Small Changes That Make A Big Difference In Men’s Health

Small changes can make a big difference to health and wellbeing. Whilst striving for the perfect amount of sleep, the optimal amount of activity and optimum mental health is wonderful, it needs to be within your daily repertoire. Focusing on developing realistic habits around sleep, activity and mental health will result in longer lasting change than striving for numerous big changes at the same time. Understanding the impact of your lifestyle on your health may be surprising. Men’s health is largely determined by a mix of their genetic predisposition and their lifestyle choices. Diseases that affect far greater proportions of men than women such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes all develop slowly over the years and can be largely prevented or managed through your habits. Millions of illnesses affect millions of people, but many of these could be prevented if people were to make healthy choices. For many, sleep is viewed as a luxury today, when really it is a necessity for health. When well rested and healthy, a person can function on a day to day basis feeling well. However, when sleep deprived, a person can feel tired, irritable, sluggish and sometimes have trouble focusing on daily tasks. In addition to these day to day problems associated with being sleep deprived, there are a multitude of serious health problems that can also occur, such as weight gain, high blood pressure, and diabetes. We all know about the effects of sleep deprivation: lethargy, lack of focus and an overall decrease in quality of life. But sleep can have the exact opposite effects on the body.

Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day and night, including on the weekends. Some simple changes to your habits can help improve your sleep. Sleeping an extra 15 to 30 minutes at night can help improve the quality of your sleep. Inform your body that it is time to sleep by following a regular bedtime routine. Take a warm shower, drink a herbal bedtime tea, or reading a good book can signal your brain that it is time for sleep. Learn about the many different types of sleep disorders like sleep apnea and how they can affect you. Read more about the common symptoms of sleep apnea. Someone you know Someone you know is someone with loud snores and gasps for air at night, morning headaches and daytime sleepiness? Does someone you know have Sleep Apnea? Treat yourself well and make some reasonable lifestyle adjustments to prevent some serious health problems. You don’t have to be perfect. Just do your best and stick to it. Talk to your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Millions of people around the world are affected by sleep apnea and it is crucial that more awareness is brought to the subject. Sleep apnea has been proven to cause increased blood pressure and strain on the heart, but with treatment many healthy benefits can be achieved. Many of our patients with sleep apnea report feeling energized and even note that they are able to control their blood pressure. Furthermore, patients with treated sleep apnea are less likely to develop future cardiometabolic problems. Many individuals are unaware of the symptoms of sleep apnea and attribute their symptoms to tiredness or their pre-existing high blood pressure. Sleep apnea treatment is one form of exercise that your body needs to stay healthy long term, but there are several other forms of exercise that your body needs to keep your heart healthy and strong. Aerobic and other types of physical activity can also help regulate blood sugar, decrease stress and give your joints a break. Don’t forget that you don’t have to do hours of exercise per day to see these benefits. Any intensity and duration of exercise can be beneficial as long as it is done on a regular basis and incorporated into your daily routine in short bursts of time. Walking and jogging is fantastic for our health, but don’t forget that little bursts of movement throughout the day can also make a huge difference to our health and wellbeing. Whether it’s just a 10 minute power walk whilst watching the kids play after school or waiting for the kettle to boil in the morning whilst making a coffee. Think about all the times you could be moving more in your daily life, whilst sat in a meeting take a leg lift every few minutes, or instead of having a lift take the stairs. Additionally Strength Training is an essential component to health and vitality as we age. Muscle is an organ that regulates blood glucose levels, fuels metabolism, and maintains healthy bones. Through regular activity such as bodyweight, weights or resistance band training (2 times a week) we can decrease our risk of becoming frail and developing many of the health problems associated with sarcopenia. The stress and mood we experience can affect our physical health. Certain moods and stress levels can affect how we sleep and our blood pressure, as well as determine actions we will take from day to day. For example, chronic stress can affect the amount of cortisol we have circulating in our bodies, impact our ability to sleep, and have profound effects on our relationships, work and many other aspects of our lives. Additionally, anger can affect people who are depressed or anxious, and become withdrawn or turn to chemical substances to cope. Understanding the stress and mood dynamics and where individuals can go for proper care and support is also important. When you have sleep apnea, in addition to treating the condition with airway devices, you may find that learning some mental health strategies can bring numerous lifestyle changes that can help you treat and live with sleep apnea. What are some common mental health techniques and how can they benefit people with sleep apnea?

