The rise - and rise - of the "Frisky Fifties"

31/01/2008

A new survey has revealed that - some things at least - only get better as you get older.  According to a new Saga/Populus survey, Sex is less pressurised after 50 according to a large majority (85 per cent), and seven out of ten find sex a more fulfilling experience than in younger years.
 
According to the survey of nearly 8000 people over 50, two thirds said they were sexually active (65 per cent), with almost half of those (46 per cent) saying they got between the sheets at least once a week.
 
The survey also dispelled a widely touted myth, with three quarters (76 per cent) saying that sex does not become more boring as you get older.
 
However, respondents said they had sex less often than in younger years, with 84 per cent having sex less often in their 50s than in their 20s or 30s. A minority (16 per cent) also admitted using performance enhancing drugs such as Viagra to help things along.
 
The findings came as part of a wider survey into the health of the nation’s over-50s, with other notable findings including:
 
· 38 per cent of those 65 and over exercise every day, compared to just 29 per cent of 50-54 year olds;

·  76 per cent try to eat their ‘five a day’ of fruit and vegetables’;

·  Problems at work were likely to be the greatest cause of stress followed by relationships; but

·  a quarter (24 per cent) would keep any feelings of stress, anxiety or depression to themselves rather than tell their family or seek medical advice
 
Emma Soames, Saga Magazine editor, said: “These findings shatter the myth that once you hit fifty your sex life is over – there is less pressure than when people were younger and it is likely that you feel more comfortable about your body.”