How can I keep my energy up as I age?

By Dr. Trisha Pasricha Special to The Washington Post Q: As I grow older, I feel like I’m more often tired and needing more naps. How can I keep my energy up? A: Feeling constantly exhausted is not normal, regardless of your age.

It’s a myth that as we age, fatigue becomes par for the course, though it is a common symptom: One study found that 29% of 70-year-olds and 68% of 85-year-olds experienced fatigue. In one study, among older adults, low energy was more often cited as the reason it’s hard to get out of bed than even chronic joint or back pain. Fatigue may not bode well.

A study of almost 1,000 adults, age 75, living in Norway and Finland, found that those who reported feeling tired in their daily activities had more than twice the odds of becoming disabled within the next five years than those who did not. People who experience fatigue are also more likely to experience loneliness and have higher mortality rates. Talk through your symptoms of low energy with your physician, who can help tease out the nuances, which may lead to a specific diagnosis.

For example, are you feeling more physically depleted, inert or sleepy? What baseline are you comparing your current symptoms to? Such questions are an important part of the initial evaluation with someone who knows your full medical history. Our energy level is determined by many factors, and we can increase it in different ways. Add more protein to your diet and cut down on ultra-processed foods and snacks.

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