In this age of wide spread information, most people no longer wait till illness or disease creeps upon them before they visit a hospital. Paying attention to one’s health has become paramount, particularly because mortality rate associated with most diseases are reaching astronomical dimensions.



As the saying goes prevention is better than cure, and what better way is there to ensure we maintain optimal health than by knowing these very important health numbers and working towards keeping them normal at all times?



BLOOD PRESSURE: The numbers you get from reading your blood pressure gives you an idea of how well your heart functions and the flow of blood through your arteries. Normal blood pressure ranges between 100-130mmhg for the systolic, and 60-80mmhg for the diastolic. Measurements above 140mmhg for the systolic and 90mmhg for the diastolic are generally regarded as being abnormal. So if you notice this trend, you might want to quickly see an expert for follow up care and proper management. A blood pressure within normal range protects you from diseases like; stroke, hypertension and even heart attacks.



BLOOD SUGAR: Knowing your blood sugar number is also very important because of the problem of diabetes which reduces quality of life significantly. The bad news is that even children can suffer from this chronic disease. So we need to keep an eye on our blood sugar level by doing frequent checks from time to time. Normal blood sugar readings depend on the type of test done; whether Fasting or Random Blood Sugar. For RBS; figures greater than (80-120mg/dl) are considered abnormal. For FBS normal is (Less than or equal to 100mg/dl).



BLOOD CHOLESTEROL: A very important number to know is your cholesterol level. The higher this goes, the higher the risk for hypertension and cardiac arrest. Normal readings are: Total Cholesterol of 200mg/dl or lower, HDL (Good cholesterol of 50mg/dl or higher for women and 40mg/dl for men), LDL (Bad cholesterol of 100mg/dl or lower).



BODY MASS INDEX: This is an important health number that helps you know your ideal body weight in relation to your height. A high BMI predisposes to diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension etc. A BMI (below 18.5) is UNDERWEIGHT, (18.5-24.9) is HEALTHY, (25-29.9) is OVERWEIGHT, and (30 or more) is considered OBESE.



WAIST SIZE: This is also a good indicator of how healthy your heart is. I am sure every woman would love to get that tiny waist line that fits easily into her dream dress. But beyond beauty, medical research has proven that there is a strong connection between your waist line number and your heart health. Hence, the lower your waist size, the lower the risk of heart disease. A waist size of (35 inches or lesser) is normal for women, while (40 inches or lesser) is normal for men.



The crux of the matter is that your health is top priority and you certainly don’t want to be caught unawares. Do you know your health numbers? Why not book an appointment to see your doctor right away? You will be glad you did.



Stella Oladele