Supporting Men’s Health in November
Leading charity Movember suggests that across the world, men die an average six years younger than women, and for largely preventable reasons. Below we’ve covered four of the top causes for men’s ill health with tips and advice on supporting Men this November.
Stress Awareness
67% of men have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
Signs and symptoms include feeling overwhelmed, irritable, anxious, constant worrying, difficulty making decisions. You may also experience more physical symptoms such as headaches, sleep problems, dizziness or eating too much or little.
Taking control and addressing your symptoms is key, and will only worsen if left untreated. Men are more likely to rely on smoking, caffeine, and alcohol with stress coping mechanisms, but it’s important to avoid unhealthy habits.
Visit our managing stress for a better well-being blog for further advice on preventing stress from building. Most importantly, talk about your stress levels to family and friends for support.
Mental Health Awareness
Globally, on average 1 man dies by suicide every minute of every day. We’d recommend visiting your GP if you’d like to discuss your mental health for advice and next steps. There are a few steps that you can take to help boost your positivity and outlook.
Get plenty of sleep – aim to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
Eat well – enjoy a balanced diet, with plenty of foods rich in vitamins and minerals for optimum health.
Avoid alcohol, smoking, and drugs – excessive drinking in particular, can leave you feeling depressed and anxious.
Get outside – fresh air and vitamin D has been proven to boost your mood.
Manage stress levels – try to address symptoms of stress by jotting down what’s worrying you and ways to overcome the issues.
Keep active and exercise regularly – exercise helps to eliminate anxiety, stress and feeling tired due to a mixture of self-achievement and the release of serotonin hormone which boosts your mood.
Connect with your friends and family regularly – interacting with others boosts your energy and mood so make time for socialising.
Spend time doing what makes you happy – this could be a hobby, spending time with friends or reading a book but its important to fit in ‘you’ time.
Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 anytime day or night for free if you need somebody to talk to.
Alcohol Awareness
Alcohol is often used as a way to manage stress, anxiety or other mental health concerns. There are many ways in which alcohol can damage your body, and alcoholchange.org has lots of useful information on the impact of alcohol short and long term on the body.
Importantly, more alcohol-related problems are being brought to the workplace. Up to 40% of accidents at work involve or are related to alcohol use and as little as one small drink of alcohol can impair concentration and affect reaction times.
Refer to the below scorecard to monitor your weekly intake.
Prostate Checks
Around 5.6M men globally are facing life with a prostate cancer diagnosis. This cancer tends to affect men over 50.
Additionally, around 2,300 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer each year in the UK. Symptoms include painless swelling or a lump in one of the testicles which can change in shape or texture. This cancer is present in younger men.
It’s crucial to catch testicular cancer as early as possible. Even if you don’t suspect any symptoms, Macmillan has provided useful self-examination instructions which recommend to check regularly for any abnormalities.
