Looking after your health

Caring can be rewarding but it can also be very tiring, placing demands on your physical and emotional energy. As a carer you need to be as healthy as possible. When you are simply coping day to day and responding to the needs of others, it's easy to forget your own health needs.

Research has shown conclusively that caring for others can have a major impact on your health and wellbeing. Carers are significantly more likely to be in poor health - both physical and emotional - than people without caring responsibilities.

There are physical injuries to be aware of, especially your back if you are lifting and moving someone. However the main health risks come from the worry, lack of sleep and depression that caring can bring. Carers often have to fight and battle for the support they get and this  wears you down. All this can lead to high blood pressure and stress-related illness.

Carers often put their own needs last. But remember - the better your physical and emotional wellbeing, the better you will be able to cope with the demands of caring.