The 40s is an age when the functional decline of various organs in the body begins to progress due to aging (① Fatigue due to decreased muscle strength). It is also a time when social responsibilities at work and home increase, making it easier to harbor worries and stress (② Mental fatigue due to stress). In addition, men in their 40s are more likely to experience physical ailments such as sluggishness due to the influence of male hormones, which gradually decline from the late 30s (③ Fatigue due to decreased male hormones). The risk of lifestyle-related diseases caused by years of poor habits, smoking, alcohol consumption, and stress also increases (④ Onset of lifestyle diseases).
2. Fatigue Due to Decreased Muscle Strength | Causes and Countermeasures
"My grip strength has dropped compared to a while ago." "I get out of breath just walking up the stairs." Do you feel this way? It might be due to a decrease in muscle strength. The first cause of easy fatigue in men in their 40s is decreased muscle strength. The mechanism of fatigue due to decreased muscle strength. Countermeasures for "fatigue due to decreased muscle strength". Let's explain each.
2-1. The Mechanism of Fatigue Due to Decreased Muscle Strength
As a global trend, it is said that men's muscle mass peaks around the age of 45. The standard proportion of skeletal muscle is about 40% of body weight, but muscle mass begins to decrease past the mid-40s. In addition, continuous lack of exercise will cause muscle mass to drop. When "skeletal muscles" that move the limbs decline due to aging or lack of exercise, more energy is required to maintain the body even when carrying out the same daily life as before. As a result, it not only affects daily movements and athletic ability but also causes chronic feelings of fatigue.
2-2. Countermeasures for "Fatigue Due to Decreased Muscle Strength"
There are two countermeasures for fatigue caused by decreased muscle strength. ・Moderate daily exercise ・Proactively consuming protein Let's explain each.
Moderate daily exercise To suppress the decrease in muscle mass, moderate daily exercise is necessary. If lack of exercise continues, muscle mass cannot be maintained, and muscle strength will decline at an accelerated rate. It is effective to do strength training regularly at a gym, but even if you can't do that, you can prevent muscle strength from declining with small daily habits and light exercise. For example, the following: ・Use the stairs instead of elevators at the station or office ・Skip a step when going up the stairs ・Walk the distance of one station ・Walk in the mornings or on days off ・Make squats, sit-ups, and push-ups a daily routine ・Stretch before going to bed By moving your body, you can not only maintain your muscle strength but also improve blood circulation, promote metabolism, and refresh both your mind and body.
Proactively consuming protein To prevent a drop in muscle strength and maintain muscle mass, in addition to appropriate exercise, it is important to proactively consume protein. "Protein," one of the three major macronutrients alongside carbohydrates and lipids, is a component that puts the body in a state conducive to growth and works to increase muscle mass. Recommended foods rich in protein include: ・Chicken breast tenderloin ・Beef thigh ・Pork loin ・Salmon ・Tuna ・Eggs ・Milk By eating these foods in a well-balanced manner, you can consume the necessary protein. To prevent muscle loss, be mindful to consume protein so that you don't run short of it.
3. Mental Fatigue Due to Stress | Causes and Countermeasures
・"I'm tired, but I can't sleep at night."
・"No matter how many hours I sleep, I can't shake off the fatigue." Do you feel this way? It might be because your mind is exhausted. The second cause of fatigue in men in their 40s is mental fatigue due to stress. The mechanism of "mental fatigue due to stress". Countermeasures for "mental fatigue due to stress". Let's explain each.
3-1. The Mechanism of "Mental Fatigue Due to Stress"
Men in their 40s, often said to be in their prime working years, are at an age when responsibilities at work and home become heavier. The stress that arises from this invites "mental fatigue." Mental fatigue leads to "physical disorders" where fatigue cannot be relieved even by resting or sleeping. When you are in a position of responsibility, you may often be troubled by a disrupted work-life balance and long hours of desk work. At home as well, this is a time to face issues such as children's school entrance exams and caring for elderly parents, and these worries pile up, exhausting the mind due to stress. Such troubles affect the regulation of autonomic nerves. The autonomic nervous system is a neural system that controls the organs of the entire body, consisting of the "sympathetic nerve" that creates physical activity and the "parasympathetic nerve" that rests the body. When worries, anxiety, and stress accumulate, the "sympathetic nerve" remains dominant for long periods, placing the body constantly in a state of high tension and consuming excessive energy. On the other hand, the decline in parasympathetic nerve activity hinders digestion and sleep, making the body tire more easily and causing feelings of fatigue. When stress continues for a long time, the balance of autonomic nerves collapses, which can also trigger mental illnesses such as autonomic imbalance, insomnia, and depression.
