Movember always occurs in the month of November. You may have noticed during this month many men tend to have a little bit more of a hairy upper lip, but this isn't just a coincidence, in fact this month is incredibly important for men around the nation.
This November women and men come together to raise funds and awareness for men's health specifically; prostate cancer, testicular cancer, men's mental health and suicide prevention, and men specifically show their support by growing and styling facial hair.
We think it's important to raise awareness of men's health issues and do all we can to support men and promote men's health.
Men's Health Awareness
Statistics show that men smoke more than women and men aged 25-34 smoke the most. Smoking causes a lot of health issues physical and mental, including cancer and heart disease- Smoking is one of the most common cancer causes around the world.
Health issues caused by smoking are largely preventable so it's important to act now and reduce your chances of getting seriously ill. Your body starts to change as soon as you quit, so the impact is pretty much immediate.
Mens Mental Health
Men's mental health often goes under the radar thanks to phrases like 'man up' and 'boys don't cry' which can be harmful and prevent men from coming forward and talking about their feelings or seeking help. It is important to increase awareness so you can look out for signs, signs that you or someone you care about is struggling with poor mental health can be:
·Poor concentration
·worrying more
·finding it hard to make decisions
·feeling less interested in day-to-day activities
·low mood
·feeling overwhelmed by things
·tearfulness
·tiredness and lack of energy
·sleeping more or less
·talking less and avoiding social activities
·talking more or talking very fast, jumping between topics and ideas
·finding it difficult to control your emotions
·drinking more
·aggression, irritability and short temper
It is a statistical fact that more men smoke than women in the UK. Within all countries of the UK, 15.9% of men (around 3.8 million) men smoke in comparison to 12% of women according to a 2019 study.
There can be many causes for poor mental health but Smoking is one of the most avoidable causes. Smoking can contribute to serious mental health issues. Smoking and poor mental health often go hand in hand - people with mental health issues smoke at around two to four times the rate of the general population.
Tips To help You Quit
We truly care about health in general but this month we are taking this time to specifically support the men in our lives to live healthier and happier lives.
We want to support your decision to quit as best as we can so here are our top tips to help you finally slash your smoking habit:
Make a Plan
Having a goal, like a one month, 1 year, 5 year plan allows you to have easy wins, and celebrate when you stick to it.
Remind yourself Why you Decided To Quit
When you're in the thick of it you can forget the reason you decided to quit in the first place, so adding physical or virtual reminders could help you get back on track.
Get Informed
knowing the statistics and facts could help you stick with the plan.
Quit Together
Having a buddy to quit with can be super motivating and encouraging, get a buddy, or group together.
Find An Alternative That Works
Quitting cold turkey is beyond difficult, and it's actually not recommended for long term healing. Vaping or using a nicotine replacement therapy that actually works is the best way to conquer those cravings and lead a healthier lifestyle.
Our Recommendations
We are doing our best to support anyone that wants to give up smoking. Many studies have recently come to fruition which has proven that vaping is the most effective method to help you quit in comparison to any other nicotine replacement therapy.
A recent study by the NHS along with a number of ministers and many other health professionals have come forward in considering prescribing vaping products to help people quit smoking for good. We fully support this and have a number of product recommendations to help you quit, for good;
Using disposable vape kits are super effective in supporting people quit due to their similarity to traditional cigarettes and mess-free nature. If you are after more control though go for a pen style MTL (mouth to lung) kit.
We encourage men to make sure to pay attention to their bodies and check regularly with your doctor. In the UK health checks are free on the NHS so get your check.