Physical Development in Middle Adulthood
Middle adulthood is a time of change and has been referred to as the prime time of life. Middle age can range from ages 35 – 70. This is a time when you reflect on exciting milestones that had occurred in the past. For example, graduating from college, getting married, and starting a family. Most people at this age are in fairly good health both physically and psychologically, they are also apt to earning more money and having acquired wisdom through life experiences (Zastrow 2010 pg 410). However, in middle age there are also life crises, slow decline in health, changes in sexuality occur, and slight changes in intellectual activity and cognitive competence. Men and women are changing physically, cognitively and biologically during this time.
There are four common health problems that arise from middle adulthood,
Hypertension, Diabetes, Cancer and Arthritis, as individuals reach middle age they will feel a difference in physical functional so it is important for to stay healthy and practice a lifestyle of wellness. Hypertension also referred to as high blood pressure is a major health problem beginning in midlife.
Middle-age Americans face a 90% chance of developing high blood pressure at some time during the rest of their lives, according to a new study supported by the
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). " Lenfant states, "high blood pressure is easily diagnosed and can be prevented by adopting certain lifestyle measures: Don't smoke, follow a healthy eating plan that includes foods lower in salt and sodium, maintain a healthy weight, be physically active, and if you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. For those who already have high blood pressure, it's important that they properly control it with these lifestyle measures and medication."
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Historically, type 2 diabetes has been diagnosed primarily in middle-aged adults. Diabetes occurs when the body develops insulin resistance and can't make efficient use of the insulin it makes, and the pancreas gradually loses its capacity to produce insulin.
According to the American Heart Association, diabetes can go undiagnosed for many years, which is a cause for great concern since untreated diabetes can lead to many serious medical problems, including cardiovascular disease. Type 2 diabetes may be delayed or controlled with diet and exercise and medication.
The risk of cancer for developing in middle age increases. "As women age, the rate of cervical cancer decreases, and endometrial cancer increases," says Brangman. Sometimes women put off gynecological exams after their childbearing years, but it is still important to continue yearly gynecological exams to lower the risk of potential cancers. For men the risk of prostate cancer increases with age and screenings should start in the 40s. Bragman states, lung cancer accounts for more deaths than breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer combined.
Arthritis affects nearly half the elderly population and is a leading cause of disability. "Old injuries from playing weekend warrior or high school football, and years of wearing high-heeled shoes catch up with us," says Brangman. "And arthritis in the knees is the price we pay for walking upright on two legs." The keys to prevention: avoid overuse, do steady, regular exercise rather than in weekend spurts, and stop if you feel pain. "The adage, 'no pain, no gain,' is not true."
Healthy habits like eating right, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, not smoking, drinking alcohol only in moderation can help reduce your risk for a number of chronic medical conditions.
Sexuality among women in middle adulthood experience several biological changes. Climacteric is a middle adulthood transition in which fertility declines for women. Secondly another influential change that a women experience is menopause. Usually around late 40’s to early 50’s is about the time that a women’s menstrual period completely ceases.
Menopause can be a very emotional time for women, being that she will longer be able to bare children. This can in turn lead to psychological problems for some women. But on the other hand it could be a time of total freedom from what is called the” Curse “of the monthly period. Before menopause is determined there a few stages that occur. Peri menopause is a transitional period that often takes up to 10 years. Hereditary and experience influence the onset of menopause.
Hormonal changes in Men, male climacteric begins 10 years later than women. Sperm count declines, slower motility of sperm, but does not affect the ability for them to father a child. Modest declines in sexual hormonal levels and activity take place. Men can experience erectile dysfunction, which is pretty common in middle age men. The need to seek additional help from doctors to help them address the psychological problems that they may experience is at an all-time high.
Sexual attitudes and behaviors, stereotypes suggest that older people do not have sex, contrary to this belief sexual activity does not fade away with age. The frequency decreases with age, sexual activities remain a vital part of most middle-aged adult’s lives. Women are freer in sexual expression and it has been stated that sex is better for women once they approach the menopause stage.
Middle aged men are more interested sex than women. Men though at any age may feel like they have something to prove so to satisfy their Ego’s they would never admit that they are not interested in sex. They do tend to enjoy the chase more than the conquest; more foreplay is needed to help them become aroused. Intimacy and the act of the process are preferred. By living with a spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend may be the determining factor in the terms of how frequent sexual activity takes place and or how often it happens.
Maslow Hierarchy of needs is a great explanation of how psychologically changes happen and the need for food, water, oxygen, rest is essential in middle age men or women. The need for safety, security, stability and free form fear will help middle-aged individuals through the changes that are a part of life. Belonging and love shows us all how intimacy and affection achieved through healthy, active sexual activity helps lessen the burdens and fears of getting older. (Charles H. Zastrow) pg. 448 chapter 11.
