Men’s Health: Know Your Risks & How to Lower Them
Learn the unique health risks that men face, how to combat them, and an easy way to boost your wellbeing at home
A century ago, men and women generally didn’t outlive each other.
But over the past hundred years––and especially recently––women have taken the lead, so to speak.
Nowadays, women are living on average five years longer than men. But what’s causing this gap in life expectancy?
According to Harvard Health, this disparity is largely because men are more likely to drink alcohol, use tobacco, engage in risky behavior, and avoid regularly seeing their doctor.
In general, men aren’t as concerned about their health as women, which can put them at risk for a variety of issues.
Below, we’ll be exploring these health risks, what you can do about them, and one of the easiest ways to naturally improve your health from home.
Men’s Health Risks
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported in 2019 that the three leading causes of death in men were heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries or accidents.
Let’s take a look at the underlying causes of these issues to build a clearer picture of how we can prevent them.
Heart Health
These days, around one in every four men in the United States struggle with heart-related health problems.
These life-threatening issues can occur due to being overweight or obese, sedentary, having unhealthy eating habits, diabetes, or chronic overuse of alcohol.
And unfortunately, due to their tendency to avoid seeking medical care, many men are unaware that their heart health is at risk until they experience symptoms.
Respiratory Health
In 2018, the American Lung Association (ALA) recorded 156,045 deaths from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a collective term for a series of respiratory issues that disrupt proper airflow in the lungs and hinder one’s ability to breathe.
That year, COPD was the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.
Also from the ALA, lung cancer is responsible for the most cancer deaths in men (and women).
Of course, genetics play a role here, but smoking is the main culprit in causing these respiratory health issues.
Alcohol-Related Incidents
According to the CDC, adult men are almost twice as likely to drink excessively than women.
This behavior puts men at greater risk of getting in car accidents, falling, drowning, and––over time––can increase their risk of developing heart, liver, digestive, and mental health problems.
In fact, men are hospitalized due to alcohol more often than women.
Liver Health
The liver is like a filter. It’s one of the vital organs responsible for detoxifying your body.
Whenever you drink alcohol or smoke tobacco, those toxins get dealt with in the liver. So, naturally, the use of these substances can increase your risk of liver health issues.
Interestingly, certain liver problems are more likely to occur in men.
It’s unclear why, but it’s thought that they result from the riskier lifestyle choices we’ve been discussing.
Mental Health
Almost one in every ten men deal with mental health issues, but less than half of them actually seek treatment.
It’s an unfortunate part of our culture, but men are often taught––whether directly or indirectly––to bottle up their emotions, which can seriously impact their mental and emotional health.
Accidental Injuries
As stated above, men have a habit of partaking in more dangerous behavior, which can have disastrous results, especially when alcohol or drugs are involved.
In 2019, falls, traffic accidents, and unintentional overdoses are the leading causes of these tragedies.
Blood Sugar Health
Blood sugar health is a widespread issue in the United States, affecting thirteen million men.
If left unchecked, it can lead to heart, kidney, and nerve health complications.
Risk generally goes up as we age, but factors that increase the likelihood of developing blood sugar problems include being overweight, obesity, inactivity, and genetics.
Healthier Lifestyle Choices Can Lower Your Risk
As you may have noticed, all of the health concerns we covered above are related to an individual’s lifestyle, which is great news!
That means by making healthier choices, men can simultaneously lower their risk and improve their wellbeing.
Similar to our list of healthy habits for women, men can see great results by following these general guidelines:
- Avoid tobacco use and second-hand smoke
- Make healthy dietary choices
- Stay active and do your best to maintain a healthy weight
- Drink in moderation (for men, that means no more than two drinks a day)
- Do your best to manage and reduce stress
But there’s another way you can boost your health, improve your fitness, relieve stress, and more, all without having to leave the house.
It’s called BEMER therapy, and it only takes two eight-minute sessions a day to see results.
BEMER and Men’s Health
BEMER devices send a low-intensity pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) to the body in order to safely stimulate healthy muscles which temporarily enhances local blood flow, resulting in better delivery of oxygen, and clearance of carbon dioxide (CO2).
This increase in blood flow can provide several health benefits for men, including enhanced muscular strength, conditioning, energy, endurance, performance, stress relief, and relaxation.
Combined with regular exercise and a proper diet, daily BEMER use can have a massive impact on a man’s journey to better health.*
Whether you spend most of your time at home, at the office, or on the go, BEMER has the perfect solution for optimizing your energy, vitality, and overall wellbeing.
Find a local BEMER distributor near you to learn more and take control of your health.
*BEMER does not provide any medical advice or services. This device is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. It should not be used for any purpose other than as described in the user manual. Please consult your own healthcare provider if you have any medical issues.