A Note On Getting Older — And What Is Worth Your Attention

Editorial team · Updated August 2026 · Reading time 6 min

This is less a list than an argument: that most men in their forties are either worrying about the wrong thing or not worrying at all, and that there is a sensible position in between.

The Two Common Mistakes

The first is treating every tired week as evidence of decline. The second is treating a year of tired weeks as nothing at all. Both are understandable and both make it harder to notice the thing that actually matters, which is the direction of travel over months.

There is a version of paying attention that is neither anxious nor dismissive. It mostly involves writing things down.

Why Habits Get Skipped

Sleep timing, movement and alcohol are unglamorous. They do not make for interesting reading and nobody sells them very hard, which is precisely why they are underrated. They are also, inconveniently, the ones with the best evidence.

What This Page Is Not

It is not medical advice, it does not diagnose anything, and it makes no claim that any product treats, cures or prevents a condition. If something has changed and stayed changed, that is a conversation for a clinician, not for an article.