During the middle-age females and males go through many changes with their health and bodies. Some changes can be slowed down through medication, exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Other changes though, there is nothing that can be done about it, it is just a natural part of the human life. For females the biggest change that is just a natural part of life is menopause. Menopause generally begins around the age of 51, but can start sooner or later in life. It is when the female stops menstruating and is no longer able to have children. This process can take two to five years to complete but is known to be shorter or longer of a process for some females. Many times the age and time for this process is passed down from female to female in the family. Menopause is caused by a drop in estrogen levels in the female body, which decreases the menstruating process the more the estrogen drops the less menstruating the female experiences until it fully stops. At this time ovaries reduce in size and cease in delivering eggs to the fallopian tubes and the uterus shrinks. During this time most women experience hot flashes, which are elevating warmth or heat throughout the body, sometimes accompanied by sweating, reddening of the skin and possibly dizziness. Hot flashes are cause by a loss of temperature control due to the drop in estrogen levels. During this time some women may experience thinning of the hair, loss of breast tissue and firmness, loss of firmness in the labia, weight gain, weight loss, headaches, insomnia, muscle loss in the legs, or growth of facial hair. Psychologically women react differently to these changes. Some women who are emotionally stable before hand tend to have emotional issues during menopause. Other women see this change as a loss of their woman hood. They are losing the one thing that made them special as a women and this can be depressing for some women. They may feel that they will no longer be attractive to males. Menopause can be quite devastating to some women while other women may be rejoicing at this new part of their lives.
Over the past few decades it has become more and more well known that men go through a similar experience in their lives. We have grown to call this the “mid-life crisis” this generally age range for this to occur is 35-60 in males. They begin to realize they are not young males anymore. Many male begin to reflect on what they have done in their lives, i.e., their jobs/carreers, their love life, schooling and so forth. All males at some point in their life begin to question the decisions that they have made. Some males will have affairs outside of their relationship, seek divorce. A popular trend that people think of about men at this time in their lives is they purchase a sports car. This period of reassessment is often characterized by nervousness, decrease in sexual activity, depression, decreased memory and concentration, decreased sexual interests, fatigue, sleep disturbances, irritability, loss of interest or self-confidence, indecisiveness, numbness and tingling, fear of impending danger, and/or excitability. Other possible symptoms are headaches, vertigo, constipation, crying, hot flashes, chilly sensations, itching, sweating, and/or cold hands and feet. “ (Zastrow) At this time testosterone production decreases, his hair may turn gray and start to thin, he possible get a gut around his middle. He looks and questions his past and his future. “Two of the more subtle changes (as compared to hair loss, wrinkles, slowing blood circulation, and more sluggish digestion) are a decline in the number of sperm in an ejaculation and a reduction of testosterone present in the plasma and urine. The testes lose their earlier vigorous functioning and produce decreasing amounts of hormones. Older men generally take a longer time to achieve an erection. It also takes a longer time before an erection can be regained after an orgasm.”(zastrow) Many men during this time spend a lot of time reflecting on their past and looking to the future. Some men are happy with their past and look forward to the future and others are not happy with their past, not happy with facing the reality that they are no longer young males and do not look forward to the future. Depression is very common during the male climacteric.
“The more stress a person is experiencing, the greater is his chance of becoming ill.’ (Zastrow).Stress can come from negative sources, such as getting fired or a death of a loved one or from positive sources such as getting a raise or reaching a personal goal. Therefore any change in life can be a source of stress, based on the individual and how they are able to handle these stressors. Poor people become stressed because they are limited by their funds on how they can resolve certain issues in their life. Wealthier people may experience stress because of the life maintenance and pressure from others to help with monetary situations. Stress can leave a person feeling run down physically and emotionally, stress can actually make a person ill, for example causing pressure on the heart and other internal organs (ulcers from worrying ) even causing depression. Learning about cultural differences also plays a vital role in understanding how each person responds to stress to better manage ill effects of stress.
In conclusion, middle adult hood is the stage to develop the desire to expand one's influence and commitment to family, society, and future generations. Although, individuals going through middle age are faced with many challenges, such as common health issues, changes in sexuality, and stresses there are many ways of staying healthy to enjoy this stage.

References

Cadena, Christine (2007). The Mid-Life Man & Sexual Changes. Retrieved http://voices.yahoo.com/the-mid-life-man-sexual-changes-195824.html Skarnulis,Leanna (2010 WebMD feature) 7 Health Challenges of Aging.
Retrieved
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/features/aging-health-challenges?page=5
Hypertension; vast majority of middle-age americans at risk. (2002). Obesity, Fitness &
Wellness Week, , 7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/207938891?accountid=458. American Psychological
Association 6th Edition.
Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes. (2012). http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Diabetes/PreventionTreatmentofDiabetes/Prvvention-Treatment-of-Diabetes_UCM_002036_Article.jsp Zastrow, C. (2009). Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment. Ebook collection. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary.