4 IMPORTANT INDICATORS OF YOUR HEALTH
What’s Your Number? Not your phone number. Your health number! There are four important numeric measurements of aspects of your health that you should always know. Your blood pressure, your blood sugar, your oxygen saturation & your body mass index! Although some illnesses & conditions are hereditary, meaning it’s in your family history. These health factors are easily impacted by the lifestyle choices you make.
Blood Pressure
It’s a good indication of one’s risk level for cardiovascular events or diseases, such as a heart attack, as well as cerebrovascular accidents such as a stroke.
Good blood pressure readings should be between 120mmHg - 129mmHg for systolic blood pressure readings and 80mmHg - 89mmHg for diastolic blood pressure.
Blood Sugar
The blood sugar test is a key indicator of one’s risk of diabetes. According to the CDC Regular blood sugar monitoring is the most important thing you can do to manage type 1 or type 2 diabetes. A good Fasting blood Sugar Level should be between 5.6mmol/L - 6.9mmol/L.
Body Mass Index
The body mass index is a good indicator of healthy weight. This is because being underweight, overweight, or obese could be associated with a panoply of chronic health conditions. To obtain BMI Simply divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared.
The BMI scale in kg/m²⁷:
18.5 to 24.9 = healthy
25 to 29.9 = overweight
30 and above = obese
18.4 and under = underweight
Oxygen Saturation
Measuring oxygen can provide a rapid tool to assess oxygenation accurately. Oxygen saturation measures how much Hemoglobin is currently bound to oxygen compared to how much Hemoglobin remains unbound. Hypoxemia (oxygen saturation less than 92%) can lead to many acute adverse effects on individual organ systems. These include the brain, heart, and kidneys.
Normal oxygen saturation >95%.
At IGH, we offer these for free! Keep up with your health by regularly checking your vitals. Walk in to our facility any day and one of our healthcare professionals will be at your service. Call us on +220 2866200 for more information.