June is Men’s Health Month

June tends to mark the beginning of British Summer, but it’s a lesser know fact that it also happens to be Men’s Health month.

You may be asking, why do we have this? Well, some would have you believe that men aren’t very good at looking after themselves. As a fully grown man myself I have to admit, it’s not exactly a false statement. Let’s put this into perspective a bit – obviously, some blokes do look after themselves really. It’s just when you put all the statistics together, it becomes a bit more clear.

Worldwide average life expectancy for men is around 68 years. However, at 58 years a man’s health starts to decline. Compared to a women’s average life expectancy of 73 years, their health doesn’t start declining until 65 years of age. The World Health Organisation has officially declared that women are living longer due to a better quality life when compared to men.

Why don’t men live longer?

In 2015, men in the UK were ranked 16th (79.4 years) according to men’s health ratings for life expectancy. Switzerland were were first and boasted a life expectancy of around 81.3 years. It doesn’t seem much, but remember it’s just an average. The goal isn’t to live forever, but with what we understand about the body today why does this life expectancy feel… short? Let’s look at what is actually causing men’s deaths the most in the UK (in no particular order):

– Heart disease or stroke
– Lung cancer
– Suicide
– Bronchitis
– Bowel, Colon or Prostate cancer
– Motorbike accidents

Is it just me, or are these quite alarming? They’re probably fairly preventable for a lot of people too. The primary culprits are generally men’s lifestyles, stress or mental state at a glance. How many times have you been told to “man up”? We’re quite guilty of that here at Man Wants, but we’re not deadly serious, you know? You don’t really HAVE to have a beard if you don’t want, you’re not “boring” or a “girl” for shaving. These are the types of things you’ll hear if you want to avoid alcohol, smoking or eating more healthy also. A lot of chaps probably don’t want all the aggro of being teased, which seems to be socially acceptable for some reason.

What do women do that men don’t?

Women are miles ahead of us blokes. They’re a lot more in tune with their body and generally seem to understand the importance of keeping yourself healthy. Women are more prepared to visit the doctor if there’s something wrong, talking about their issues with friends and family and much more likely to opt for a healthier lifestyle. It’s all there in front of us when you put the data together for comparison.

Men’s health month is set up so us fellas can come together and talk, as well as raising awareness of preventable health problems and diseases. It’s the perfect opportunity to share your stories, and hopefully to inspire other men and do something more about their own well-being.

It really is time to “man up”, and look after ourselves.