Men’s Health: Feeling Old and Tired

Q. I’m a 40-year-old man with three awesome kids and a loving partner but I feel like I can barely show up to life. Honestly, I can’t believe how tired and overwhelmed I feel! Advise?

A. I am sad to say you are not alone. I recently had another man in his 40s come to me feeling equally crummy and wondering what was going on. There is a common thread I find among my patients over the last ten years: They are more tired and stressed out than when I first started my practice over 26 years ago.

Here are some basic recommendations I give all my adult patients:

Get a routine physical and blood work annually. (To be honest, most guys I know put their health on the back burner until something is broken.)
Get quality sleep.
Drink 72 ounces of water per day.
Minimize connectivity with the news and social media and put your phone down as often as you can.
Get optimally fueled. Food quality, when it comes to vitamin and mineral density, has gone down over the last century. Yet our demands are as high as ever. Eat living foods like veggies and fruits. Minimize grains and packaged foods. Many of my patients will consume a quality multivitamin or incorporate a green drink daily into their wellness regime.
Keep your blood circulating. A body in motion stays in motion; A body at rest stays at rest.
Take time to connect with nature and smell the roses (aka: Live life, don’t let life live you.)

Stress Quench:

Save energy that you would otherwise spend overthinking things, worrying and be anxious. Then you’ll have more energy for more productive pursuits. Many of my patients use a blend of herbs called Stress Guard that include the amino acid L-theanine, derived from Green Tea, that helps with calmness of mind. It also includes herbs such as Licorice, Ashwagandha, Holy Basil and Skullcap along with B vitamins that help you “ADAPT” to the stresses of life. It is personally my favorite and one of the most recommend products in our office.

Male Stuff:
Once you control the stress in your life and don’t feel so depleted and worn down, then I routinely encourage my male patients to consider supplementing with Ginkgo, Damiana or Maca to help boost libido and support performance.

And even though the question was about being tired, stressed and overwhelmed, as guys, it is essential to remember to invest in overall male health. Be proactive relative to your prostate health with blends that incorporate Saw Palmetto, Pygeum, Zinc and Lycopene.

I hope this answered your question and you can move from merely surviving existence to truly thriving. And remember, the goal is to “Live Life and Don’t Let Life Live You!”

Peace and Abundant Blessings,
Dr. Chris Meletis, N.D.

About Dr. Meletis, N.D.

Chris Meletis, N.D., has more than 25 years of experience practicing natural medicine. Based in Portland, Oregon, he shares his vast knowledge with fellow healthcare providers and his patients, and generously give to those in need. A lecturer and author, Dr. Meletis as written over a dozen books and hundreds of national articles. He was named Naturopathic Physician of the Year in 2003 by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and was inducted into the National University of Natural Medicine Hall of Fame in 2018.