5 SNEAKY SIGNS YOU’RE LESS HEALTHY THAN YOU THINK
Monitoring your health can be a great way of optimising your well-being, but how accurate are your insights? Most people assume that they’re a lot healthier than they really are, which can lead to them overlooking important signs of ill health.
As well know, early diagnosis and intervention are vital when it comes to treating illnesses and injuries, which is why it’s so important to have a good idea of how healthy you really are. To help you gain an insight into your well-being, take a look at these five sneaky signs you’re less healthy than you think:
You Get Frequent Headaches
It’s not unusual for people to get tension headaches but this doesn’t mean they should be ignored. Frequent headaches, in particular, can be a sign of an underlying health condition. Pain behind the eyes could signify a sinus infection, for example, while cyclical headaches could be caused by a hormone imbalance. Instead of taking painkillers to deal with frequent headaches, make an appointment with your doctor to determine what’s causing them.
Your Medical Devices Are Inaccurate
Medical devices, such as blood sugar monitors and CPAP machines, are essential for people with diagnosed conditions. Similarly, wearable devices, like fitness monitors, are a popular way for people to assess and optimise their health. However, relying on these devices is only beneficial if they’re fully functional and accurate.
If you’re not experienced in using these types of devices, it can be hard to know when they’re not working properly. In some cases, this can even lead to illness or injury. While a CPAP lawyer or a faulty product attorney may be able to help you take legal action, vigilance can help you to avoid the damage caused by faulty medical devices. If you’re unsure whether a device is working properly or whether readings are accurate, contact your prescribing physician or the manufacturer for assistance.
Your Eyes Are Tired
If you have a busy schedule or you haven’t been sleeping well, it’s easy to assume that it’s causing your eyes to become tired, but this isn’t always the case. Maintaining focus for too long can be a primary reason why your eyes are becoming excessively tired. If you spend long periods of time staring at a screen or doing close up work, for example, this could be impacting your eye health.
Another common cause of tired or irritated eyes are seasonal allergies, which can often be successfully treated without too much effort. By eschewing your assumptions and finding out what’s really causing your symptoms, you’ll be able to find an effective treatment to resolve or minimise them.
Your Fingernails Are Pitted
Your nails can provide a great deal of information when it comes to your health but many people don’t realise just how much insight can be gained by assessing their nails. Small depressions in the nails, also known as pitting, can be a sign of joint inflammation or skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis, for example.
Similarly, pale nails could be a symptom of poor cardiovascular health, liver disease or anaemia, while dry and cracked nails can indicate a problem with thyroid function. If you notice any changes to your nails, it’s well worth contacting your doctor for advice as you might be surprised at the number of underlying health issues that can become apparent via this part of your body.
Your Skin is Dry
It’s quite common for environmental factors, like cold weather or harsh winds, to cause the skin to dry out to some extent, but this isn’t the only reason that skin can become dry. Hormonal changes, dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, diabetes, hypothyroidism and allergies can cause the skin to become dry too, so it’s important to determine whether an underlying medical condition is affecting your skin.
While lifestyle or environmental changes, such as using a richer moisturiser, can alleviate dry skin, treating the cause is an important way of enhancing your health.
Monitoring Your Health
Now you know some of the signs to look out for, you’ll be able to monitor your health more easily. Of course, nothing is a substitute for visiting your doctor and having regular checks, so make sure you do this on a routine basis. However, the better we know our own health, the quicker we’re able to act when something’s wrong. Furthermore, having a greater insight into your own well-being will give you the knowledge and motivation you need to be proactive about maintaining and improving your well-being.