Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
People say that getting old sucks. In my humble opinion, it's still better than the alternative. Yet each decade comes with its own perks and woes. Interestingly, according to research, the 5th decade of a person's life is the least joyful. You see, a person's happiness correlates to their age: we get a U-shaped curve if we were to look at a person's entire life.
We're happiest when we're little, and we're the least happy in our 40s. Then, after our 5th decade, the happiness starts to rise again. In 2020, Economist David G. Blanchflower concluded that the U-shaped happiness-age curve applies to many places, not just Europe and America. So, it seems to be a universal experience, not just for developed countries.
But what's it like to be in your 40s? Is it really that bad? One netizen wondered exactly this because they asked: "Hey y'all in your 40's: what are the physical changes you start to see in your body once you leave your 30's? What should we expect to experience physiologically as we get into our 4th decade?" As a person entering her 4th decade soon, I'm starting to wonder: should I be afraid?
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Despite all the negatives, your “give a f***s” plummet at 40 which is pretty great.
Jill Rhodry 1 year ago
You don't realise you still held onto a few until you reach 50 when they all go away completely!
RELATED:
#2
43 here.
Ladies, at some point in your late 30s you will wake up and realize everything is b******t and you don’t care what any dude thinks about you, lol. After a youth indoctrinated to seek their approval, you realize it’s all b******t.
Don’t shave your legs and underarms, don’t wear a bra, cut your hair short and dye it blue, get all of the tattoos and piercings you ever wanted. That one dude doesn’t find you attractive? Hahahahaha haha….
That is the biggest and most important physical change you will experience as you age.
Auntriarch 1 year ago
And neither do you care what other women think about you, which is also very liberating
LapCat 1 year ago (edited)
100%. I’ve stopped dying my hair and enjoying the process of letting the grays grow out. My hair’s is kinda this cool ombré look of grey/white, light brown then dark brown.
The Doom Song 1 year ago
Darn downvote fairy is at it again. Have an upvote! I totally agree with you, I've gone "f**k it" and let the grey hair come thru and embrace it. Plus I think my hair has already been every colour you can think of
Load More Replies...
Greg Wilhelm 1 year ago
I'm happily married and now don't care what anyone thinks. Most of my self esteem came from what the opposite sex thought. Now I care what one girl thinks, and she f*****g loves me.
madeleine f 1 year ago
I would rather have someone who likes me for the one I want to be. Then you at least know it's you he/she likes.
iseefractals 1 year ago
People are going to find you attractive or they won't, and you never ever get to dictate whether or not someone else finds you as such....but it really doesn't matter how physically attractive you are if you have an insufferable personality.
Awesome At Being Autistic 1 year ago
It took me until I hit my early 50s. But yeah, no longer giving a heck is absolutely brilliant, and I love being single.
#3
Tired. Just tired. If you were already tired before 40, then you’re gonna be more tired.
Until it’s time for bed.
EmAdoresHerKats🇮🇪🇵🇸🇩🇿 1 year ago
It's different types of tired too. Body tired Brain tired Drained Feeling like a wrung out cloth tired
Upstaged75 1 year ago
Except back then we hated naps and felt like they were punishment. Now I can't wait to take naps! :)
Load More Replies... #4
I’m gonna be real. There is a day in your early 40s where you wake up weirdly tired, and that never goes away.
Mrs Irish Mom 1 year ago (edited)
Get too much sleep and you feel tired and not enough sleep 🥱 you still feel tired
Nikole 1 year ago
You probably have a lot going on with school and both physical and social teenage growing. You’ll bounce back :)
Load More Replies...
Poultry Geist 1 year ago
I went to sleep at 7 pm the other night and I would do that all the time if I could !
Sabrena Patterson 1 year ago
I wish. I'm 65 and I don't know slow or tired. I'm manic and go go go until I literally exhaust myself. Golden years ? Pah! Fools gold. I thought things would slow down. But nooo. Faster and faster
#5
Body's gonna be sore. You want the soreness from exercising or the soreness from not exercising?
2x4b523p 1 year ago
I fell asleep without throwing aside that extra pillow I only use for watching TV, that was 3 days ago and I’m only now getting movement in my neck back. I am moderately active but sleeping wrong messes me up more than any kind of overdone exercise.
Load More Replies...
Kirsten Kerkhof 1 year ago
I tell my students I suffer from AHAT: aching here aching there. They find it so funny, so I just laugh. But not too much, because that hurts my lower back.
Fatmeow 1 year ago
Trust me, 60 will look a LOT different if you move and stretch and keep somewhat active. If you can't do it at 40, there's no way you're gonna get up at 60 to fix all that sitting damage. Posture is number ONE. You see all those old ladies with the humps? That's sitting and leaning all day, barring other physical damages or chores, it will slowly appear and by then it will be too late. Move yourselves.
Nannychachi 1 year ago (edited)
I (65F) was moving porch furniture one day. It's a regular livingroom set. My daughter said, "Sit down and let me do that for you!" I said, "The day I stop doing these kinds of things is the day that I start not being ABLE to do these kinds of things." I refuse to get old and weak.
Load More Replies... 
Remi (He/Him) 1 year ago
it's the elbow for me. although it seems to think anything out of the ordinary deserves a complaint
Load More Replies... Sabrena Patterson 1 year ago
What is wrong with you people? I'm pushing 66, have rheumatoid arthritis and I walk two miles daily plus I dance while doing housework. I guess living a sedentary lifestyle may be your problem. Oh don't get me wrong, when my RA flares up, I hurt but I can't stay still or it will be worse. So I just go until I can t anymore but griping doesn't fix a thing.