In addition to information about treatment for sleep apnea and living well with sleep apnea, Mental Health on 5 is designed to offer practical information for all aspects of health and wellbeing. It takes only a second to improve your health by improving your mental health. However, getting started with exercise can be difficult, especially with the pressures of a busy life.

Mental health does not have to consume your life! There are many ways to cultivate mental health in everyday life. Taking a few deep breaths each day, going for a 10-15 minute walk around the workplace or home each day, engaging in regular physical activity or strength training, and writing down three things that you are grateful for each day. Incorporating stress-reducing techniques into your life. Choose one time of day to practice relaxation, such as right after waking up or before bed. Try activities like meditation, deep breathing, yoga, tai chi, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided imagery. Recognizing your feelings and problems while they are still manageable is key. Be familiar with the signs of depression, anxiety and other emotional disorders. Know how you’re feeling and know where and how to seek help should you need it. Feeling hopeless, self-destructive, out of control with drinking or taking other actions that could potentially result in serious harm to yourself? STOP. Act Now. Knowing your body best. Many men discover they have high blood pressure or diabetes by accident – often years after the condition has already begun to affect them. Healthy living isn’t just about the occasional doctor’s appointment. By knowing your body best, you can make healthy choices for yourself. By paying attention to your blood pressure, waist size and weight as well as your mood, you can know what’s going on with your body and live without fear of mental health. Early detection of health issues can be managed through healthy lifestyle changes or a clinical visit, avoiding emergent situations. Your doctor can help you manage mental health effectively. By understanding and knowing your health, you’ll be better equipped to be healthy. What are the challenges of modern day life facing men and how do these compare at different stages of life? While general health advice is suitable for the average man, each individual will have a set of unique circumstances that affect their health. Factors that need to be considered when giving men’s health advice can include work, family, income, and individual socio-cultural background. Advice must be realistic and relevant. Individual men can make choices to adopt healthy lifestyles early in life in order to meet short-term health outcomes as well as long-term health goals. To young men, adopting healthy lifestyles includes getting enough sleep, having good mental health, and regular physical activity. Physical activity can assist with weight management and provide the platform for other healthy lifestyle choices. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help to prevent many health problems and by keeping you healthy it will also help to prevent any health and fertility problems that you and your partner may encounter in the coming years if you wish to start a family. As men get older their risk of heart disease and stress increases. Many middle aged men are working hard to try to provide the best life possible for their loved ones and it is not uncommon for these hard working men to be tired, running on lack of sleep and sedentary lifestyles due to their busy work life and the demands of families. Older men are more likely to have high blood pressure, raised cholesterol and high blood sugar levels. All of these conditions can have serious health consequences. Going to bed earlier, lifting weights 2 times a week and walking briskly daily can have a huge health benefit. Stress management is also key as stress can lead to sleep loss, over-eating and excessive drinking of alcohol. For an older man, mobility, balance and independence may be issues he encounters as he gets older. Atlas Training addresses these issues through exercise such as strength training, walking, gentle interval training and balance training. This kind of training will help to reduce the risk of hospitalisation for older men. While physical activity is healthy and fun for men, forming connections with others is just as important as it can have a significant impact on our health, with social isolation being shown to increase the risk of depression. Many physical activities will give you the opportunity to meet and train with others, also forming friendships along the way. Do something for your neighbor, like mowing his lawn, start a men’s group at your church or house of worship, etc. Then remind your patients how you can identify and treat many of the health problems that they may have before they result in more serious disease down the road. Counsel your patients on healthy behaviors and ask a few simple questions during the annual health maintenance visit. Ask these questions to identify sleep problems and sleep apnea, detect depression, find out if your patients are drinking more than they should and whether they are inactive. Some examples of these simple questions are listed below. Do you sniffle and snore at night? How’s your mood? Are you drinking too much? Answer our survey questions to find out how making healthy changes can help you in the long run. By making small lifestyle changes with the support of health professionals, other men who are making similar changes, and a little motivation, you can take control of your health by making healthy changes that last. Health professionals such as a nurse, health coach, or a specialisit in behavioural health can help you to make and maintain the changes you need to be healthier in the long run. We want health and wellbeing conversations to become the norm, to help break the taboo when it comes to men’s health and to support men and boys to make informed choices that support their health and wellbeing. We believe that there are roles for family members, employers, community groups and health systems to play in supporting men to make healthy choices and to adopt healthy behaviours. This might include supporting men to have more flexible start and finish times or protected breaks