Every year, Men’s Health Week encourages us to stop and think about the health challenges facing men in the UK. But the reality is that these issues don’t disappear when the week ends.
The statistics make for stark reading.
One in five men in the UK dies before the age of 65.
Men are twice as likely as women to die from cardiovascular disease.
Three out of four suicides are male, and suicide remains the biggest killer of men under 50.
Men are also more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.
They’re more likely to drink alcohol at harmful levels.
They’re more likely to smoke.
And perhaps most concerning of all, they’re less likely to seek support for both physical and mental health concerns.
The message behind Men’s Health Week is simple: small, manageable actions can lead to lasting change. But this is something we should be talking about all year round.
You can read more about the campaign through the Men’s Health Week resources and advice:
https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/mhw
Because many men continue to normalise symptoms that could be early warning signs.
Stress.
Poor sleep
Low energy.
Digestive issues.
Headaches and migraines.
Weight gain.
Brain fog.
Many simply put these symptoms down to getting older, working hard or having a busy life.
But symptoms are often the body’s way of telling us that something needs attention.
The Symptoms Men Often Ignore
As a Nutritional Therapist, I see men normalising symptoms all the time.
Long before a diagnosis is made, these symptoms can affect energy, concentration, productivity, resilience, mood and relationships both inside and outside of work.
Heart disease.
Type 2 diabetes.
High blood pressure.
Metabolic syndrome.
Poor mental health.
Burnout.
Many of these conditions develop gradually over years and are strongly influenced by nutrition, lifestyle and environmental factors.
The earlier we identify the warning signs, the greater the opportunity to change the outcome.
The NHS provide health checks which can identify some of the these conditions, these are provided free of charge by the NHS.
Why The Workplace Matters
For many men, work is where health problems first become visible.
Reduced concentration.
Lower productivity.
More mistakes.
Increased absence.
Presenteeism.
Reduced resilience under pressure.
For men working shifts, the risks can be even greater.
Research suggests that men working rotating shifts may be significantly more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those working regular daytime hours. Sleep disruption, irregular meal patterns, stress and circadian rhythm disruption can all take their toll over time.
This is why workplace wellbeing isn’t simply about supporting people when they become unwell. It’s about helping them stay well in the first place.
And this is where nutrition and lifestyle factors, often overlooked in workplace wellbeing strategies, play an essential role. I run specialist
Workplace Wellbeing Workshops which help businesses protect their employees wellbeing.
The Conversation Men Still Find Difficult
While physical health often receives the most attention, men’s mental health remains one of the biggest challenges we face.
Three out of four suicides are male. Yet many men still find it difficult to talk about stress, anxiety, burnout or depression.
The latest suicide statistics from Samaritans can be found here:
https://www.samaritans.org/about-samaritans/research-policy/suicide-facts-and-figures/latest-suicide-data/
Why?
Some worry about being judged.
Others don’t want to burden those around them.
Many have spent years believing they should simply push through.
But strength isn’t staying silent.
Strength is recognising when something isn’t right and taking action.
Know Your Numbers
Many of the biggest threats to men’s health are silent.
I frequently see men presenting with symptoms of blood sugar dysregulation who have no idea that fluctuating blood glucose may be contributing to how they’re feeling.
Cholesterol problems, fatty liver disease, insulin resistance and high blood pressure can all develop quietly in the background for years before they are picked up.
One of the most powerful actions men can take is simply knowing their numbers.
That includes:
• Cholesterol
• Blood glucose / HbA1c
• Weight and waist circumference
• Blood pressure
Early detection can often prevent long term health conditions from developing or progressing.
Sometimes a simple health screen can identify a problem years before it would otherwise have come to light.
Many adults may also be eligible for an NHS Health Check, which can help identify risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and stroke before symptoms develop:
https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/nhs-health-check/
Small Steps. Big Impact.
Small steps can create meaningful change.
You don’t need to completely overhaul your life, eat the perfect diet or start running marathons.
You simply need to start paying attention to what’s going on in your body or mind and start seeking support.
Small actions performed consistently often create the biggest improvements in long term health.
How Employers Can Help
If you’re an HR leader, wellbeing lead or business owner, now is an ideal opportunity to start the conversation.
One of the things I’ve found over the years is that many men won’t actively seek support, but they will engage when health information is presented in a practical, non judgemental way that helps them recognise what they may be normalising.
In my Men’s Health and Men’s Mental Health workshops I use a Health and Energy Questionnaire during the session to help employees identify potential warning signs and recognise patterns they may have been overlooking for years.
We then explore what’s happening in the body and mind, why those symptoms may be occurring, and the simple nutrition and lifestyle changes that can help move things in the right direction.
Those changes may seem small, but that’s exactly the point.
Sustainable health improvements rarely come from dramatic overhauls.
They come from simple actions repeated consistently over time.
For organisations wanting to take things a step further, this can then be followed by a Know Your Numbers Health Screening, measuring key markers such as cholesterol, blood glucose, liver function and nutrient levels.
These markers can often highlight potential issues long before they become diagnosed health conditions.
Each employee then receives a confidential one to one consultation to help them understand what their results mean and identify practical next steps.
Awareness alone rarely changes behaviour.
But awareness combined with action can.
And sometimes one health check, one conversation or one small intervention is enough to identify an issue before it becomes a crisis.
That’s the power of small steps.
Start The Conversation
If you’d like to start a meaningful conversation around men’s physical and mental wellbeing within your organisation, I’d be happy to discuss workshops, health screening programmes or a tailored approach for your team.
Because one conversation, one health check or one small step could make a much bigger difference than you realise.