AARP Hearing Center
The Surprising Truth About Stress After Age 50
Most adults 50-plus say they manage stress well, according to new AARP research. But chronic stress can still take a toll on your brain, body and emotional well-being as you age
AARP (Getty Images,2)
Key takeaways
- Most adults 50-plus say they can manage stress, but many have concerns about its effects on their health, an AARP survey shows.
- Chronic stress is linked to faster biological aging, disease risk, cognitive problems and poorer mental health.
- Resilience, healthy habits and strong social connections can help older adults better deal with stressors.
We hear a lot about how stress is hard on older adults — and it certainly can be harmful — but new research from AARP finds that Americans age 50-plus say they are managing stress well.
A new AARP survey on 1,770 adults 40 and up reveals that most adults believe stress can be handled, though they are concerned about how it affects their health. (Below, we focus on data in those 50 and up, specifically.)
More Ways to Benefit
- Related Benefit 1
- Related Benefit 2
- Related Benefit 3
- Related Benefit 4
- Related Benefit 5
Among 84 percent of people over 50 who experienced stress within 30 days of the survey, 29 percent reported they felt somewhat stressed, 39 percent said they were a little stressed, 16 percent had no stress and 15 percent had high stress. About 72 percent say they’re doing well managing their stress.
In terms of their mental and emotional health in those 50 and up:
Thinking about the past 30 days overall, how stressful would you say your life has been?
“While most recognize that stress is part of life, relatively few describe their stress levels as very high. Yet many also say there are small things they could do to manage stress better,” says Cheryl Lampkin, senior research advisor at AARP Research. “To me, that suggests when it comes to stress management, older adults aren’t in crisis — it’s more about helping them build on coping strategies they already have.”
The most damaging type of stress
It’s important to pay attention to your stress level because it can impact your physical and mental well-being, especially as you get older. A temporary stressor can be unpleasant, but chronic stress is the real danger — it’s linked to inflammation, hormone dysfunction and oxidative stress, which accelerate biological aging and raise your disease risk. Ongoing tension in your life can also drive cognitive issues and poorer mental health, among other ailments. And it can be harder to deal with as you become older.
“Older adults have less physiological reserve than younger adults, meaning the body may recover more slowly from stressors,” says Dr. Lisa Christian, a clinical health psychologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
What’s more, you may not feel stressed-out if you’re under chronic stress. It could show up as fatigue, irritability, social withdrawal or sleep disturbances, and it may be tough to tell if you’re actually dealing with clinical depression or anxiety, Christian says.
Impacts on health
Most adults over 50 in the survey say stress influences their mood, energy levels, focus, brain, emotions and physical health.
And they’re right. Aging affects your body’s stress system, and chronic stress can have more negative effects on it. Having low stress reactivity (being more calm during stressful events) puts people more at risk for things like cognitive issues, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while higher reactivity was linked with an increase of risk factors for heart disease and decreased telomere length (which could raise your risk for neurodegenerative disease, disease in general and worse survival), according to a 2020 meta-analysis of 47 studies published in Psychoneuroendocrinology.
In general, how would you rate your mental or emotional health?
Your response to stressors starts in your body’s stress response system — the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. When you perceive an emotional or physical stressor, it triggers a hormone cascade from your adrenal and pituitary glands and your hypothalamus to help you get through the challenge, releasing excessive cortisol.
Cognitively, stress affects your ability to perform tasks and concentrate, and it can drive brain fog. It also can lead to brain inflammation and raise your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Your body’s stress response doesn’t necessarily change as an older adult, and there aren’t unique symptoms that emerge as you get older, says Anthony Ong, a professor of psychology at Cornell University and a professor of gerontology Weill Cornell Medicine.
“The main difference may be slower recovery,” says Ong, adding that some research shows older adults demonstrate smaller immediate cardiovascular reactions but take longer to return to baseline. Cortisol may remain elevated longer, while higher inflammation and lower physiological reserve leave less capacity to absorb repeated stress, Ong notes.
Common stress symptoms may have greater consequences later in life, aggravate existing medical conditions or be dismissed incorrectly as normal aging, Ong adds.
When stress systems are activated repeatedly or for long periods of time, people may experience brain fog or forgetfulness or feel mentally overwhelmed, Christian notes. But some effects can be reversed when chronic stress is lowered, she adds.
Sources of stress
What's got people feeling tense? The top sources of stress, according to survey respondents over 50:
Which of the following, if any, are significant sources of stress in your life today?
The resilience factor
The concept of resilience — being able to bounce back from adversity — can combat stress. People who are psychologically and emotionally well tend to be more resilient, but you can boost it. Things that can improve resiliency: exploring how you handle stress and finding ways to better manage it, forming stronger social connections and taking care of your body.
Social connections show up on both sides of the equation, Lampkin says. “Family and relationship issues are a source of stress for many older adults, but at the same time, spending time with friends and family is also one of the most common ways older adults manage stress,” she says. “Meaningful social connections help older adults cope with stress and maintain their well-being,” Lampkin adds.
Stress can make it harder to practice healthy behaviors that can ease tension, such as exercising, eating well and sleeping enough, Christian explains. If needed, there’s nothing wrong with seeking professional support.
“Many older adults are actually quite good at regulating emotions; they have a great deal of life experience from which they may have gained coping skills,” Christian says.
The goal is to view stress management not as a luxury but as a core health behavior. The goal isn’t to eliminate stress completely — that isn’t possible. The goal is to increase recovery, resilience and balance, Christian says.
The key to lowering your stress level is to be curious about what's driving it, whether that’s a health scare, grief, caregiving or some other factor, says Dr. Lucy McBride, a board-certified internist from Washington, D.C., and author of the new book Beyond the Prescription: A Doctor’s Guide to Taking Charge of Your Health.
“Naming the source is critical because you can't address what you aren’t naming out loud,” she says.
From there, focus on taking care of your body and connecting with others. “Sometimes a daily walk or a standing phone call with a friend does more than any prescription,” she notes. If stress changes your appetite, causes headaches or stomach issues, makes you feel exhausted and wired at the same time, or impacts your sleep or your blood pressure, your stress is asking for attention, McBride says.
“Loneliness is one of the most under-recognized health risks in this age group, and it often masquerades as stress, low mood and even physical symptoms,” she points out.
Talk therapy can be helpful if you want to understand your patterns or you feel emotionally stuck, but it’s not the only path, McBride adds. A support group, exercise routine or book club can be good outlets. “It’s important to match the help to the person because there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for stress,” she says.
“Health is rarely about one fix,” says McBride. “It's about knowing yourself well enough to ask for the right kind of help.
Stress and Aging Perceptions
How you view aging can play a big part in how you face life’s stressors, according to a 2026 study on more than 11,300 people over 65 in Geriatrics. Over a follow-up span up to 12 years, nearly half the adults had improvements in physical function, cognitive performance or both —and their mindset played a significant role in those positive outcomes.
The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.
AARP Membership
Join AARP for only $15 per year with automatic renewal. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of benefits, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP The Magazine.
More From AARP
How Stress Affects Your Body and Brain Health
Understand how chronic stress impacts your physical and mental well-being as you age. Learn simple, practical ways older adults can manage daily stress and protect long-term brain health.10 Ways Stress Can Affect Your Body
From jaw clenching to brain fog, chronic stress can keep the body on high alert and make recovery harder.
5 Simple Daily Habits to Relieve Stress Fast
Try these simple daily habits to reduce anxiety and boost well-being