[Senior Awareness Survey] 80.6% of Seniors Feel 'Fatigue is Harder to Recover From Than Before' - Survey of 669 Individuals on the Growing 'Fatigue Recovery Needs' Among Those 50 and Older

Cosmo Lab, a marketing platform specializing in seniors (Company Name: Cosmo Health Co., Ltd., Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director and President: Takashi Kozuka), has released a report on an questionnaire survey concerning 'fatigue' among the senior demographic. This report surveyed seniors aged 50 and above on their awareness of fatigue, signs of fatigue, its impact on daily life, and lifestyle habits they practice for fatigue countermeasures.

The survey also confirmed the recognition and intention to use recovery wear, as well as the expected and actual effects. It provides insights into trends in fatigue recovery products and tips for fatigue countermeasures that can be easily incorporated into daily life.

Cosmo Lab - Marketing Service Specializing in Seniors Homepage
https://cosmolab.jp/lp/research/

Survey Topics
◆ 80.6% of people feel fatigue is hard to recover from.
80.6% of respondents answered that they "feel fatigue is harder to recover from than before." The most common period when they started feeling difficulty in recovery was "around their 60s" (29.3%), with "around their 50s" (26.9%) being a close second.

◆ Signs of fatigue are mainly dullness and pain.
The most common sign of fatigue was "body dullness/heaviness" (59.2%). This was followed by "stiff shoulders/lower back pain" (48.0%) and "reluctance to move" (45.0%). This indicates that many people perceive fatigue through physical sensations and changes in behavior.

◆ "Wearable" fatigue recovery products are the most desired (52.6%).
The most common fatigue recovery product that respondents felt they could easily continue using was "recovery wear (clothing that supports fatigue recovery just by wearing it)" (52.6%).
Sleep-related products and sandals also ranked high, suggesting that items easily incorporated into daily life are more likely to be continued.

1: Do you feel that "fatigue is harder to recover from than before" recently? (Valid respondents: 669)
Seniors who feel fatigue is harder to recover from than before, with "Yes" (80.6%) significantly outnumbering "No" (19.4%). This result indicates that many seniors feel it has become harder to recover from fatigue compared to before.

Furthermore, the difficulty in recovering from fatigue tends to affect daily activity levels and motivation. Therefore, it is possible that many seniors are in a state where fatigue easily accumulates.

It is important to provide solutions that can be easily continued once fatigue is felt.

2: Compared to when you were younger, when did you start feeling "difficulty in recovering" from fatigue? (Valid respondents: 539)
The most common period for feeling difficulty in recovering from fatigue was "around their 60s" (29.3%). This was followed by "around their 50s" (26.9%) and "70s and older" (21.9%).

This result suggests that many people experience changes in their recovery ability with age. There is a trend of more people realizing difficulty in recovery around their 60s.

On the other hand, a certain number of respondents answered "recently (within the last 1-2 years)" (13.4%) or "around their 40s" (10.0%). This indicates that there is a range in when people start feeling difficulty in recovering from fatigue.

Therefore, it is considered important to be aware of fatigue countermeasures from an early stage, not just based on age, but also in response to daily physical changes.

3: When you feel fatigued, what signs (physical, emotional, behavioral) do you notice?
The most common sign of fatigue was "body dullness/heaviness" (59.2%). This was followed by "stiff shoulders/lower back pain" (48.0%) and "reluctance to move" (45.0%).

This result shows that fatigue manifests not only as physical sensations like pain and heaviness but also as a reluctance to act.

"Lack of sleep/drowsiness" (40.4%) and "lack of motivation/depressed mood" (34.5%) also accounted for a certain percentage, suggesting that insufficient fatigue recovery affects both mind and body. Fatigue is considered a state that impacts not only physical sluggishness but also activity motivation and daily behavior.

4: What lifestyle habits do you usually practice to alleviate fatigue? (Valid respondents: 669)
The most common lifestyle habit practiced to alleviate fatigue was "getting enough sleep" (55.5%). This was followed by "light exercise (walking, stretching, etc.)" (42.6%), "aiming for a balanced diet" (37.2%), and "relaxing with bathing/half-body bathing" (36.6%).

This indicates that many people try to manage fatigue by focusing on basic lifestyle habits such as sleep, exercise, and diet.

On the other hand, "not particularly conscious" (8.2%) and "consulting a doctor or specialist" (4.5%) were low percentages, suggesting that most people primarily rely on self-care that can be done in daily life.

5: Does fatigue affect your "work" or "hobbies"? (Valid respondents: 669)
The most common response for whether fatigue affects hobbies or work was "No" (58.4%). However, "Yes" (41.6%) also accounted for 40% of respondents.

Given that a certain percentage of people feel affected, it suggests that simply enduring fatigue may not be enough, and it can sometimes impact daily activities and life satisfaction.

This indicates the importance of being conscious of managing fatigue early and incorporating countermeasures that can be easily continued in daily life.

6: Would you like to try recovery wear (clothing that supports fatigue recovery just by wearing it)? (Valid respondents: 669)
The most common response was "I know it exists but don't understand it well" (39.2%), followed by "I would like to try it" (32.0%).

"Already using it" (9.1%) was limited, and "not using it and not interested" (19.7%) also accounted for a certain percentage. This result suggests that while there is interest in recovery wear, many people have not yet adopted it.

A lack of information about recovery wear may be a psychological barrier to its adoption.

7: What effects would make you want to use recovery wear? (Valid respondents: 608)
The highest response was "feeling lighter" (19.9%), followed by "fatigue not carrying over to the next day" (19.4%), "stiff shoulders and lower back pain becoming lighter" (17.9%), and "improved sleep quality" (16.6%).

All of these are changes that are easily felt in daily life, suggesting that the ability to actually feel recovery is emphasized in fatigue countermeasures.

Responses such as "improved cold sensitivity" (10.2%) were also mentioned, indicating that a certain number of people value changes in physical sensation, such as lightness and warmth.

8: What kind of fatigue recovery product do you think you could easily continue using? (Valid respondents: 669)
The most common answer was "recovery wear (clothing that supports fatigue recovery just by wearing it)" (52.6%). This was followed by "sleep support products (functional pajamas, pillows, mattresses, etc.)" (32.7%) and "recovery sandals (footwear that reduces foot and leg fatigue)" (28.7%).

All of these are items that can be incorporated into daily routines, such as wearing or sleeping. This result shows that products that can be used without special effort are favored.

"Blood circulation promotion products such as magnetic necklaces and magnetic loops" (19.3%) were also chosen by a certain percentage, indicating that ease of continuation is an important factor.

Summary
This survey revealed that the central issue of fatigue is perceived not as "being tired" itself, but rather as "difficulty in recovering."

Indeed, 80.6% of people feel that "fatigue is harder to recover from than before." Furthermore, there is a tendency for many people to become aware of changes in their recovery ability particularly from around their 50s to 60s.

Moreover, the signs of fatigue were primarily manifested as physical sensations and behavioral changes, such as "body dullness/heaviness," "stiff shoulders/lower back pain," and "reluctance to move."

In addition, a certain percentage of responses included "lack of sleep/drowsiness" and "lack of motivation," suggesting that fatigue affects not only the body but also aspects like motivation and mood.

As for countermeasures, daily self-care such as "sufficient sleep," "light exercise," and "diet" is prevalent.