Every five hours in the UK and Ireland alone, four people die by suicide. Three of them are men. These shocking statistics make something very clear: we don’t fully understand men’s health.That’s why we brought in The Men's Coach, Ryan Parke, to get his insight into the myths and misconceptions that we’ve had for decades surrounding men’s mental and physical health — to highlight five men’s health facts and discuss how workplaces like yours can offer better support and guidance to male colleagues. Watch the full webinar with Ryan Parke here. Understanding men’s health facts and the medical system Men’s health has been the topic of many discussions over the years, but there hasn't been much talk about what really impacts it, and what types of support are most effective. It wasn’t until June of 2019 that Ryan Parke started realising the gap in his knowledge. “I bumped into a lady who I hadn't seen in years, and I was really excited to hear the latest about her son, Brad,” he says. “Brad had a fast car. He had a great job and a big house. And I like to think that I was on the same trajectory. [...] Then I saw the look on his mom's face and she said to me: ‘Oh my God, you don't know. Brad's killed himself.’” The truth of the matter is:Most health systems aren’t getting to the root problem of men’s health. The strangest part about Brad’s story is he did everything he was ‘supposed’ to do — he went to the doctor, did a course of antidepressants, and he did talk to a therapist.“Now I'm not saying these things didn't help. I'm sure they did,” Ryan confirms. “But what really stuck with me is that here was a man who had done all the things that we tell men to do when they're in crisis, and yet he still wasn't here.” Between 2010-2022, rates of therapy use in UK men has risen by 50%. Yet within the same period, rates of male suicide have increased by 11%.This generalised approach clearly hasn't been working. In fact, “a study that came out earlier this year found that 150 minutes of exercise a week is 1.5x more effective than antidepressants, and 1.5x more effective than talk therapy when it comes to dealing with stress, depression, and anxiety.”Brad’s situation alone shows the gap in a system that Ryan is working to help fill by researching and informing people about what type of support men really need, and how that may be different from the generalised approach we’ve been taking for decades. And we believe a massive place to start addressing these issues is where people spend nearly a third of their lives: the workplace. But the first step to addressing the issue is understanding the facts, and breaking down the myths we’ve built up around men’s health.1. “Too much testosterone” doesn’t cause bar fights“I was 29 at the time. My whole life, I'd never heard anything positive about testosterone,” says Ryan. “I remember when I was a kid and there was a fight in my local pub, my mom's friends used to say, 'Well, it's no wonder they ended up fighting because there was too much testosterone in the room.'” It’s a common belief that too much testosterone is what causes aggression and anger between men, but that’s actually false.In fact, it’s a vital hormone in protecting heart health.“I wondered: ‘How can a hormone that causes fights in pubs, protect men from heart attacks?’ The myth that testosterone causes aggression was disproved decades ago, just the PR hasn't caught up with the science.” What’s more, the higher levels of testosterone a man has, the less likely he is to get prostate cancer. And not just that. “It also protects his mental health,” Ryan explains. “The average middle-aged man who is depressed has 30% less testosterone than middle-aged men who are not depressed.” 2. Losing an hour of sleep lowers a man’s testosterone levels by the same as 12 years of aging“The one day of the year where heart attacks jump in men by around 30% and go down in women by 30% is the Monday after the clocks go forward.”Why is this? When the clocks go forward in March, we lose an hour of sleep, and that one day a year is when heart attacks increase in men by nearly a third. A single hour of sleep lost outside of the seven to eight recommended hours a night temporarily lowers a man’s testosterone levels by the equivalent of 12 years of aging. Meaning if you’re 30, your testosterone levels drop to what they would naturally be at the age of 42!The same thing happens when a man drinks alcohol — a single drink will lower a man’s testosterone levels by the equivalent of six years.But before you freak out: yes, your testosterone levels will eventually go back to normal once you've caught up on sleep again. 3. Your testosterone is not doomed once you hit 30It’s often a misunderstanding that once you hit 30, your testosterone levels inevitably tank. But it’s not that simple. Ryan believed this myth for the longest time too. “I thought, ‘Well, there's nothing I can do about that. It's a bit of a bleak picture.’ But based on the science and what I know now, I'm happy to say that age is not a big factor when it comes to testosterone in men. Age is irrelevant.”He went on to identify five factors that influence testosterone much more than age:Adequate sleep Regular exercise A balanced, healthy diet Low alcohol consumption Adequate Vitamin D levels And in turn, all of these lifestyle elements will come back to impact a man’s overall mental state. A great example is with alcohol consumption: “Alcohol lowers testosterone in men. Men with low testosterone are depressed. And what do depressed men like to do? Drink more alcohol. “I'd started believing that age was the biggest factor when it comes to hormone health and testosterone. But, by the end of understanding this, I found it's all down to lifestyle and wellbeing.”4. Oxytocin doesn’t de-stress men A common generalisation is that women are overly emotional, or more emotional than men. But there actually is some science behind why women tend to be more emotional and lean towards therapy or talking about emotions more than men do.And it all comes down to one of the love hormones: oxytocin. “Oxytocin doesn't lower stress in men,” says Ryan. “You can see this through the way that men communicate: we don't tend to talk about emotions. It's much more practical. When you flood a man full of oxytocin, [then] he starts talking about his emotions.” Typically, talking about emotions and being close to a loved one generates oxytocin for women and helps them de-stress. But men tend not to have the same experience. And Ryan started implementing these scientific learnings into his day-to-day life. “What I never understood until I started learning about the science is how valuable and useful and de-stressing oxytocin is, if you're female. I have changed the way that I interact with my wife, with my female friends, because I now really understand how important it is to take the time to listen to how they feel, and let them express themselves.” Understanding these differences in how hormones affect us is key to working through emotions productively. “We need to understand we have different hormonal systems. And so actually learning about my mental health, I think has made me a better husband, and a better friend to my female friends.” 5. Men need to trust and respect someone to talk When it comes to implementing support resources, especially in the workplace, it’s easy to take a generalised, macro approach. But it’s important to start taking solutions down to a micro, personalised level and taking into account the differences between biological sexes and how they respond to the dialogue surrounding wellbeing. With men specifically, Ryan mentioned that in order for them to take advantage of wellbeing resources, most “have to trust you, respect you and believe you offer solutions.” So what are some things you can do today to better cater for men’s wellbeing in your workplace? Ryan listed out a few key actions to consider, as well as implementation strategies for success:Offer Employee Assistance Programmes BUT…“Because trust is so important, that means that if you're providing things that are proven to be effective, things like EAPs, there needs to be ways for men to get confidential support. It's not anonymous, if they believe they're being monitored, men will not use those services.”Get speakers to come BUT…“When you're providing wellness speakers, you need to make sure that they are communicating in a way that men identify with. Because it's been found that this generic message of 'wellbeing' or 'mental health', men don't really resonate with. They think it doesn't apply to them. [...] Men don't want to open up and talk about emotions. But if you change the terminology to 'teaming up and talking about solutions', you don't have a problem.”Provide sign-posting BUT…“It has to be sign-posting that's relevant to the challenges that men face, because, you know, we have to keep our eye on the prize here: each one of those early deaths by men — whether it is a suicide, whether we're talking about heart disease or cancer — affects hundreds of people. And half of them are going to be female. This affects everyone — not just men."Learn more from Ryan Parke in the full webinar and unlock the key to men’s health in the workplace in his men’s health guide. About YuLife.YuLife is working to reimagine the insurance industry by protecting lives, rewarding living and inspiring life. We’re on a mission to transform traditional insurance into a life-enhancing experience each employee will value and use daily. How does it work? Our award-winning app uses behavioural science and game mechanics to reward your people for living well while offering protection in case of crisis. And with our top-rated employee assistance programme, your team gets access to mental, financial and social support, virtual GPs, nutritionists, life coaches and more to help them live their best lives.Because we believe that your employees should benefit from their insurance from day one — and that wellbeing should be accessible every day, for everyone.Request a demo for your team today.