The male midlife crisis is often made fun of but it can in fact be a distressing experience, a leading psychologist warns.

Midlife hits some men harder than others with some very real physical symptoms including depression and energy loss.

A poll of 1,000 men aged 40 and above said women are not alone when it comes to hitting a mid-life energy slump.

Over a third of men said they felt that they had lost their ‘spark’ when it comes to midlife and 58 per cent stated that they have gone through a midlife crisis at the age of 47.

It emerged, that half of men felt they lost their spark for life while going through a midlife crisis, with three in 10 saying they had to make a lifestyle change to boost their energy levels once they reached middle age.

Dr Meg Arroll, a psychologist for Healthspan who commissioned the research, said: ‘Reaching midlife can act as a significant milestone for many men and is a time when some men become keenly aware of their own mortality.

‘This can result in a profound sense of turmoil and confusion as life may not have turned out as envisaged (it rarely does). For some men, a way to cope with these feelings is to make life-changing decisions regarding relationships and money – as shown in the Healthspan survey a third of men questioned used spending to deal with their ‘crisis’.

‘However, this period of introspection doesn’t necessarily have to be negative – for some men middle age can in fact be positive, leading to more time spent with family, health kicks and getting back to once loved hobbies.’

A third of those in the survey said that they dealt with their midlife crisis by going on a spending spree to try and boost their mood during the crisis which they said they went through for a two-year-long crisis. A holiday, motorbike – and a tattoo are among the things men are most likely to buy during a midlife crisis the study has found.

Buying a new gadget, a sports car and even sex toys among the most common purchases.

Dr Sarah Brewer, GP and Healthspan Medical Director said: ‘Over a quarter of those surveyed had admitted that they had experienced some sort of health scare preceding their midlife spending spree.

‘Many others admitted they were experiencing niggling problems such as flagging energy levels which made them realise they were no longer invincible but ageing like everyone else.

‘As we move from our twenties onwards our cells become less efficient at producing energy due to falling levels of a vital promoter called Ubiquinol which acts like a spark plug for our cellular ‘engines’.

‘Reduced production of ubiquinol causes cells to function less efficiently, and I would advise anyone in their early forties to start taking Healthspan Ubiquinol to boost natural energy levels – I wouldn’t be without it.’

Agencies