[People in Their 40s Accumulate Stress] According to many studies, it is known that people in their 40s have the highest rate of experiencing stress and worries for both men and women. Other surveys show that people in their 40s, both men and women, have the lowest percentage of respondents who say they have "mental composure in their daily lives," suggesting that the 40s is the generation with the most mentally exhausted people. Looking at the percentage of those who have worries or stress by gender, females are higher at 52.4% while males are at 43.0%, and by age group, it is high for both men and women from their 30s to 50s, reaching about 50% for men and about 60% for women. According to many studies, the stress felt by working men in their 40s is most commonly related to "human relationships," followed by a wide range of issues such as "quality and quantity of work," "the company's future, promotion, and salary increase issues," and "post-retirement work and old age issues."
3-2. Countermeasures for "Mental Fatigue Due to Stress"
There are two countermeasures for mental fatigue caused by stress. ・Improve sleep environment and habits・Make an effort to reduce stress
Let's look at each.
Improve sleep environment and habits For those whose minds are exhausted, the activity of the parasympathetic nerve is lowered, making it hard to fall asleep, so pay attention to improving your sleep environment and habits. To relieve stress-induced fatigue, resolving sleep deprivation is crucial. Sleep deprivation lowers immunity and accelerates feelings of fatigue. Specifically, we recommend trying the following methods.
Do not look at smartphones or computers before bed: Being exposed to blue light from devices before sleeping awakens the brain, making it easier to cause sleep disorders such as shallow sleep.
Make the bedroom comfortable: To get good sleep, sleeping in a safe and calming bedroom is a major condition. Try to keep moderate darkness, quietness, and a comfortable temperature.
Refrain from consuming alcohol and caffeine before bed: Consuming alcohol or caffeine awakens the brain and makes it harder to achieve deep sleep.
Have dinner at least 3 hours before going to bed: It takes about 2 to 3 hours to digest food. Sleeping with food left in your stomach places a burden on your gastrointestinal tract and leads to shallow sleep.
Take a bath in lukewarm water about 2 hours before going to bed: The human body is designed to feel sleepy as its core temperature drops. By taking a bath about 2 hours before sleeping, your body temperature rises temporarily, and drops to just the right level when you get into bed, improving sleep onset and making it easier to get deep sleep. Placing nice-smelling aroma oils near your pillow or listening to your favorite music is also an idea. It allows you to relax comfortably and can be expected to improve the quality of your sleep.
Make an effort to reduce stress. Make an effort to reduce the stress that is eroding your mind. Methods to reduce stress include the following:
・Secure time to relax
・Exercise
・Have time to immerse yourself in hobbies
・Spend time with people you enjoy being with
It might be difficult, but balancing work and private life, and managing your time so you aren't overwhelmed solely by work is also important. By having time to relax and engage in hobbies, the balance of autonomic nerves is adjusted, and physical and mental health can be maintained.
4. Fatigue Due to Decreased Male Hormones | Causes and Countermeasures
"My shoulders are stiff and my body feels heavy."
"I get excessively irritated or suddenly feel anxious."
Do you feel this way? It might be due to a decrease in male hormones. The third cause of easy fatigue in men in their 40s is fatigue due to decreased male hormones. The mechanism of "fatigue due to decreased male hormones". Male menopause checklist. Countermeasures for "fatigue due to decreased male hormones". Let's explain each.
4-1. The Mechanism of "Fatigue Due to Decreased Male Hormones"
You may feel chronic fatigue and sluggishness due to a decrease in the male hormone "testosterone." "Testosterone" is one of the important hormones produced in the male body, playing a crucial role in bone density, muscle mass, red blood cell count, and sex drive. The secretion of this testosterone tends to decline naturally from the late 30s. When testosterone decreases, muscle mass and bone density drop, leading to decreased physical stamina and making you tired more easily. When severe, it triggers symptoms similar to female menopause, which is why this period is called "male menopause." Symptoms of male menopause include the following:
・General malaise
・Fatigue easily
・Insomnia
・Decreased sexual function (low libido, erectile dysfunction)
・Hot flashes/flushing
・Dizziness
・Irritability
・Decreased concentration
Since the decrease in male hormones progresses gradually from the late 30s to the 50s, menopausal symptoms do not appear as suddenly as female menopause. Therefore, care is required because while you may simply think you are sluggish or easily tired, other symptoms may appear, and it can unknowingly turn into a severe menopausal disorder. Could your fatigue be a precursor to menopause? Please check with the checklist in the next section.
