Field notes · Men's health basics · The guide
Low energy, low drive: what men over 40 should get checked
I am a coach, not a doctor. But I have sat across from a lot of men who waited too long to book an appointment because nothing hurt. Nothing hurting is not the same as nothing wrong.
Dai Manuel · Coach Moose · Vancouver
Start with the boring numbers
Blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. None of them cause symptoms until they cause problems, which is exactly why they matter. High blood pressure affects roughly one in four Canadian adults, and many of them do not know.
Ask your family doctor for your numbers and write them down. If you do not have a family doctor, pharmacies in Canada will usually take your blood pressure for free.
Your waist
Canadian guidance flags a waist of 102 cm, about 40 inches, or more in men as a sign of higher health risk. Measure at your belly button, relaxed, first thing in the morning. It is a free, useful number that tracks the fat around your organs better than the scale does.
Your sleep
Loud snoring, gasping, morning headaches and daytime exhaustion can point to sleep apnoea. It is common in men over forty, it strains your heart, and it can drag down energy and testosterone. It is also very treatable once it is diagnosed.
Testosterone, honestly
Testosterone tends to drift down slowly with age. Low energy and low drive are real, but they have many causes, including poor sleep, stress, alcohol, extra weight and depression. Guidelines recommend testing only when you have symptoms, and doing it with a morning blood test, repeated to confirm.
Fix the basics first. Sleep, training, weight and alcohol all affect testosterone, and fixing them often improves how you feel whether or not your level was low.
Your head
Low energy and low drive are also two of the classic signs of depression in men, which often shows up as irritability, withdrawal or drinking more rather than sadness. If that sounds familiar, say it out loud to your doctor. I have written more about this in Mental health first.
Common questions
- What health checks should men over 40 get?
- Ask your doctor about blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar or HbA1c, waist circumference, and sleep apnoea if you snore. Colorectal screening typically starts at 50 in Canada. Your doctor will tailor this to your risk.
- Should I get my testosterone tested?
- Guidelines recommend testing only if you have symptoms such as low libido or persistent fatigue, using a morning blood test that is repeated to confirm a low result. Sleep, weight, alcohol and stress all affect the result.
- What waist size is a health risk for men?
- Canadian guidance flags a waist circumference of 102 cm, about 40 inches, or more in men as a marker of increased health risk.
This is coaching, not medical advice. If something here sounds like you, talk to your doctor.
Sources
- Hypertension prevalence among Canadian adults. Statistics Canada, Canadian Health Measures Survey.
- Canadian guidelines for body weight classification in adults, waist circumference. Health Canada.
- Testosterone therapy in men with hypogonadism. Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline, 2018.
- Screening for colorectal cancer. Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care.