D H 1 year ago
Watch out using logic and sound advice with this bunch, they're all bitter self created invalids. Must be a bunch of lazy assed americans
Load More Replies...
D H 1 year ago
I'm 42 and I feel great. If you're falling apart at 40 then either youve had a hard life in which case sorry about that or you didn't do your due diligence in maintaining the prison/machine our minds are trapped in.
Comfortably Numb 1 year ago
Must be great to have had such an easy life. We're all terribly happy for you
Load More Replies...
#6
If you’re a woman, perimenopause. You don’t realize how much hormones contribute to the overall running of your body until they start to go away.
Horrible periods at random times, acne, hair loss, weight problems, extreme fatigue and muscle wasting, violent emotional swings, inability to concentrate. Fun times.
lenka 1 year ago
So much this. I thought menopause was after 50. It's not. It starts in your 40s and lasts 10 f*****g years! And just to really twist the knife, while I'm learning to manage my new hormonal roller coaster - I have to figure out how to support my teenagers who are on the even scarier roller coaster on the opposite side of fun park.
Tamra 1 year ago (edited)
There just aren't enough conversations about menopause. I used to also believe that menopause started later and wow, I was proved wrong. I've been menopausal for 11 years now. During the worst parts of it, I was raising a teenage boy, and had, at different times, my mother, brother and mother in law move in with us. It was absolute hell.
Load More Replies...
Uncanny 1 year ago
But wait..there’s more. I’m 60, and menopause means..falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. Then waking up at 3am, 2am even 1am (that was a sterling Monday, I must say) and not being able to get back to sleep, no matter how much you avoid your devices, lights, and thoughts. Sleep just ain’t happening. No collagen left, which means weird wrinkly skin. I play this game. ‘Look. Elephant!’ (Pushing skin together on leg or arm). Then ‘Look. No elephant! (Pulling skin tight in sad imitation of youth). On the plus side, you realise you’re completely out of f**** to give about what people think about your hair, what you wear, what you say. Comfy boots and stretchy pants are the best. As is giving your opinion when you have one to give. Not in a Karen way, no! No need for rudeness or assholery. Just in a ‘there it is. Take it or leave it way’. All in all…I don’t mind being old. I feel pretty free. 😊
featherytoad 1 year ago
If you're feeling nostalgic about the days when you had collagen and elasticity, lay down on the couch and hold a mirror up to your face. You will look fabulous.
Load More Replies... Tyranamar Seuss 1 year ago
And stupid doctors who don't want to give you hormone replacement bc it's "natural." If men felt like this when they went through something they'd get treated. It's also natural to let cancer eat you or to bleed out when you're cut. Doctors need to treat this s**t. I'm tired of doctors acting like all this stuff isn't a big deal when we've got actual treatment for it.
featherytoad 1 year ago (edited)
This is when I started mine and I had the worst period of my life. It started at night and I didn't realize it until I woke up in the morning. I seriously thought I needed to go to the ER, it just wouldn't stop. The good news, me and my husband were at a hotel. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Leading up to that, my periods became really light and almost nonexistent, and then, BAM. Not having my period is glorious, but other annoying things just replace it.
Load More Replies...
shankShaw deReemer 1 year ago
Not to mention Brain Fog, which I experiencing now. I feel like I'm going crazy. Forgetful. Hazy memory of even that morning. Inattention. Procrastination. It's scary what hormones can do to you.
Comedy Clumbers 1 year ago
ESPECIALLY after a hysterectomy! I finally got spayed around 5ya when my doctors FINALLY realized I have been right for decades that those parts were trying (albeit inefficiently) kill me. "Grapefruit sized" tumor and my attempt to bleed to death later, and just weeks later I discovered what hot flashes really are like. Still have 'em and newly I'm waking up at 3am every night, which I've learned is also menopause related. Still better than the only other option: not getting to get older.
Min 1 year ago
No one told me that you would end up with days when you have hot flashes and menstrual cramps at the same damn time. WTAF.
Lyoness 1 year ago
And don't forget the days when you have PMS, sore breasts, cramps and NO period. It's like all the symptoms and no relief.
Load More Replies... EmAdoresHerKats🇮🇪🇵🇸🇩🇿 1 year ago
Nose hair, hair thinning, chin hair. They're some of the most glamorous ones
Jenny Mason 1 year ago
Ha! Perimenopause 😂 I was post-menopausal by age 40, nobody warns you about early menopause and how much more it affects you.
Id row 1 year ago
Prozac helped a lot with my horrible mood swings. I no longer want to run my husband over with my car. It's helped a lot. It's been 4 years of hell, hopefully only 1 to go. They say meno lasts 5 years.
Tamra 1 year ago (edited)
Ehhhh, not so much. Menopause lasts from 7-14 years. I'm on year 11.
Load More Replies... #7
Know how when women get older their breasts will start to sag? No one warns you against your Sack creeping down and sticking to your knee in the summer like a hot piece of silly putty.
ToastedFroggy 1 year ago
Hahaha, laughed so hard at this one. Now my dog is looking at me funny.
Upstaged75 1 year ago
My boobs did it one at a time, so there was a period where they were uneven. :) My friends and I used to joke about it all the time.
#8
Brain fog. Not being able to think of the name of that actor who was in that movie last year. Starting one thing and forgetting that I’m in the.