4-2. Male Menopause Checklist
If you think you might be experiencing menopause, first use the list below to check the items that apply to your condition.
□ Constantly feeling somewhat unwell
□ Cannot sleep soundly
□ Face suddenly gets hot
□ Sweating even when it's not hot
□ Easily experience palpitations or shortness of breath
□ Feel depressed or suddenly overcome by anxiety
□ Get easily irritated and angry
□ Have headaches or dizziness
□ Decreased sex drive
□ Have stiff shoulders or back pain
□ Beard growth has slowed down
How many applied to you? This checklist is simplified, but for men who feel easily tired, if 3 or more items are checked, it is highly likely that menopause has begun. To alleviate symptoms and get through menopause with vitality, let's take the countermeasures explained in the next section.
4-3. Countermeasures for "Fatigue Due to Decreased Male Hormones"
Countermeasures for fatigue caused by decreased male hormones involve increasing and promoting the secretion of the male hormone "testosterone." Specifically, the following methods are suggested.
Do exercises that move your muscles: Exercises that contract your muscles are effective in stimulating testosterone secretion. Simple strength training you can do at home includes squats, push-ups, and sit-ups.
Proactively consume foods that increase testosterone: By incorporating foods that have a positive effect on testosterone into your daily diet in a balanced manner, you can promote hormone secretion. Nutrients that are good for promoting testosterone secretion are "protein," "zinc," and "vitamin D." Let's actively consume foods rich in these components.
Adjust your lifestyle: Leading a regular lifestyle is known to suppress the secretion of stress hormones and increase testosterone. Specifically, keep the following lifestyle habits in mind: Move your body moderately every day, eat a nutritionally balanced diet, get plenty of sleep, reduce stress, and do not drink too much alcohol.
Although the natural decrease in testosterone due to aging cannot be avoided, taking these measures can suppress a rapid decrease, and it is expected to help you get through menopause lightly and energetically. However, since effects vary from person to person, if symptoms do not improve regardless of what you do, and menopausal symptoms prolong and interfere with daily life, we recommend consulting a specialist.
"I'm losing weight even though I'm eating normally."
"I always have a slight fever..."
If fatigue doesn't go away for a long time and you have these symptoms, you may have an "illness"! We have explained the causes of easy fatigue, but please note that the possibility that fatigue is a symptom of an illness cannot be ruled out. The 40s is also an age when the risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases increases. Lifestyle diseases are a general term for illnesses where lifestyle habits such as diet, exercise, smoking, drinking, and stress are the main causes of onset. However, consideration is also needed for the fact that not only an individual's lifestyle habits but also multiple factors such as innate genetic factors and social environmental factors affect the onset. The leading causes of death for people in their 40s are cancer, suicide, heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease, in that order, but the top three causes of death excluding suicide can be caused by lifestyle diseases. If fatigue lasts for more than a month, or if you have symptoms like the following in addition to fatigue, suspect an illness.
・Weight loss
・Persistent fever (slight fever)
・No appetite (decreased food intake)
・Dizziness
・Difficulty moving limbs, numbness
・Palpitations
・Chest tightness when exercising
The main diseases that can be considered from these symptoms are as follows.
[Men in Their 40s, Beware! Lifestyle Diseases That Cause Fatigue Symptoms]
・Cancer
・Cerebrovascular disease
・Heart disease
・Diabetes
・Hypertension
Lifestyle diseases can be improved by changing lifestyle habits such as smoking, drinking, and exercise, and receiving correct treatment and medication guidance early on. If the above symptoms persist, be sure to consult a doctor as soon as possible.
6. For Fundamental Improvement, Focus on Building a Baseline of Health
We have explained the causes and remedies for fatigue in men in their 40s, but there is one final thing we want to tell those who cannot shake off their feelings of fatigue even after trying various countermeasures. That is, if you want to fundamentally improve a body that gets tired easily, you first need to build a baseline of health.
