MIDLIFE PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CHANGES.

Running head: MIDLIFE PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CHANGES
MIDLIFE PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CHANGES
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Author Note

Running head: MIDLIFE PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CHANGES1
Physical changes that occur during midlife starts from ageing and ends at physical and
internal changes. Both men and women are bound to be affected by these changes. There is a
difference in physical changes between men and women at some instances. Primary ageing is a
biological process which is spontaneous and occurs in every living being on the Earth. This
process cannot be skipped at any place. Primary ageing is described by the normal ageing
process of human beings as they grow older. This process is gradual and cannot be lifted away
from someone’s life. The human body begins to deteriorate as they grow up. This condition takes
place because of the stoppage or slowing down of biological processes happening inside the
body (Tajar et al. 2010). Some of the primary ageing effects on midlife are lack of fast
movements, gradual loss of vision, hearing problems, less resistance to diseases, reduced
adaptability to stress and many more (Whaley and Barber 2017). The secondary ageing process
includes diseases and poor health practices. Poor health practices include smoking, lack of
regular physical exercise, drug abuse and other ways of causing self-damage. These practices
severely harm the middle-aged people of many human populations. Harmful conditions can be
avoided by undergoing a healthy lifestyle. According to statistical data, 15.1 per cent of the total
middle-aged people in the United Kingdom is addicted to smoking (Kalkhoran and Glantz 2015).
Poor diet has been a significant issue in secondary ageing. In most of the cases, poverty becomes
the central issue of poor nutrition. Unhealthy food can cause high mortality and certain kinds of
diseases. Cultural and environmental factors are also present in secondary ageing. Thus
secondary ageing leaves a significant impact on people of middle age. Osteoporosis is a
significant health issue which reduces the mass of bones, making them fragile and weak. This
condition affects both male and female at middle ages. According to statistics, women are
affected more by osteoporosis than men (Alswat 2017). Calcium is the principal constituent of

Running head: MIDLIFE PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CHANGES2
bones. Lower calcium levels in blood make bones weak. This is the cause of osteoporosis in men
and women. Women naturally have low levels of calcium. Therefore they have low bone density
resulting in chances of osteoporosis. This disease makes all the middle aged people weaker than
healthy people. Although these people have lower chances of respiratory problems, these people
have higher recovery time than young people. Longer recovery time makes the people acquire
other diseases along with respiratory problems. These diseases result from opportunistic
infections. Sometimes conditions can lead to physical disabilities. These disabilities mainly
affect people of age 40 to 50 as they start to lose the power of the immune system. Disease like
Alzheimer's disease, which affects the brain and nervous system, can cause permanent disability
in mid-aged people. Statistics show that eight lakh fifty thousand people in the United Kingdom
have been found to be affected by today. A prediction was also made that the number of affected
middle aged people will rise above one million by 2025 (Liddell et al. 2016). The gradual change
in appearance is also a factor of ageing. Physical appearance is the primary factor which comes
into play during interaction with the outside world. Grey and thin hair, along with wrinkled skin
puts a significant psychological impact on middle-aged men and women. Majority of these
people start to lose all grooming factors present in their body with ageing. Fat distribution is a
significant problem for these people. Due to a decrease in metabolic rate, a higher amount of fat
gets deposited in the stomach, lower body and chin. This condition gives birth to many diseased
conditions. Certain liver diseases have also been found to occur in these people (VanWagner et
al. 2015). Deterioration in hearing, smelling and vision powers. This condition affects males
more than females (Dawes et al. 2014). Certain professional activities can result in a complicated
secondary ageing process. As an example, a man who is working as a scientist in a radioactive
laboratory has less chance of survival than an ordinary man. Menopause becomes a significant