Kirsten Kerkhof 1 year ago
However, you can remember every Backstreet Boys song lyric. Like that is helping …
Lady Lava 1 year ago
Oh yes, I remember the most random things, but not where I left my phone...
Load More Replies... Upstaged75 1 year ago
Believe it or not I've found that playing video games helps with my brain fog. Not the kind that serious gamers play, just hidden object games on my PC where you need to remember things, look for certain items, and solve little puzzles. I think there's a website that has specific brain games as well.
Upstaged75 1 year ago
My family watches it every night during dinner and we shout the answers at the screen. We have a good time with it, even if we feel dumb sometimes. :)
Load More Replies... #9
Let's see...
I threw my back out and wound up on the sofa for 3 days moving a trowel full of dirt from a bag to a planter.
I developed cataracts in both eyes. Yes, both.
Years of terrible work posture (I assume) led to a bulging disk in my neck.
Washing my face with bar soap if I remember has morphed into a whole multi-product routine more complicated than anything I had as an acne-riddled teen.
There is more gray in my hair than brown.
My right knee can tell when it's going to rain.
I don't really drink anymore because the hangovers last for days and just aren't worth it
Sleeping in a weird position means at least one full day of back/neck/shoulder pain
My periods come every 3 weeks now instead of every 4.
I'm pretty sure I could grow a goatee to rival any teenager's if I stopped my daily search for hairs in places I do not want hairs.
Falling asleep is hard. Staying asleep is hard. Waking up rested is a pipe dream
Every so often, I get to wake up in a pool of my own sweat.
But, I wake up.
I'm at a good place in a career I love.
I care less about what others think with each passing day.
I have found friends and activities that bring me joy.
Lady Lava 1 year ago (edited)
I understand why it happens, but please don't fall for the trap the beauty industry has laid for middle-aged women. They anticipate on your fear of getting old, make a lot of promises if you use their products, but in the end it doesn't really help, it will cost you a c**p ton of money, and you're still getting older anyway... 🤷♀️ I rather use that money for stuff and experiences I really like and enjoy.
Remi (He/Him) 1 year ago
True that, but also my skin is basically doing a peel off in the winters now at nearly 50. It just gets drier than sahara and starts to flake _painfully_ so moisturizers aren't often about the looks but about the comfort.
Load More Replies... 
Ariom Dahl 1 year ago
Cataracts can be removed. I have had both eyes done in the past eighteen months and it's wonderful. I can SEE properly to drive and can read signs in supermarkets (even those at the end of the aisle!) I do need glasses for (some) reading but otherwise don't need them. Re your periods ... if they're coming so often please get a health check. And I am glad you're at a good place in a career you love. :)
Valerie G. 1 year ago
Well, I can help you with one of those. For at least 25 years I have slept using a Baby Boppy for a pillow. I used to suffer tremendously from a stiff neck. Haven't had one since.
Phoenix Reign 1 year ago
Smoke some weed. I used to tell people I smoke weed to prevent cataracts lol
#10
It takes longer to heal from everything!
Upstaged75 1 year ago
My parents are in their 70's and it freaks me out how badly they bruise from the most minor things. Not looking forward to that!
Nikole 1 year ago (edited)
My dad took a tumble down some stairs last summer. He had to have rotator cuff surgery, and then developed a blood clot in his knee so he uses a cane a lot. He’ll be 77 next month. And this man was always a physical beast! Freaks me the hell out of me too
Load More Replies... 
Soylent 1 year ago
I am 47 now, trained martial arts for 35ish years, ran marathon, am a former infantry officer who competed in international military competitions and was extremly fit until Covid and my 40s hit me. A couple of weeks ago I fractured a bone in my foot. A so called "march fractured". I got it when I strolled through Berlin in the evening on a business trip after a whole day of meetings. No, it wasn't the 100 km march in 20 hours or the 4 days Nijmegen military march competition. It wasn't trekking and mountain climbing in the Himalayas. It was a frigging walk in the evening. And yes, wounds, sores and bruises heal much slower.
Beth Wheeler 1 year ago
I'm 62 and still heal fast with very little scarring. If you didn't know where the incision was for my trigger finger surgery was you wouldn't even see it. Having a cyst removed from rt forefinger Mon morning, will be a sm scar that fades.
#11
I'm 64 and I'm not going to even bother.
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 1 year ago
I'm 67 and .............just tying to remember what I was going to say.............nope, lost it :(
Kathy Richardson 1 year ago
My husband keeps going on and on about how he doesn't understand what is going on with his body and how it's not normal and something is wrong. I have to keep reminding him that he is 82 and s**t happens
Carsten Petersen 1 year ago
Well - I'm in my sixties, but inside my head I'm about 30 - my body often tends to disagree though ;-)
Marjorie Macrae 1 year ago
I'm 76 and still here, not the best place physically but I'm here that is all that matters in the long run.
Arthur Waite 1 year ago
and one of the best places to be 'here' is BP. It helps a lot to read other people's experience. p.s.: I'm 76, too.
Load More Replies...
#12
I finally got diagnosed with ADHD at age 38 and started meds that work. I'm 40 now and this is the most emotionally stable I've been in my entire life and it's amazing. So it's never too late to figure out your life.
Comedy Clumbers 1 year ago
Always remember - aging is better than the only other option!
Load More Replies...