As you can see up to this point, curing any kind of fatigue requires a review of lifestyle habits such as exercise and diet, but to fully enjoy those effects, it is important to have a "fundamentally healthy body."
Without the foundation of a body that can exercise to relieve fatigue, digest and absorb meals, relieve stress, or get deep sleep, no matter what improvement measures you take, results will hardly show. To create a body that does not get tired easily, first build the body's foundation! Therefore, we would like you to focus on the bounty of nature, "Euglena."
[What’s Euglena] Euglena is a type of algae characterized by having both plant and animal properties.
In addition to the vitamins and minerals found in vegetables, it contains 59 types of nutrients, including unsaturated fatty acids such as DHA and EPA found in fish, so it is also called a "treasure trove of nutrients."
For men in their 40s suffering from daily feelings of fatigue, we recommend supplementing missing nutrients with Euglena supplements. This is because Euglena, which contains 59 types of nutrients, has three effects that fundamentally condition the body and make it healthy. ・Supports a healthy gut ・Helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels ・Useful for maintaining daily health Let's explain each.
6-1. Supports a healthy gut
Euglena supports a healthy gut. In past studies, it has been confirmed that it supports a healthy gut environment, conditions the intestinal environment, and is useful for maintaining daily health.
Euglena proliferates "butyric acid bacteria." "Butyric acid bacteria" is one of the intestinal bacteria known as good bacteria that exist in the large intestine, and increasing them conditions the intestinal environment, leading to expectations for effects such as:
・Improved bowel movements
・Increased immunity
6-2. Helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels
Euglena has a function to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Its unique ingredient "Paramylon" absorbs excess cholesterol in the body and excretes it outside.
Paramylon is a polysaccharide component produced exclusively by Euglena as an intracellular storage substance. It is a super dietary fiber that has both "soluble dietary fiber" and "insoluble dietary fiber" properties in one. It has a complex structure like tangled particle spirals, absorbs excess cholesterol like a sponge, and since it is indigestible (insoluble), it passes through the intestines without being absorbed into the body and is excreted outside. Also, like soluble dietary fiber, Paramylon stores water, so it supports the smooth transport of stool. When you consume Euglena, through these actions of "Paramylon," effects that help maintain healthy cholesterol levels can be expected.
6-3. Effects useful for maintaining daily health
Research has shown that the unique ingredient "Paramylon" has an immune balance adjustment function and reduces the risk of contracting various diseases.
This is due to the fact that the shape of Paramylon is very similar to the shape of so-called "germs." Immune cells that encounter Paramylon in the intestines mistake it for "germs (= foreign substances)" and start preparing to fight. When a foreign substance that truly harms the body, such as bacteria or viruses, comes along, thanks to Paramylon, the preparation for fighting is perfectly aligned, making the body easier to protect.
When Paramylon is consumed, immune-related substances balance each other, which makes it possible to reduce the risk of contracting various diseases.
Because of this, it can be said that Euglena has the effect of preventing the onset of lifestyle-related diseases and improving disorders by activating immune cells. By increasing immunity, the metabolic functions naturally possessed by humans are enhanced, making it easier to maintain a normal bodily state.
It resolves worries such as "lacking motivation" or "feeling sluggish despite sleeping" and builds a body that does not easily tire.
For a fundamental improvement of ailments, if you want to condition your body from the inside and build a foundation for health, why not consider taking Euglena in addition to appropriate exercise and dietary habits?
7. Conclusion
Let's review the four causes of and countermeasures for fatigue in men in their 40s.
① Fatigue due to decreased muscle strength: Moderate daily exercise, Proactively consuming protein.
② Mental fatigue due to stress: Improve sleep environment and habits, Make an effort to reduce stress.
③ Fatigue due to decreased male hormones: Do exercises that move your muscles, Proactively consume foods that increase testosterone, Adjust your lifestyle.
④ Onset of lifestyle diseases: Consult a doctor early on.
The 40s is an age when functional decline of the body due to aging begins to progress, and it is also a time when responsibilities at work and home increase, making it easy to harbor worries and stress. In addition, the risk of ailments due to decreased male hormones and lifestyle-related diseases increases. However, in an era where people are said to live for 100 years, you can look forward to a vibrant future with no decline if you condition and improve your body from the inside through daily mindfulness. Use this article as a reference to take early countermeasures and build a healthy body.
