Today's guest is Sarah Jeffries. 
Sarah is a registered nurse, has a Masters of Science in nursing, expertise in ER nursing, education and sleep therapy. She is married to Olympic bronze medalist ex-boxer Tony Jeffries and Mum to 3 young girls, Jayde, Jessie and Jodie in Los Angeles CA. She is born and bred in Sunderland UK and the founder of 'The Greatest
sleep.com and YouTube channel'. She is now changing the way medical health, mental health, sleep and so much more is available to learn and use.
In this interview, we discuss:
- Men's health red flags you shouldn't ignore.
- How to source valid, reputable health information.
- How to sleep better.
- Mental health warning signs to look for.
- And so much more!
Here are some key points that I would advise you to concentrate on
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- We need to rise about the embarrassment of having something wrong with us and just ask for help - the nurse and doctors have seen it all and just want to help you get better, its a small dose of courage to book an appointment, but it could potentially help stop something serious. IF you have something wrong, get it seen to!
- Stop relying on others and social media for your health information - if the site has a .com or .co.uk address it is unlikely to be an unbiased source. Use the sources Sarah suggest to find reputable information to help you make up your mind.
- Show empathy and be kind to others who disagree with you, most will not be open to a discussion as our beliefs can be rooted in too strong an emotion to listen, but be kind to all as we are all going through a tough time and we will never know the challenges others are going through.
- As soon as you see something wrong, get it checked. Most men are waiting to the point it is seriously wrong and then go to a doctor and be then it might have caused a lot of damage to you, sometimes irreversible.
- You need to setup regular checks on your blood pressure, cholesterol, prostate etc.
- Speak to others, ask for help, be open, and be vulnerable. Ask for assistance as you need. Your courage and forward thinking might help others pay attention to their own health.
- Ask more questions when you visit the doctor or nurse, ask for information - there is no silly questions, but if it is on your mind, ask it!
- Remove the stigma on mental health, if you are struggling, open up to your doctor or nurse and they can help. If you had a broken leg you'd ask for help and take treatment, so why would a mental health issue be different than a physical health issue? It's not, treat the brain like an organ! Everyone has a different brain chemistry, you are not weaker if you are being affected by something and someone else isn't.
- There are a lot more support methods available for mental health, please do not sit and suffer in silence. There is treatment and habit changes that can help you, please do not suffer.
- How well you sleep is a big indicator of your overall health.
- Screen use, and exposure to blue light before bed can be devastating to sleep quality - stop using screens as much as possible two hours before bed.
- Medical training and education is improving all the time, just because something couldn't be helped or fixed before, doesn't mean there might not be a way to fix it now.
