Retirement is a great time to enjoy more leisure activities, spend more time with family and friends, and pursue other interests. But it’s also a good time to take care of yourself. Retirement can be stressful for some people, but for others it can be a very positive experience.

In general, retirees are healthier than non-retirees in the same age group. This is true even when researchers control for factors like education level, race and ethnicity, and income level. Studies have shown that retirees have lower rates of heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), obesity, diabetes and depression compared with non-retirees.

This means that retirees have lower rates of chronic diseases than non-retirees in the same age group. Chronic diseases are those that are long lasting (longer than 3 months) or hard to treat (do not go away completely). Chronic diseases include heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.

Retired people may be healthier because they’re no longer working and have more time to take care of themselves — such as eating better and exercising regularly — or because they feel happier because they don’t have to work anymore.

Last modified: July 29, 2022