JustAnotherPanda (she/they/he) 1 year ago
I know I have adhd but my parents hate d***s for mental problems because it will “d**g you”
Joseph Stillman 1 year ago
for those who aren't ADHD, let me sum it up for you (I can't stress this enough) BBBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Shawn Barry 1 year ago
yep, same here. when I was 38. I so wish I had been diagnosed when I was still in school tho.
Comedy Clumbers 1 year ago
Antidepressants did it for me! All the thanks and credit to Spouse.
#13
All of your old injuries come back to haunt you. That banged up knee that you got sliding into home plate when you were nine? Hello, again! That time you tweaked your back lifting that grocery bag? Did you miss me? Blurry eyes from staying up too late on the computer? Well, now they're always blurry!
Kombatbunni 1 year ago
As someone who relies on her sight and her hands to do the work I do (3D modelling and sewing) it’s really annoying now that I can barely see without my glasses and both hands start to ache after about half an hour. I hate being old!!
Remi (He/Him) 1 year ago
If your eyes are blurry all the time, either it's dry eyes and there's eyedrops for that or there's something wrong. Even an optometrist can figure out if you need glasses or if you need an eye doctor and visiting and optometrist to check your vision to order new glasses is often free (at least in Finnish eyeglass stores). They usually even test for glaucoma.
#14
You become grumpier and tolerate a lot less s**t from people, because you realize time is starting run out for you.
robin aldrich 1 year ago
And that's an upside ...like a previous post, not giving a f***, which is part of not taking s*** from people.
Load More Replies... Bored something 1 year ago
I've become more patient as time has gone on. I've come to realise that when people are grumpy, most of the time it's not on me. It's just their mood and I've learnt to let it slide and not take it to heart. This had made it so much easier to deal with.
Lizz 1 year ago
I have more understanding for the "grumpy old women at work... I've become one of them! And we enjoy complaining together :)
Load More Replies... Thatkamloopsguy 1 year ago
60 Years old working retail. Don't pull your s**t with me, you will regret it.
wordsupfool 1 year ago
Yes. Feeling this at work- don't care. Too experienced. New hires just make me tired. And- I am incapable of performing happiness 40 hours a week. Sorry. Not sorry.
Libstak 1 year ago (edited)
I think it's just we've heard it all before and are over it. I get grouchy when others Try and give me advice life lessons like I'm gonna change now when I've just got all comfy and accepting. I just can't wait till they grow past knowing everything to, heck, I really never had a clue did i?
Beth Wheeler 1 year ago
Or maybe it's because of all the stupid s**t that ppl do or ppl that don't correct their kids letting them scream and run all over the place in stores or restaurants. My kids were taugh how to behave.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
We start to be less patient at forty because by then we've figured out that patience doesn't work.
#15
Skin tags.
parmadillo 1 year ago
Reading this made the corners of my mouth turn downwards
Load More Replies...
Upstaged75 1 year ago
Same here. My brother is a red head and got mostly freckles, but lucky me got moles all over my body.
Load More Replies...
Nikole 1 year ago
Cervical biopsies are fun! I’m so glad kids now can get vaccinated for HPV.
Load More Replies... Beth Wheeler 1 year ago
I had some in my 20's, went to a dermatologist to have them cut off with small super sharp scissors
Spittnimage 1 year ago
Had one appear overnight on my jaw. I messed with it til it came off that day.
#16
I like to joke I hit 40 and the check engine light came on. You'll get random aches and pains that just come and go, and sometimes stick around permanently. If you injure yourself, expect healing times to be 2-3 times longer at least. Same with illnesses, you just don't bounce back like you used to.
Robert Trebor 1 year ago
40 warrantee runs out / 50 parts hard to find / 60 stuff starts falling off / 70 ... / Ugh
Carsten Petersen 1 year ago
If you wake up one morning and there is no pain anywhere, then it is because you are dead ;-)
Upstaged75 1 year ago
I turned my ankle and while there was nothing seriously wrong with it I limped around for 2 years. I'd rather have just broken it!
Natalie Westby 1 year ago
IKR! My left thigh and hip just started hurting, and don't get me started about my knees.
#18
I've noticed the skin on my hands is much more sensitive to dryness and is thinner than it used to be. I feel like Cassandra from Dr Who.
#19
What the f**k is up with all this ear hair?
Remi (He/Him) 1 year ago
Especially the one nose hair that's made it's life's purpose to regrow to tickle the other side of the nostril! I'd like to unsubscribe for that one 🌵
Load More Replies... Daniel Atkins 1 year ago (edited)
What about the eyebrow hair that grows at angles opposite to how they grew in the past? Then they get bushy and you have wizard eyebrows.
Auntriarch 1 year ago
If I don't wield the scissors frequently I look like Magnus Magnusson
Load More Replies... featherytoad 1 year ago (edited)
I seriously thought this was a mans thing (ear/nose hair) until I had to start trimming my nose hairs a couple of years ago. I also noticed a couple of years ago that I really don't have anymore arm hair. Why can't that happen on my lower legs and bikini area?
robin aldrich 1 year ago
I don't have to shave my legs anymore., 'cause my leg hair stopped growing. But instead I've got unexplained hairs popping out of my chin and my ears ....thanks granddad!!!!
#20
Wait til ur 60! Bad balance, lots of aches and pains. Worry every time u get a checkup or lab test. Enjoy ur forties!! Don’t worry about every little ouch.
