The Importance Of Monitoring Your Blood
Regular blood checks are essential for monitoring your overall health and detecting potential issues early, allowing for timely intervention and treatment. These tests provide valuable insights into your blood cell counts, cholesterol levels, and organ function, helping you make informed lifestyle choices to maintain or improve your well-being. By getting routine blood checks, you can proactively manage your health and reduce the risk of developing serious medical conditions.
Remember many health problems can be diagnosed or prevented by monitoring blood stats so speak with your GP to determine which tests you should consider and how often they should be carried out.
Here are just some of the examples of the importance of monitoring your blood.
Further Reading: Heart Health – Irregular Heartbeat: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment
Health Fix – The Importance Of Monitoring Your Blood
The Importance Of Monitoring Your Blood #1
Blood Pressure
Your blood pressure is the force at which your heart pumps blood around the body. High blood pressure (hypertension) can be a symptom of various different health problems ranging from diabetes to kidney disease. It can also lead to other health problems such as strokes, heart attacks or aneurysms.
Because high blood pressure displays no symptoms on its own, the only way to monitor it is via a blood pressure test. This is usually done by using a cuff on the arm. You can buy cuffs to measure your blood pressure at home or you can ask a doctor to measure your blood pressure if you are concerned that it may be high. Most pharmacies also offer a blood pressure test service.
Further Reading: Cardiovascular Health – 4 Lifestyle Tips for a Healthy Heart
The Importance Of Monitoring Your Blood #2
Blood Sugar Levels
Our blood is full of sugar (glucose), which our body converts into energy using insulin. If your blood glucose levels are too high, it can put you at risk of developing diabetes. This is when the body struggles to create enough insulin to convert blood sugar into energy. As a result, sugar builds up in the body and the kidneys have to work harder to remove it.
Blood glucose monitors can be used to measure your blood glucose levels using a small sample of your blood (usually only a tiny pinprick). You can buy these from many pharmacies. By monitoring your blood sugar levels, you can manage/prevent diabetes.
The Importance Of Monitoring Your Blood #3
Blood Cholesterol
One of the best ways to prevent cardiovascular disease (such as stroke or heart attack) is to keep your cholesterol at a healthy level.’
Cholesterol is a type of fat found in the blood. There is good and bad cholesterol. Your body needs some cholesterol for jobs like cell function, digestion and to help produce certain hormones, but too much ‘bad’ cholesterol can cause problems – such as build-ups that cause arteries to narrow. A lipid profile is a test used to measure cholesterol content in the blood. As with testing blood sugar content, cholesterol can often be tested using only a finger prick. If your cholesterol appears to be high, you can then take steps to lower it in order to prevent future problems like heart disease.
The Importance Of Monitoring Your Blood #4
From Deficiencies to Diseases
Blood samples can be used to test for many other health problems by inspecting the makeup of your blood for certain deficiencies or contaminants. Blood samples can test for include:
- Leukaemia
- STIs
- Thyroid disease
- Anaemia
- Pregnancy
If you think you may have a health problem, make an appointment to see you GP and ask for a blood test (they may recommend one anyway if they think it is necessary).
Alternatively, there are private companies that can carry out blood tests to check for health problems. As you get older, a doctor may offer you blood tests to check for various conditions that become higher risk as you get older, however it depends on where you live in the world as to whether you are entitled to these tests.
Photos by Muneer Ahmed Ok
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