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Why you should do regular health checks
Hi guys, how are you doing? I hope you are well. Still on our drive to preventing the silent killer disease called high blood pressure, we look at why it is of upmost importance to undertake regular health checks (not just because of hypertension but for other diseases as well). Regular health checks should be accompanied with living a healthy lifestyle. Healthy habits or lifestyles may include the following:
- Ensuring you get a good night’s rest (at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep every NIGHT is recommended): Please note my emphasis on sleeping at night. When I was growing they were times I would stay up all night watching television or reading. My mum was always worried and would force me to go to bed as she believed that missing sleep / rest during the night is dangerous to one’s health and boy was she right. Studies have shown that shifted sleep appears to disrupt gene activities even more than depriving yourself enough hours of sleep at the appropriate time. Also, the World health Organization classifies night shift as carcinogen which increases risk of cancer. This as to do with the body’s melatonin levels and changes the body experiences when forced to stay awake during a time when there is no natural sunlight. Missing sleep in general for prolonged number of days is also very harmful to the health as it can cause mental health problems alongside tiredness and fatigue and in severe case may even lead to death. Yes, the experiment was carried out by Everson in 1989, but on rats not humans. In the experiment rats where deprived of sleep for some period. The result showed that depriving rats entirely of sleep resulted in their death or near dying state within 11 -32 days. So please never try to deprive yourself of sleep.
- Eating a healthy balanced diet. The saying we are what we eat is without a doubt true. To stay healthy and radiant, we need to sometimes sacrifice eating junk foods and eat healthy foods we normally would not eat. Look at it as sacrifice for the greater good. So do not over indulge in the burgers, chocolates, and sugary drinks and so on. Instead, eat some vegetables and legumes. You can pamper yourself once in a while with the junk food but don’t do it frequently.
- Avoid or limit stimulants such as alcohol and nicotine: My advice is that if possible, you should totally avoid alcohol, if not, you should limit the consumption of alcohol to one drink per day for female and two drinks per day for male. Smoking on the other hand which produces nicotine should be totally avoided as smoking leads to vascular complications of high blood pressure such as heart disease or stroke.
- Exercise: The importance of exercise in maintaining an health body cannot be over emphasized. To maintain a good physique and reduce blood pressure, it is advisable to indulge in at least 30 minutes of exercise every day.
- Maintaining good posture: This is also very important, you need to maintain a proper posture to allow you work more efficiently with less stress, fatigue and strain on your body’s ligaments and muscles.
Why should you be undergoing regular health checks?
Well you should endeavor to undergo regular health checks for the simple reason of early detection. If regular health checks are carried out, you can find some health problems before they even start. In some cases such as breast cancer, early detection is key as there is a much better survival chance if it is detected early. So simply put, early detection improves chances of treatment and cure for various diseases.
Recommended medical health checks to be done on a regular basis includes:
- Breast screening: As discussed above, early detection is key to survival in breast cancer cases. A breast screening will involve scanning for lumps by the individual or visiting an health clinic for an xray scanning or mammogram.
- Blood pressure tests: This is a test that is also easy to do with the help of a digital sphygmomanometer. The only thing needed to carry out that test is the device and some pair of batteries. You then fix the cuff in the proper manner and take your blood pressure reading. For more detailed information on taking your blood pressure reading, check out our guide on taking blood pressure measurement.
- Cholesterol tests: This is also an important test that should be taken regularly as high levels of cholesterol can build up in the arteries and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. You can check your cholesterol level in the comfort of your home with a cholesterol test kit without having to visit any hospital.
- Diabetes / blood sugar test: Diabetes test is to check your blood sugar level. If done on a regular basis, you are immediately informed when your sugar level begins to spike. This can also be done in the comfort of your home with a diabetes blood glucose testing kit. The normal range of blood sugar for someone who is not fasting on awakening should be under 100mg/dl. Before meal, normal blood glucose level are between 70 – 99mg/dl. After a meal (postprandial), the blood sugar level should be less than 140mg / dl.
So you see why regular health checks are important Remember the saying that prevention is better than cure. Early detection is the key to surviving terminal illnesses, and it sometimes prevents the disease from occurring. Ok people, that’s all for now, have a great day. Cheers!