Rachknits 1 year ago
I agree. I'm 52 and most of this list didn't really impact me until I was late 40s/early 50s. If you don't have any chronic health issue by 40 then you're doing great, enjoy your body and what it can do rather than focusing on how it's different from younger years. You can take this either negatively or positively - its only going to get worse from now on so make the most of it
EmAdoresHerKats🇮🇪🇵🇸🇩🇿 1 year ago (edited)
I'm in my late 40s used to run hours everyday. I ignored a pain in my thigh for months. I am now disabled for life. I had spinal tumours. I've lost the use of one of my legs, my bladder and bowel. Don't ignore any twinge, any pain. If you don't feel right get checked out. It might not be anything but you shouldn't take a chance with your health.
Bored Birgit 1 year ago
If you feel old at 40 - in your 60s you will wish back these times! 64yo speaking.
Bec 1 year ago
It does seem like every conversation with our parents (70s now) is a long list of which doctors appointments they've been to. What a fun way to spend retirement.
Precious BS 1 year ago
My dad calls commiserating about ailments an "organ recital"
Load More Replies... #21
Everything makes you fat. Everything hurts. Meals are a topic of conversation now. Your lawn consumes most of your waking thoughts. You turn to your wife for comfort: she is lawn.
Max Fox 1 year ago
That is why I started replacing my lawn with a native flower garden. It is far more exciting, and you can mix things up. You also get all sorts of pollinators visiting it, as well as seed-eating birds. Much more fun than trying to keep your boring lawn even more boring than it already is.
Princeofdarkness 1 year ago
I got belly fat at 26 and it never went away. Never had it prior to this age.
#22
D**k quit. Hair quit. Eyes quit. Brain quit....annnd I forgot the last one.
Mike F 1 year ago
I worked with a guy who used to say "it takes you all night to do what you used to do all night" and it's true.
robin aldrich 1 year ago
There's treatment for most of those..... but oh no, I forgot what I was gonna say.
#23
Thinning and yet MORE hair!!!!!!!! Whether a woman or a man. Also, for women, stupid damn chin hairs. Somehow you get more hair in some places and less in the others.
Julia H 1 year ago
Wait until they're all silver and you have to usu the bathroom nightlight to see their reflection in order to pluck. Even better when you come home from an outing only to realize you've walked around with a freaking beard hair no one bothered to mention
Load More Replies...
Just me... 1 year ago
I thought my eyebrows were disappearing then I realized they were just migrating to my chin.
Blue Bunny of Happiness 1 year ago
Yup, the hair that you spent hours removing as a young woman, decides to up sticks and move to your face…
#24
Don't stop moving. Ever.
Michelle 1 year ago
Agreed, you don't have to do anything strenuous, but make sure you just keep moving, even if its going to a walk every day. I noticed if I don't do anything for a few days I literally feel my body breaking down and I'm only 40 now. I understand now why they say 'if you don't move it, you'll lose it' and unfortunately why people who might have an injury/illness and end up confined to a bed for a long period can sometimes never recover from that.
Kalon Suszko 1 year ago
Only reason why I care to stay at UPS at the age of 62. 5-6 hours a day of fast strenuous work. I feel it when I get home though! But it keeps me active.
Load More Replies... 
Guess Undheit 1 year ago
Life is like a running race. You can set any pace you want early, speed up if you want. But after the first 1/4 of the race you can only maintain your pace, you can't speed up again if you start to slow down.
#25
Small lapses in memory/recall.
Various boner concerns.
A strange adjustment in self image from time to time.
Going “heurrghhh” while standing up. .
Guigsy Gwiggins 1 year ago
You get less sporadic erections alright but it doesn’t mean it don’t work. Testosterone tends to drop around this time and you have to take more measures to boost it naturally like lifting and diet.
Blue Bunny of Happiness 1 year ago
Are you suggesting there are special exercises for your little man? Interested woman here…..
Load More Replies...
Upstaged75 1 year ago
I do a lot of groaning while moving around. Getting in and out of my car requires a "hyaa" noise. :)
Bored Birgit 1 year ago
The last one made me laugh - so true! All these noises you produce. Funny and weird.
Ryan Mercer 1 year ago
I was getting the cat carrier out of my car for the vet who was standing there. I had to reach in to lift it cantilevered and gave a little grown as I did so. Vet: "Is he heavy?" Me: "Um.. no, no he is not."
#26
My favorite childhood memory is my back not hurting.
Me Oh My 1 year ago
Hahahahaha... hahaha.. :') (I'm 17 and I've had back pain since I hit puberty)
Kirsten Kerkhof 1 year ago
Then keep/start doing exercises to help your back. Because it is honestly not going to improve.
Load More Replies...
#27
I barely drink anymore, the hangovers suck, but it also makes my heart race. Like I’ll wake up in the middle of the night like with my heart going as fast as if I’ve been working out.
TomBeingPushed 1 year ago
That doesn't seem to be normal, even for people over 40. Would ask a doctor for advice, really.
ADJ 1 year ago
Quite normal if you are on blood pressure medications... Alcohol and blood pressure d***s do not mix well.
Load More Replies... Sandra Gleeson 1 year ago
Im 55 and my husband is 62, we love our beer and that heart racing thing should absolutely not be happening. Go to the doctor
featherytoad 1 year ago
Unless OP is binge drinking. I'm 53F and occasionally me and SIL will get together for "movie night." It just turns into a drink fest. The next day or two my heart will be racing. But, if I go out to diner and just have a couple of beers, I'm fine.
Load More Replies... 
