Hi lovelies,

When you want to take care of yourself and want to take care of your health, then it can go a long way to helping both your physical and mental health. So it is so important that you make sure that you have some regular health check-ups, as they can identify some early signs of particular health issues. If you find problems early on, then it can mean that your chances for getting some effective treatments are greatly increased. There are a lot of factors, like your age, your current health, your family history, as well as some lifestyle choices, and they can all impact on how often you will need to have check-ups.

Why regular health checks are important
It is such a good idea to visit your doctor regularly, but don’t think that it has to be when you are just feeling unwell. Even if you are healthy, then health checks can make such a difference. The reason for these visits means the following:

• You can check for current or any emerging medical problems. The sooner things are dealt with, the less of a problem they can become

• You’ll be able to assess your risk of having any future medical issues or particular hereditary issues

• A check up can prompt you to start (or maintain) a healthy lifestyle

• You can get up to day with things like vaccinations

Health checks are something that are usually incorporated into part of your routine medical care. Your doctor will often look into particular checks when you are going to the doctor for another reason, like when you have a cold or other issues. Then your doctor can tell you how often you should be having these checks. But do look into this and how often you should have the checks, just in case you don’t get the reminder. When you have a health check it is also a time to think about and examine your lifestyle so that you can see what kind of improvements can be made. 

Regular health checks for adults
There are regular health checks that will identify the early warning signs of certain diseases or illness. Things like heart disease, diabetes and even some cancers can be quite often picked up in early stages, and that be when treatments can be even more successful. If you have high-risk factors, like family history with a certain condition, then it might mean that you are more likely to develop a certain disease. If you have a high risk of something in particular, then it could be a good idea to have more frequent health checks, at an even earlier age. 

Some of the tests to check are things like:

• Blood pressure: if you have your blood pressure checked and it was found to be normal, then just checking it occasionally is important. If you are over 40 years, there can be a few things that can raise your blood pressure and lead to some health problems.

• Hearing and eyesight: your hearing and your eyesight are both things that tend to deteriorate with your age. There can be some serious conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, or tinnitus that can occur through these deteriorations. When you check ahead of time, then you can get things like hearing devices that offer tinnitus treatment, as well as drops for your eyes and so on. Don’t leave things too long, especially if you have noticed problems.

• Bones: Advancing in age is normal, but with it, brings an increased risk factor for things like osteoporosis, for both men and women. You can get such a thing as a bone density test, that will help to determine the health of your bones. As a rule, people over the age of 50 should be tested for this. That is unlikely to be many of you right now, but a good idea to bear in mind for later down the line; it is often something that is forgotten about. 

• Breast screening: It is recommended that all women between the ages of 50–69 years go for breast screening every two years, for a mammogram. Again, this is unlikely to be any of you right now. But you never know down the line, especially if you have a maternal family history of breast cancer. Of course, you can check your own breasts at home, and see a doctor if you notice changes.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to health and health screenings. But being aware and keeping your own checks up to date is so important; which appointment will you be making first?

This is a collaborative post.