during the working day, or support to help adopt healthy living through local community resources (eg sport, leisure centres, gyms), as well as support and signposting for mental health and wellbeing issues. Community organisations, sports clubs, workplaces and faith groups are ideally placed to help disseminate healthy messages to men and boys in the settings where they feel most comfortable. So what can men do to improve their health and well-being? The biggest health improvements come from the smalles changes. The most powerful changes are specific not vague and repeatable not one off. Even in a busy life, adding a few new healthy habits and gradually building on them can lead to some really powerful health improvements. Here are a few small changes you can make today that only take a few minutes each day. Firstly, good sleep is the most important thing for your health. Simply waking up and going to bed at the same time each day is a good starting point. Gradually reducing your sleep time by 15 minutes every few days will soon have you sleeping soundly. Establish a routine going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. Ensure your sleep environment is promoting sleep. Switch off the TV, computer and mobile phone at night as the screen could interfere with sleep. Make use of warm-coloured light such as candles or nightlights instead of white light. Do something before sleep that will help calm you, such as yoga, reading or breathing. Don’t dismiss your partner’s complaints or your own symptoms. Symptoms of sleep disorders include loud snoring, sounds of gasping or choking during the night, morning headaches and fatigue all the time. Sleep apnea can be treated and is very good for the energy and the blood pressure. It is also important to know that having a drink or two before sleep may decrease the quality of sleep and increase risk for sleep apnea. This is the second part of a two part post. The first part talked about movement for gaining health, and I mentioned that most people will be best served by having at least 1 strength dose per week (this would be in the 3-5 rep range). Integrate more movement into your life through activities such as jogging/walking and weight training. With a few changes to your daily routine you can have boundless energy, prevent many chronic diseases and achieve lasting health benefits. Remember it takes time for your body to acclimate to change and the rewards will be endless and long lasting. Start with 10-20 minutes of walking each day and gradually increase. ‘Movement snacks’ can be done throughout the day to add variety to periods of sitting. Examples of movement snacks are: 10 sets of 10 squats, 3 sets of wall push-ups or 10 flights of stairs per hour. Incorporate strength training into your daily activities. Perform strength training 2 days a week, for a minimum of 10 minutes of brisk walking plus sets of specific exercises performed with resistance bands, dumbbells and body weight exercises. Choose a few exercises you like to do and incorporate them into your daily routine. Choose exercises that you can realistically do on the most busy of days. Find space in your home to do the exercises and keep your shoes, bands and weights in an accessible location. If you have joint problems then you may find that you need to start slowly with exercises that are gentle and weight bearing. We would like all our patients to consider how they can look after their mental health by doing some physical activity which will enable the body and mind to function at their best. This doesn’t have to be time consuming. Just taking a few minutes each day to do some breathing, or taking a 10 minute brisk walk, might make all the difference. Consider taking an extra glass of water with you before bed, and before work in the morning. Also, being mindful of your current intake of alcohol and the potential long-term consequences of drinking to take your mind off things/ to reduce stress and anxiety. Although in the short-term this may provide a solution, in the long-term it may cause sleep disturbance and mood disturbance. When is it time to ask for help with stress? If you notice that you have low mood, irritability, anxiety or burnout that lasts more than two weeks seek help from a clinician. If you are using alcohol or other substances to cope with stress seek support. If you notice that you are having thoughts of self-harm or are not feeling safe then seek urgent help. Let Health:Quantum help you track your regular health metrics and the meaningful data will help you realise when you are not doing well. Monitoring your blood pressure at home could become your new normal. As a man over 35 or with other risk factors for heart disease, monitoring your blood pressure at home could be a matter of life and death. Monitoring your waist size every month could give you an early indication of your risk for the conditions that cluster together to form the cardiometabolic disease. Monitoring your sleep, mood and energy levels are also critical health metrics you should be aware of. Being overweight is not the goal – being healthy is what really matters. Please record your weekly measurements and comments in your log book. This can be an app on your smart phone or a note pad on your fridge to remind you to update each week. None of this is meant to add stress and worry but it will be nice to monitor your overall health and well-being. Also please note any changes in health such as increase in blood pressure, decrease in energy level, changes in chest pain. It is also important to have your annual exams and screenings even if you feel well. Healthy living is about eating healthily, being active, having fun with family and friends, and having good quality sleep. Here are some tips to help you make these a priority in your life. Foods and activities that promote healthy living can include healthy foods, physical activity, healthy beverages, and showing you care by being there every day. In fact, quitting smoking or vaping could have the largest health benefit you can do. You can do it!

References:

https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about\_sleep/sleep\_hygiene.html https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-apnea https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm