Middle Adulthood - Physical Development

Question 1

Age range in middle adulthood:

Answer 1

40 - 65 years old

Question 2

Nature of Middle Adulthood:

Answer 2

• Time of declining physical skills
• Expanding responsibility: A point when individuals seek to transmit something meaningful to the next generation; generativity
• A period in which people become more conscious of the young-old polarity and the shrinking amount of time left in life
• Reach and maintain satisfaction in their careers; professional peak
• Influenced more heavily by sociocultural factors

Question 3

Visible physical changes include:

Answer 3

• Skin begins to wrinkle and sag due to loss of fat and collagen in underlying tissues (lose moisture; not elastic)
• Small, localized areas of pigmentation in the skin produces aging spots
• Hair becomes thinner and grayer
• Decline in melanin production
• Start to lose teeth
• Fingernails & toenails develop ridges and become thicker and more brittle

Question 4

In middle adulthood, loss of height and weight gain are caused by ______

Answer 4

Bone loss in vertebrae

Question 5

To maintain bone density, one must:

Answer 5

• exercise
• good physical activity
• weight control
• changes in diet

Question 6

Obesity increases presence of other ailments such as:

Answer 6

• Hypertension
• diabetes
• digestive disorders

Question 7

• The chemical reactions in the body’s cells that change food into energy
• It decreases as you get older

Answer 7

Metabolism

Question 8

What happens to strength, joints, and bones in middle adulthood?

Answer 8

• muscle loss
• decrease in muscle and bone mass
• more prone to chronic joint disease or lower back pain due to reduced muscle strength

Question 9

• Obesity is a risk factor for _____, which is the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength
• Musculoskeletal disease in which muscle mass, strength, and performance are significantly compromised with age

Answer 9

Sarcopenia

Question 10

Vision and Hearing in Middle Adulthood:

Answer 10

• Vision and hearing decline
• Accommodation of the eye, which is the ability to focus and maintain an image on the retina, weakens
• Begin to have difficulty viewing close objects
• Men usually lose their sensitivity to high-pitched sounds sooner than women do

Question 11

• hearing condition that develops; ringing in the ear

Answer 11

Tinnitus

Question 12

• A waxy substance found in your blood to build healthy cells
• In middle adulthood, its levels in blood increases and begins to accumulate on the artery walls, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease
• fatty deposits develop in your blood vessels because of high levels

Answer 12

Cholesterol

Question 13

• aka “bad” cholesterol
• when the level is too high, it sticks to the lining of the blood vessels (lesser passageway, higher blood flow)

Answer 13

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)

Question 14

LDL causes _____, which is the thickening or hardening of the arteries

Answer 14

Atherosclerosis

Question 15

• “good” cholesterol
• when it is high the risk of cardiovascular disease is lessened
• Get rid of excess cholesterol

Answer 15

High-density lipoprotein (HDL)

Question 16

High blood pressure or _____ appears

Answer 16

Hypertension

Question 17

It is having hypertension despite using at least 3 hypertension drugs

Answer 17

Resistant hypertension

Question 18

• A condition that includes a cluster of risk factors specific for cardiovascular disease.
• Characterized by hypertension, obesity, insulin resistance
• Leads to development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Answer 18

Metabolic syndrome

Question 19

Types of diabetes:

Answer 19

Type 1 (inborn) or type 2 (acquired but can be genetic)

Question 20

Lungs in Middle Adulthood:

Answer 20

• Protein in lung tissue becomes less elastic which decreases lung capacity””
• Lung capacity of smokers drops precipitously

Question 21

Sleep in Middle Adulthood:

Answer 21

• Amount of time spent lying awake at night begins to increase
• Sleep-disordered breathing and restless legs syndrome become prevalent
• 8 hours and more sleep is necessary to function optimally

Question 22

• being unable to breathe while sleeping
• observable in men because they snore more and breathing suddenly stops while sleeping

Answer 22

Sleep apnea

Question 23

Health, Disease, Stress in Middle Adulthood:

Answer 23

• Chronic stress or prolonged exposure to stressors can have damaging effects on physical functioning
• Immune system functioning becomes less effective
• Leading cause of death: chronic diseases, heart disease, cancer
• Men have higher mortality rates

Question 24

It is the most important modifiable factor to delay the onset of diseases:

Answer 24

A sense of control is linked to many aspects of health and well-being

Question 25

The leading chronic disorder in middle adulthood

Answer 25

Arthritis

Question 26

Mortality rates in middle adulthood are linked to these three diseases:

Answer 26

1. Infectious disease - The main cause of death until the middle of the 20th century
2. Chronic disease - Now the main causes of death for individuals in middle adulthood
3. Heart disease - The leading cause of death in middle adulthood

Question 27

Term used to describe the midlife transition in which fertility declines

Answer 27

Climacteric

Question 28

• Transitional period from normal menstrual periods to no menstrual periods at all
• Occur during 40s- early 50s but can occur in the 30s
• Symptoms: depressed feelings, headaches, moodiness, palpitations

Answer 28

Perimenopause

Question 29

• Women’s menstrual period ceases
• Production of estrogen by the ovaries decline dramatically
• Produces uncomfortable symptoms in some women: Hot flashes, nausea, fatigue, rapid heartbeat

Answer 29

Menopause

Question 30

Latter menopause (late menopause) is linked with increased risk of _____

Answer 30

Breast cancer

Question 31

• A treatment for unpleasant side effects of menopause
• Augments the declining levels of reproductive hormone production by the ovaries

Answer 31

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Question 32

Condition when vagina becomes very dry

Answer 32

Myoma

Question 33

Hormone Changes in Middle-Aged Men

Answer 33

• Decline in sexual hormone level and activity
• Testosterone production declines by 1% yearly
• Prostrate glands become bigger which is the main cause of cancer and have trouble peeing at night
• Married man (normal, regular ones): heart activity during sex is equal to 2 flights of stairs
• Extra marital affairs: heart activity is 2x the married people (risky in terms of moral)

Question 34

The condition in which the body does not produce enough testosterone

Answer 34

Male hypogonadism

Question 35

• Difficulty attaining or maintaining penile erection to attain satisfactory sexual performance
• Treatment is focused on Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis that increase blood flow into the penis

Answer 35

Erectile dysfunction