5 Health Benefits of Dancing for Seniors

It is essential to have hobbies as one grows older, as aging is often accompanied by physical decline, mental decline, and frequent feelings of loneliness and/or sadness for various reasons. To combat such degeneration, it is important to keep the mind and body occupied with different hobbies and activities. 

Dancing is an especially fun hobby, but its purposes lie beyond amusement. Dancing actually has numerous health benefits, and can be an especially valuable pastime in old age. Below are five of many wonderful physical and mental health benefits of dancing for aging adults and seniors. 

A senior taking a video of herself dancing, surrounded by her senior friends

1) Maintained Mental Acuity 

Any form of exercise or regular movement can help keep your mind sharp. Regular dancing has been proven to preserve or improve cognitive health in aging adults and seniors. Habitual exercise is one of the six keys to brain health, and defends the brain against cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia by boosting brain health and resilience. 

Protecting the brain by incorporating an easy, accessible lifestyle change into your routine – dancing – will serve you in maintaining your mental acuity in old age, which will make the aging process easier and improve your overall quality of life that much more. 

2) Decreased Stress, Anxiety, and Depression 

If you are someone who suffers from a mood disorder and need help managing stress, anxiety, and/or depression, taking up dancing might be good for you. Any type of physical activity lowers cortisol, the stress hormone, which can subsequently affect anxiety and depression. In this way, dancing is a mood booster. Since dancing makes you happier and can even tire you out, it lowers insomnia rates and allows you to sleep better and deeper at night, which is great for your mental and physical health.

An elderly woman enjoys herself as she dances at home

3) Heart Protection

Dancing is a great protective activity for cardiovascular health. This is because it is seen as a form of exercise, specifically aerobic and anaerobic exercise. It gets your blood flowing and circulating regularly through your body, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, and helps you maintain or lose weight in a healthy manner, all of which protect the heart from various health issues such as cardiovascular disease. Dancing ultimately helps you live longer by increasing heart health.

4) Diminished Muscle and Joint Pain, Inflammation, and Stiffness

Another advantage to dancing is that it reduces chronic pain, inflammation, and stiffness in the muscles or joints, both of which are common among aging adults and seniors. Dancing is a senior-safe exercise form that improves comfort among seniors once practiced habitually, even if you dance in a low-impact manner.  

Dancing routinely has been shown to cause seniors to decrease the amount of pain medication taken by 39%, move around more easily and fluidly, and live more comfortable lives in general. It even acts as a great source of pain relief for those with conditions such as arthritis and fibromyalgia. If you suffer from chronic pain, try taking up dancing – safely, of course, and not too strenuously – and you’ll eventually begin to feel the positive effects stemming from this practice, improving your overall wellness. 

5) Improved Strength and Balance

Dancing regularly can help make you stronger, physically healthier, and improve your balance. As an aging adult or senior, being stronger and having a better grasp on balance equals less falling, which makes for smoother and faster recovery – and perhaps less severe injuries – if falling does occur.  

Mobility issues are common in old age, but dancing can help you move around more easily. Dancing regularly is known to reduce falls by 31% and the risk of falling by 37% in aging adults and seniors, as you begin to react more quickly and feel more in control of your body. After dancing for a while, you will become more independent and dignified due to improved strength and balance. 

An elderly woman taking a video of herself dancing

Dancing is evidently a great way to keep up your physical and mental fitness as you age. Contrary to popular belief, it is not only for young people – dancing is universal, and is taken up by people of all ages and abilities. For more important senior tips, follow our Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest pages, and continue checking our blog for more regular updates and insights.