Yearly screenings are one of the most important aspects of a successful workplace wellness program. Results of these screenings can offer a lot of valuable insight to your overall health and provide you with your key health numbers, including body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol and HDL.
It’s normal for you to be a bit nervous about what your screening results will say. No one wants to see their numbers fall into unhealthy ranges! It’s important that you understand that a biometric screening is just a snapshot of your health at any given moment. It shows you what your numbers are on the specific day and time of your screening.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to make sure your screening results are as accurate and as healthy as possible. By paying close attention to your habits leading up to your screening, you’ll be able to display the healthiest and most natural numbers that are closest to your baseline health level.
Here are 5 tips to help you have your healthiest (and most accurate!) biometric screening yet:
1. Pay attention to sugar.
Be sure to keep an eye out for extra sugary foods the night before or day of your screening. Consuming too many sugary foods – like candy, fast food, or soda – the night before or the morning of your screening can impact your results. Metrics like blood sugar and cholesterol can be affected directly by the foods you eat. While it’s important to keep up with your regular diet to receive the most accurate results, it’s not a good idea to binge on candy or treats the night before.
2. Limit the drinks.
Drinking too much alcohol the night before your screening can also mess with your results. As your body tries to recover and purge the alcohol from your system, it’ll be working in ways that aren’t necessarily normal for you. Your blood sugar and blood pressure can start to skyrocket. If you want to indulge in a drink the night before, try to stick with just one for best results!
3. Try not to stress.
Stress impacts your blood pressure. So, try not to schedule your screening appointment after a stressful event. If you’re stressing over a big project while at your screening, or if you walk straight in from a big meeting, you’re likely to have a higher-than-normal blood pressure reading.
4. Know your meds.
There’s no need to stop taking any prescribed medications before your screening. But it is important to know which medications you’re on and what the potential side effects might be.
5. Understand your results.
One of the most important parts of your biometric screening experience is to be sure that you understand your results. You will get to chat with your screener and go over what your results mean. It’s important not to skip this step because without understanding what your numbers mean, you won’t know how to improve certain areas of your health.
To get the most accurate, healthy screening results possible, you should understand how your health behaviors might impact your results. Be sure to share the above tips with your fellow employees before your upcoming biometric screening event!