Health care for elderly men: Why couples should not live apart and living together is beneficial to their health

Elderly couples should not live separately.

Some elderly couples live separately for extended periods due to incorrect understandings of sex or a preference for quiet. From a health perspective, this is extremely detrimental to the physical and mental health of the elderly. In fact, the elderly do not enjoy loneliness. Beautiful and harmonious sounds from nature and daily life, such as birdsong, soft music, and children's laughter, can uplift their spirits and are very beneficial to their health. A quiet and lonely environment can make the elderly feel forgotten, lose confidence in life, and even develop senile autism. Therefore, elderly couples should not live separately. The reasons are:

1. Elderly couples also need sexual intimacy. Although the sexual function and reproductive capacity of the elderly gradually decline with age and the decrease in sex hormone secretion, the influence of past life experiences, psychological activities, and the establishment of conditioned reflexes still leave traces in the cerebral cortex that maintain the elderly's need for sexual intimacy. The Soviet Union's Longevity Research Committee, after studying thousands of people, surprisingly discovered that maintaining sexual activity past the age of 60 can add 8-10 years to one's life. Although hormone levels and libido generally decline between 60 and 80 years of age, they can rebound significantly after 80. By age 90, both men and women can recover hormone levels and libido to levels they had in their 50s, and it has been proven that suppressing libido for more than a month can negatively impact health. The director of a gerontology research association at an American university said, "The Soviet findings coincide with American research on sexual behavior and age." He added, "I believe that the presence or absence of sexual activity is a factor in health." A survey of 220 patients showed that over 70% claimed that joint pain was relieved within 4-6 hours after sexual activity.

Therefore, elderly couples still maintain a need for sex, and avoiding or suppressing it through separation is inappropriate. As people age, they should be more grateful for and respect their family relationships and cherish the joy that sexual activity brings. 1. Maintaining a moderate level of sexual desire, depending on physical condition and age, is highly beneficial in eliminating feelings of loneliness, depression, and melancholy, dispelling various sorrowful emotions, and boosting morale.

2. Elderly couples require nighttime health monitoring. Modern medical research has proven that many fatal and critical illnesses, such as cerebral hemorrhage, angina pectoris, and myocardial infarction, not only frequently occur during strenuous activity and sudden emotional fluctuations, but are also commonly seen during nighttime rest. Some critical illnesses, such as cerebral thrombosis, unstable angina pectoris, and certain arrhythmias, often occur during quiet sleep at night. Recent statistics show that acute myocardial infarction in the elderly is not only often painless and accompanied by many complications, but also mostly occurs at rest and during sleep. Especially for some elderly people, due to dulled senses, poor reaction ability, and slow movements, they often fail to notice their own illnesses. As a result, the early signs of some serious diseases are often overlooked, and by the time they feel the effects, the disease has already progressed to a very serious stage, leading to delays and missed opportunities for rescue. There is a medical condition called "sleep death," which occurs during sleep. According to reports from Japan, approximately 100 such sudden deaths occur annually in Tokyo. Sleep death also occurs frequently in my country, especially among elderly people with cardiovascular diseases. The sudden death of Edward Youde, the former Governor of Hong Kong, during his visit to Beijing in 1987, is a prime example. Even elderly people who do not normally have cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases should not ignore the possibility of illness occurring at night. Therefore, nighttime health monitoring between elderly couples is irreplaceable. In this sense, it is particularly important for elderly couples not to live apart.

3. Elderly couples need mutual emotional support. Elderly people are prone to emotional fluctuations, especially after retirement and the return to a more leisurely lifestyle. Having left their jobs and colleagues, and with their children grown and living elsewhere, some elderly individuals, especially those with introverted personalities who rarely participate in group activities, may experience limited interaction with colleagues and family. If couples sleep separately in the evenings, feelings of loneliness can gradually develop. This loneliness can also lead to depression, melancholy, irritability, and narrow-mindedness, causing unnecessary distress and impacting physical health.

Practice has shown that spouses, especially long-married couples, are best able to perceive subtle changes in each other's physical and psychological state. Elderly people generally sleep less, and sharing a bed at night, confiding in each other, is itself a source of stimulation, enjoyment, and pleasure. If negative stimuli or unpleasant experiences during the day cause psychological conflicts, these can be resolved through targeted mutual guidance and encouragement, all within the embrace of love. This essential psychological supplement helps couples establish a warm, harmonious, and healthy psychological bond, which in turn promotes the physiological coordination of cerebral cortex function and the body's immune function. It also stimulates the body's endocrine glands to secrete hormones beneficial to health and longevity, such as enzymes and acetylcholine. This is not only highly beneficial to physical and mental health but also adds new enjoyment to married life.