Jacob B. 1 year ago
You could have a stroke from that. Get that checked out, I was sitting in my chair and noticed my heart racing, checked it with a monitor, it was 165. Two choices to fix it, medication or an operation if your insurance approves it. I got the operation, in and out of the hospital the same day and cured of it. But you may have to travel to a larger metro area where there is a surgeon who can do it with the proper equipment.
#28
Body started degenerating a lot more after about 45.
It's still healthy and works but I have to be careful about feeling it properly, getting some exercise, and the like. But now I look old and people treat me differently because of it, and that's sad.
Jill Rhodry 1 year ago
But you feel the same as you did when you were 17 on the inside - so your brain makes promises the body just can't keep.
Remi (He/Him) 1 year ago
And the how to adult info hasn't come in yet either ;)
Load More Replies...
#29
In your 40’s you commit to one of two things: fitness or illness.
tee-lena 1 year ago
I didn't have a choice. Illness for the win. I'm 48 and been disabled for 25 years. ALWAYS choose health if you can
Load More Replies... #30
Do yourself a favor and start doing Pilates. Get that core strong and save yourself back problems down the road.
robin aldrich 1 year ago (edited)
Can I do that without buying expensive equipment? or going somewhere and I embarrass myself in public????
Heras buddy 1 year ago
64 do daily stretching. Tore a rotator cuff reaching for a wrench to change the oil. Oh and muscles you didn't know about start to get cramps. The dog is the one thing that won't let me slow down.
#31
Back pain. Like regular, arbitrary back pain. Moving and lifting tons of s**t.? All good. Bend over to pick your kids' toys off the ground? Welcome to hell.
#32
Arthritis if you are so inclined. Vision changes….
Robert T 1 year ago
I've worn glasses since my 20's, but only recently have I needed to have a second pair for using the computer!
Upstaged75 1 year ago
I had to finally get bifocals a few years ago. Thankfully they don't have a line I can see so I'm not constantly looking over the top of them like I remember my grandma doing. :) And I have arthritis in my hands from spending the last 20+ years typing for 8 hours a day.
Guess Undheit 1 year ago
Spend more time outside. The reason wealthier countries have more glasses wearers is because the wealthier you are, the more time you spend inside. Poor countries have fewer glasses wearers because they don't NEED them, not because they can't afford them.
CF 1 year ago
The reading glasses! It felt like it went so fast too. Around 40-41 I bought my first pair and used them occasionally when I was reading for more than a few minutes at a time. At 43 they are absolutely essential if I want to read any form of packaging/directions on boxes or books. I can get away with short reads on my phone, but an hour browsing BP needs the glasses. I never needed glasses before and I use OTC el cheapo readers (due to poor) so they are uncomfortable and slip around and etc. Life.
#33
I just found out today I have arthritis in my ribs. I didn’t even know that was possible.
#34
Mid-40s athletic male here - All my joints constantly ache and it takes longer to recover after exercise and playing sports. I’m always feeling stiff and I was recently diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my shoulder. I can’t get comfortable when I sleep at night and when I do fall asleep I have to get up multiple times to pee. I wear glasses to see far, but have to remove my glasses/contacts to read. That’s how the 40s have impacted me physically.
Sandra Gleeson 1 year ago
Wow, that's pretty bad for a young fella, my husband is 62 and has been a demolition contractor for thirty years and goes to the gym often, he is still very flexible, he is not thin or have a 6 pack or anything but he is extremely fit. Im 55 and work physically every day, no office for me and that has been my saving grace
Geoffrey Scott 1 year ago
Amen Sandra, have done physical labor my whole life. Co workers look at me like I am stupid because, as a janitor, I will bend over to replace the trash bag rather than put the can at waist height. NO problems in the toe touching dept 'cause I do it every day. (soon 2 B 62). Dad was dead at 64/5 due to GM stress and sedentary lifestyle. He retired and sat in a chair, some more.. I have NO goals of doing that, but AM going out at 62...we'll see how it goes.
Load More Replies...
#35
You sleep wrong and you’re sore for a day or two.
Jinx (she/her) 1 year ago
all the freaking time! took me years to find the right pillow so my neck and head dont hurt, just in time to need a new mattress because omg my hips and back cannot sleep on this rock slab! 😫
#36
I didn’t really notice anything until about 45. My eyes lost the ability to read fine print. My back hurts and now I grunt like a pirate when I get up off the couch.
#37
Peeing more often.
Not being able to get it up as easily.
Forgetting names more often.
Michael Largey 1 year ago (edited)
If you keep forgetting the name of the woman you're sleeping with, not being as able to get it up as easily might become less of an issue.
RamiRudolph 1 year ago
I feel that. It's like "I didn't drink a single drop all night, why do I have to pee AGAIN?!"
Blue Bunny of Happiness 1 year ago
I’ve starting doing the thing my Mum does, listing everyone by name until you get to the right one… I’m also overly pleased that the sun in the UK this weekend means I can get my bedding and towels washed and on the line to dry.
#38
Am I the only one that started working out seriously in my late 30s and am now seeing the rewards of it at 43? I feel f*****g great.
Remi (He/Him) 1 year ago
I was at that point too. Going for long walks, keeping fit, then I first had a stress fracture near my toes (and made it worse by walking with it), then fell and dislocated my elbow (who even dislocates an elbow when the shoulder is right there?) queue long pt to get the hand back to even things like "hand, I want to lift you" "best I can give you is a lifted wrist?". Then I started lose my eyes, especially seeing the sidewalk in the evenings. Then the first "benign" vertigo or whatever the inner ear thing is called. Then the knees that balloon at anything bigger like medieval stairs. Plus I have the cataracts. I'm still active and like to take walks to go birb watching etc, but at this age things break down for no reason too.
