Another Sunday, another FYI attempt on my part….

I remember as a youngster getting chuckle out of the moans and groans my grandfather would make as he stood or sat down.

What is not so funny is now that I am an old fart I catch myself making the same sounds as my grandfather and my body sounds like a bowl of Rice Krispies…..’snap, crackle and pop’ as I walk in the early morning hours.

I am sure my reader has had a similar observation about the elderly that they come in contact with….but has anyone explained those groans and moans to you?

Well guess what…..I will try.

Haurrrrrrk. Gnnnnnh. Ennnhh. These are sounds people make when lifting heavy objects, removing a splinter, or suffering from constipation. But for many people in their 40s and beyond, they’re also the noises that come out whenever they perform the amazing physical feat of sitting down on the couch or getting up from a chair. So why does it happen?

In speaking with MEL Magazine in 2021, chiropractor Robert Hayden had a succinct answer. “Rising from a chair calls upon core strength of the abdominal muscles,” Hayden said. “The older you are, the more likely you are to have had those muscles ravaged by time; the muscles that would be used to pull yourself to a seated position from recumbent, or to a standing position from seated, are weakened.

“Sometimes, when straining with this kind of effort, people hold their breath in an attempt to augment muscle strength,” Hayden continued. “This may produce a grunting sound when breathing is resumed.”

Both sitting down and standing up require some level of core engagement—maybe not as much as balancing on a ball during a workout, but some nonetheless. By tightening the core, you may exhale with a grunt. Younger people don’t need to brace themselves in the same way, which is why a child can spring up from a sofa and begin dangling from a ceiling fan without so much as a peep.

But that may not be the only reason people grunt in the course of mundane physical activity. It could also be a verbal response to pain or stiffness that often accompanies aging. If you’ve been sitting for a while, muscles in your hips might be resistant to sudden movement. Letting out a nyehhh is reflexive.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/why-older-people-grunt-while-sitting-down-standing-up

Now that it has been explained do not laugh for one day you will be part of this phenom.

Enjoy the read and enjoy your Sunday….and as always be well and be safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”