Who Ages Faster: Women or Men?

Are men and women really so different? After all, we speak the same language, eat the same foods, and enjoy most of what life has to offer together. But in some ways, there are big differences, particularly as we age. The most obvious one is that women can get pregnant, give birth, and breastfeed children. Also, men are generally bigger, stronger and faster than women and, to the dismay of many wives and girlfriends, their greater muscle mass makes it easier for them to lose weight. Below, some of the most common disparities between men and women as they age:

  • Sleep problems. While both men and women experience more sleep-related difficulties as they age, men have it better. Starting with pregnancy, which throws a wrench into the sleep patterns of nearly all women who go through it, and continuing through old age, experts say women have trouble sleeping at a higher rate than men do. Many women are up several times a night when their children are young, and the biological changes of perimenopause and menopause are known sleep disrupters. Not to be overlooked is the fact that many men snore, disturbing their partners.
  • Skin changes. Older men are diagnosed with skin cancer at higher rates than are older women. In fact, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, the majority of people diagnosed with melanoma are white men over 50. Why? Many more men than women have outdoors jobs, adding up to years of sun exposure. They also apply sunscreen at lower rates than women do. But there's another age difference relating to skin, this time in mens' favor: Men, with their oilier skin, suffer less from dryness and wrinkling as the years go by.
  • Heart disease. While men are hit harder by cardiovascular issues at younger ages, women past menopause are at just as much risk, possibly due to lower levels of protective estrogen. And when they do develop heart disease, they tend to fare worse than men do. This is partly because many women (and their doctors) don't necessarily recognize the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, leading to delays in treatment. Treatment may not be as comprehensive or aggressive as treatment in men, and doctors need to be careful not to take a one-size-fits-all approach to drugs-certain heart medications normally prescribed for men may cause dangerous reactions in women.