Daniel Gómez 1 year ago
Same here. I started at 39 after intermitently working out fromm time to time. Now 42 and doing it from a more science-based perspective with careful exercise choice, and to be honest even though I consider I do look my age (some people say I look 36-38, my face at least), I feel like I've gained mobility and overall welness. Back pains that used to haunt me since my twenties have almost disappeared, and when they show up again it's easy for me to deal with them by properly stretching and moving my spine; migraines have significantly been reduced, even almost gone; my body itself, even though I still have some body fat (minor love handles and a lower abdominal fat), I seem to natually have a fast metabolism (turned from being almost skinny in my younger years to skinny fat in my 30's), so I am at a healthy body fat level that allows me to not have to make a huge effort to keep it relatively low, while still being enough to not make me cranky, or s*xually disfunctional.
Bored Birgit 1 year ago
Keep it up! I'm 64 and wish I had been more into sports and fitness in earlier years.
#39
I now have a few wild eyebrow hairs that need to be managed. Also have to shave my inner ear lobe thingy.
Sue Denham 1 year ago
I feel like Mother Nature has been a little unfair. My eyebrows are now super long and coarse. Could that not have happened to my eyelashes instead?
Daniel Atkins 1 year ago
you get wizard eyebrows and the hairs grow opposite they way the are supposed to and stand out.
Daniel Atkins 1 year ago
Yes you get wizard eyebrows and there are hairs that grow opposite the way they are supposed to.
#40
If you are married with kids and you are not really out of shape but also not one for the gym, you will pack on the pounds if you are not careful.
I was one of those…woke up in my early 40’s and started hitting the gym and taking better care of myself and of course I thought — why did I wait this long?
So….get off your butt and get going.
Also - as you age you dont put on muscle as easily and you don’t burn fat like you used to. All that stuff you used ot eat and drink without a thought starts sticking to you.
And you are just not as active if you are busy with family and career so you have to mindfully plan to take care of yourself.
Now that Im even older Im so happy I started and have kept going - Im in good health, and good energy, sound mind.
#41
Physiologically, you might notice a few changes creeping in, like a slower metabolism making it a tad trickier to keep those extra pounds at bay. But, with a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, and good skincare habits, you can navigate your 40s like a champ.
#42
You realize you're going to die.
We all know it, but once I hit 40, I just *knew*, and what it really means. Things hurt more, yet going on 40 years your tolerance for pain is higher than when you were young. So the pains and aches, and the consistently small medical issues pile up over time and you realize your body is no longer "getting older".
It's deteriorating.
You're in a slow decline and you can feel it. Some days you forget, you may even have times when your body feels much better. Maybe you changed some bad habits, or got new good ones. But those old bad habits left their mark and you'll never recover from it.
We get one life on this world and then it's gone. I'm not a religious person. I wish for anything that I was and I could take comfort in dying, but I can't. It's an absolutely terrifying thought because for me, that's it. Nothingness, forever. For trillions of years, countless universe big bangs, over and over, and it'll just never happen again. And I won't even get to experience a single nanosecond of any of it.
I'll take these crappy pains forever, any day of the week, than the alternative.
iseefractals 1 year ago
Why is nothingness terrifying? You cease to be. No more aches, no more pains, no more stress, no more heartache or regret. You will no longer be aware of "missing" anything. Just like you were unaware of anything that transpired before you were born....and likely the first 2-4 years after. Being dead isn't scary. Dying badly is what's troubling.
ADJ 1 year ago
Being dead is scary, but not for the reasons you might thing. I do not want to be dead because it would cause much trouble for my wife.
Load More Replies... Kalon Suszko 1 year ago
My scary thought at 62, is that I only have 20-30 years left, (closer to twenty, avg age in my family is early 80's) I can remember back 20 years like it was yesterday....hoping time seems to go by slower after retirement! My plan is to retire at 64, and if I make it 16 years w/o working again, then hope to enjoy that last 16 years as my first 16 years of life, skipping the first 4 years in need of constant care.
LapCat 1 year ago (edited)
My dad is gravely ill, most likely won’t make it through the next year. He will be the first parent I’ve lost. So with that, and the fact I am 41 and “halfway there,” is sobering. I’ve been reevaluating things and at the same time, enjoying life and not giving a fart about things that don’t matter.
Ephemera Image 1 year ago
Death is not terrifying for me. I've faced it several times in my life. Now in my senior years, it denotes a peace of mind for me, that everything is finally over. I'm happy with my life, and what I've accomplished.
CF 1 year ago
I'm jealous of that peace of mind. Regret is my biggest fear. At 43, I regret SO much and I'm agraid that on my death bed I'll be filled with even more no matter what I do.
Load More Replies... #43
For me everything went wrong when I turned 47. Suddenly needed reading glasses, my ears are always ringing, and my metabolism slowed to a crawl.
Kalon Suszko 1 year ago
Ears ringing? tinnitus? I have had for years.....to many loud rock concerts in the past. What saves me from that though, as my GF puts it I have an MP3 player in my head. Always music in my head that shuts out that constant annoying ring in my ears.
Upstaged75 1 year ago
I started taking a supplement called Lipoflavinoid for my tinnitus and it helps somewhat. You can get it on Amazon.
Load More Replies... #44
Constant pain and never ending fatigue. On the other hand, my sex life is better than ever.
