Your garden shed can help make you healthier

According to health boffins in the UK the cold, dark, damp, insect infested, paint/grass smelling place known as the garden shed, is actually good for men’s health.

According to new research from the Leeds Metropolitan University, the solitude provided at the arse end of the garden in the confines of a shed could actually benefit men’s health as it provides a home away from home, for some of us at least.

The study, penned by Professor Alan White, was published in the British Medical Journal and it suggests that the peaceful retreat to the wooden hut could help to lower blood pressure. It also helps with men’s mental health, as tinkering around on a DIY project can help boost a man’s self esteem – assuming he finishes the project.

'Men find doing things relaxing and that in itself is good for their health,' said Professor White.

'There's a sense of achievement that men get from starting a task to seeing it through to completion.

'Men know what a shed means and they feel comfortable.'

Professor White’s study, The State of Men’s Health in Europe, shows the marked differences between the health of men and women in Europe. It shows how men are much more likely to die of the leading causes of death compared to women. It also found that in Europe, men account for more than twice as many deaths as women.

Professor White hopes that by finding little niche ways to help men’s health, such as heading down the shed for a few hours over the weekend, could ‘turn the tide’ on the state of men’s health in Europe.

Sure, the shed is a great place to escape the missus and the kids for a few hours anyway. You could even turn your shed into a ‘man cave’. It’s for the sake of your health after all.