurrence or habit that is not something we really emphasize but could help. Maybe in a few years it will be like skin cancer used to be, or when we started identifying osteoporosis — just the norm.”
3. “Not taking care of your teeth. Bacteria in teeth cause chronic inflammation the root of many health issues later in life.”
“Totally agree. I’m not even 40 yet but my teeth are like from a horror movie — several are missing while the rest is rotten to various degree. Alas, depression and lack of oral hygiene usually go hand in hand.”
4. “Not exercising/lifting and doing mobility work. You can tell a big difference from a 70-year-old whose body has become so deconditioned they can barely sit up from a chair and a 70-year-old who has been consistently strength training for years.”
“It doesn’t even have to be a matter of strength training, just having a somewhat physical hobby is often enough to tell a huge difference. Someone who is truly sedentary and someone who does an hour or two of gardening every other day will show huge differences in how they carry themselves in their late years.”
5. “This is an emergency room demographic, but — cleaning your gutters alone. By yourself, without telling anyone, on a ladder… It sounds like it would be rare. It is not.”
“My mom fell off a ladder and broke both her heals. Shattered them. 14 hours of surgery on each one.”
“My dad (in his early seventies) did this, fell, hit his head on a septic tank on the way down, and broke 12 ribs. He is better now but almost died.”
“My grandpa died this way. He fell off a shed roof, hit his head on a propane tank, and was paralyzed. He could only blink when he passed on the injuries.”
6. “I think we doctors don’t emphasize the risk of hearing loss from noise exposure enough. Constant damage (earbuds, festivals, occupational) accumulates and shows up later in life. We consider it normal and common for older people to need hearing aids.”
“When I was 11, my dad and a bunch of other sons and dads from our church group went to a monster truck show. Me and my then best friend refused to wear earplugs for most of the show. I left that show with ears ringing for a day or two. 29 years later, it was the start of my tinnitus. Thankfully I only get the occasional ringing because I protected my hearing pretty well as a teenager and adult by not going to concerts or listening to extremely loud music. But every once in a while, I can be found staring off into the distance as the sound of the world is replaced by a ringing noise. Protect your damn ears!!”
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7. “Eating disorders. There is still SOO much stigma, misunderstandings, and mystery around EDs. Millions per year struggle without ever being diagnosed or seeking support. EDs can absolutely WRECK your body (or even kill it) — and life in general. Early intervention is best. But EDs can follow you for a lifetime…awful bastards of diseases.”
“I developed an ED after a rough breakup and didn’t even know that’s what was happening. When I explain it to others, it causes them to perceive it as self-inflicted. Our body will change course without our permission if it’s under enough stress.”
8. “Not bothering to read instructions. For example, taking more ibuprofen than the daily limit, especially if frequently.”
“Or taking it often on an empty stomach, or taking it daily for an extended period of time. Ibuprofen will chew a hole in your stomach, people!”
“I did this in my early 20s. I was digesting my own protective lining faster than I could produce it. Do not recommend. I have recovered, but I have diet limitations and a fairly fragile stomach since then.”
9. “STRESS. Constantly worrying, stressing, being in fight/flight mode and having cortisol spikes. Take control of this and everything else in your life will get better.”
“The biggest thing I haven’t seen commented yet is undiagnosed anxiety, especially with just a complete absence of (healthy) coping mechanisms, ESPECIALLY in older men. The amount of 50-80 year old men I take care of who are absolute wrecks mentally, who have just literally never learned how to shut their brain off, is insane. They don’t even understand what anxiety IS. It’s very sad and hard on them, their families, and everyone who takes care of them.”
10. “Not having a strong social network.”
“THIS. We are a pack animal species that survived for 300 000 years by creating rich and complex relationships with each other. No social contact means big alarm bells in your brain. The same brain that struggles to fully grasp that remote communication is connection. Make time to share physical space with people you like.”
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11. “Uncontrolled diabetes. High blood glucose destroys everything. But the amount of people I see losing limbs in their late 30s and early 40s is insane.”
12. “According to a lot of my patients, nobody tells them that cocaine is bad for the heart.”
“I remember this. A lot of patients just think it’s a drug that gets you high and they’re surprised about the CMO that it can cause.”
“I worked in the music business for decades and there were a lot of cocaine users around me. My former boss dropped dead in his early 40s from a heart attack and of course I immediately knew why. Even this didn’t slow down his wife’s usage.”
13. “Sleeping with my arms like a T. rex permanently messed up my ulnar nerves and tendons in my wrists.”
“I sleep with wrist guards now for this exact reason.”
14. “Untreated, asymptomatic hypertension.”
15. “There’s a very large population that eats nothing but gas station food and fast food — it’s detrimental to every aspect of life.”
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16. “Undiagnosed ADHD for my female patients.”
17. “Not stretching enough, bad posture.”
18. “Forcing too hard on the toilet. Especially for women. This may lead to pelvic floor problems like prolapse (sometimes stage 4 which the uterus is fully out), incontinence, etc.”
“Eat fibre, drink water, and try to get on a poop schedule.”
If there’s one key thing to remember from these stories, it’s that the little things certainly do add up…Which of these surprised you the most? And what everyday habit do you wish you’d started taking seriously sooner? Let us know in the comments, or use the form below to remain anonymous!
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Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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