#45
You know when they ask you "Do you have any history of ____ in your family?" That.
CanadianDimes 1 year ago
Yeah I’ve never had an intake appointment at a new GP or with a specialist where they didn’t ask that
Load More Replies...
#47
In my 40th year I had just gotten done running my first full marathon. At 40 I was training, instructing and professionally performing as an aerial acrobat. I started training at age 35 with zero background in dance, gymnastics or acrobatics. I’m 45 now. Going to do a tough mudder run this summer and am training for a couple half marathons in the fall. I’ve never been more energetic, healthy and fit in my entire life. I have some more gray, and the laugh lines are a little deeper. Just don’t stop moving.
#48
As a 36 year old this is a seriously depressing topic and I'm wondering why I clicked it.
bas moelard 1 year ago
41 here, in my experience, it's not do bad until now. Just do what you do, take care of yourself and take in account that's everything is going a bit slower. Who cares, as long as you're feeling good and having fun it's all good.
Angelshark 1 year ago
Because you're already pretty far down that road, junior. Now turn down that music and get the hell off my lawn!
#49
Losing the hair is a big one.
#50
Hangovers take much longer to go away...
Verfin22 1 year ago
Having a hangover in 40's is a problem. Why are you drinking so much for that to happen? You should know better by now. Not had one since my 20's.
Jeevesssssss 1 year ago
Wow. You know that some people get hangovers after 2 small glasses of wine or less, right? My mum gets dreadful hangovers and I've never seen her drink to excess. On the flip side, I drink far more than is good for me at 35 and it's astonishingly rare for me to be hungover.
Load More Replies...Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Seedy Vine 1 year ago (edited)
Menopause is great for the lack of painful periods and all that comes with them. Any hair you've been plucking or shaving may never grow back. And one's decolletage can look like an alligator's skin if you don't cover it up in the sun while you're young.
Bartlet for World Domination 1 year ago
I'm in my fifties, I smoke, I don't exercise, and apart from needing glasses I noticed only two things: from 35, a mother of a hangover lasted two days instead of one, and at 50 I started becoming irregular. Nothing aches, I sleep well. No problem.
Sky Render 1 year ago
Lucky for me, my 40s have been better than my 30s in every way. Not that that's hard to do, but a lot of the things listed here physically were starting to happen in my late 30s and stopped/reversed as I got into in my 40s. I'm weird.
Stew 1 year ago
I'm 41 now and the struggle to stay healthy is real. I like to think that I still look fairly young, but it's harder and harder to diet and exercise when your body breaks down so easily and you have less free time. My whole body creaks when I move or stretch, and I hear my stupid lungs wheezing when I push myself hard. I feel like I've got a limited number of "bends" left. Also I get seasonal allergies now that last for months when I never used to. Wtf.
David Paterson 1 year ago
I'm in my 60s now. Thank you for the trip down memory lane, BP. Apart from the imminent risk of death at any moment, I'm not that much worse off now than I was in my 40s.
CanadianDimes 1 year ago
I started a PhD in September and I work full time. This means a lot more sitting which has made me more diligent with exercising (and I was already pretty active). I genuinely feel better than I have in a long time. All this negativity about being post 40 frustrates me. It’s so much doom and gloom.
Bec 1 year ago
Good for you! I just finished my Doctorate at 47. Can't say I was great about staying healthy, but not awful either.
Load More Replies... Seedy Vine 1 year ago (edited)
Menopause is great for the lack of painful periods and all that comes with them. Any hair you've been plucking or shaving may never grow back. And one's decolletage can look like an alligator's skin if you don't cover it up in the sun while you're young.
Bartlet for World Domination 1 year ago
I'm in my fifties, I smoke, I don't exercise, and apart from needing glasses I noticed only two things: from 35, a mother of a hangover lasted two days instead of one, and at 50 I started becoming irregular. Nothing aches, I sleep well. No problem.
Sky Render 1 year ago
Lucky for me, my 40s have been better than my 30s in every way. Not that that's hard to do, but a lot of the things listed here physically were starting to happen in my late 30s and stopped/reversed as I got into in my 40s. I'm weird.
Stew 1 year ago
I'm 41 now and the struggle to stay healthy is real. I like to think that I still look fairly young, but it's harder and harder to diet and exercise when your body breaks down so easily and you have less free time. My whole body creaks when I move or stretch, and I hear my stupid lungs wheezing when I push myself hard. I feel like I've got a limited number of "bends" left. Also I get seasonal allergies now that last for months when I never used to. Wtf.
David Paterson 1 year ago
I'm in my 60s now. Thank you for the trip down memory lane, BP. Apart from the imminent risk of death at any moment, I'm not that much worse off now than I was in my 40s.
CanadianDimes 1 year ago
I started a PhD in September and I work full time. This means a lot more sitting which has made me more diligent with exercising (and I was already pretty active). I genuinely feel better than I have in a long time. All this negativity about being post 40 frustrates me. It’s so much doom and gloom.
Bec 1 year ago
Good for you! I just finished my Doctorate at 47. Can't say I was great about staying healthy, but not awful either.
Load More Replies... You May Like 49 Body Things That Make People Panic But Are Totally Normal, According To Doctors People Share 90 Seemingly Innocuous Things That Can Be Deadly Someone Asked, "What Is A Clear Sign Of You Getting Older?", Here Are 67 Of The Most Honest Responses
Justinas Keturka
Neilas Šurkus
Eligijus Sinkunas
Related on Bored Panda
