Taking control of your health is a very smart thing to do. While of course, you should seek proper medical care from your doctor whenever you need it, you can do a certain amount of healthy control yourself. Even some health checks can be done at home yourself, which can help you to monitor your health and make informed choices about your health.
- Take your temperature. The temperature of your body can tell you if have a fever. A normal temperature for adults is around 37℃, but this will vary according to age, time of day, and which part of the body you take the temperature from. Check your temperature when you’re in good health, so you know what it should be, which gives you something to compare to when you checking for fever.
- Blood pressure. Having high blood pressure makes you a major risk factor for strokes, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney disease. There can be no warning signs, so taking your blood pressure is important. Blood pressure monitors are simple to use, and you can easily learn to measure blood pressure correctly. Make sure you’re in a calm environment when you do the test. If your blood pressure is high, you can help by cutting out salt, reducing your alcohol intake, eating more healthily, getting regular exercise, and keeping your weight in a healthy range.
- Testicular checks. All men should check the testicles regularly to discover lumps or swellings that could be an indication of cancer. You should check regularly, so you can easily recognise an abnormality. The best time to check is after a warm bath or shower. Hold your scrotum in the palm of your hand and use the fingers and thumb to examine your testes. If you feel anything unusual, see your doctor.
- Check your breasts. Women should be familiar with how their breasts look and feel at different points in their menstrual cycle. Breasts can change a lot, and usually for totally harmless reasons. Look for out for changes in the outline or shape of the breast, lumps, thickening or bumps, and changes to the nipple or skin, as these could be a sign of breast cancer. See a doctor as soon as you can if you notice these changes.
- Check your heart rate. Checking your heart rate first thing in the morning is a good indication of your general wellness. The normal range will depend on your health and fitness. Check every morning for a week to get a normal pulse rate. Check manually or use a heart rate monitor, fitness tracker or smartphone app. A change of 10 beats per minute can mean you are getting run down. Above 100 beats per minute indicates stress, dehydration, or illness.
- Waist fat measurement. A healthy weight is important, but it’s also important not to carry too much fat around the waist. If you do, you have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease. Measure your waist at the level of your belly button. If your waist measure more than 94cm for men and 80cm for women, you should try to lose weight.
