When it comes to health issues over the last year or so, we don’t need to tell you that we’ve all had our eye on what’s right in front of us. Making sure that we are taking every possible precaution to protect ourselves against COVID-19 has been a huge part of every single day since at least March 2020. And it hasn’t just been worrying about contracting the virus itself. It’s been trying to make sure that we don’t end up having to go to the hospital with something else and risk catching it there. Our physical health has been a source of constant anxiety. Still, doesn’t it feel as though we have all done a very good job of trying to ignore the everyday problems?
It’s only natural given how colossally difficult the last year or so has been that we would ignore the little things. But it’s not just about having our pain reduced or discomfort got rid of. We need to be taking care of these issues now, as a problem never gets better because you ignore it. Indeed, sometimes these issues are an early warning sign of something worse on the horizon.
Now that things are starting to go back to something resembling normal and we can make some non-urgent appointments, it is high time that we start listening to what our bodies and our minds are telling us. Here are just a few of the health issues that you need to stop ignoring.
Tooth Pain Or Bleeding Gums
It doesn’t matter how old you are. If you find going to the dentist to be a difficult or anxiety-provoking experience, you will generally take any excuse for not going. Now, during the worst of the pandemic people were discouraged from visiting the dentist unless it was an emergency. Now that we can all breathe a little easier, you really should think about booking in to get that long-running issue taken care of.
Tooth pain is an absolute nightmare to live with and it really is true that it won’t go away if you just pretend it isn’t there. If you leave dental issues unattended to, they can get worse and worse. What could have been solved with a filling may suddenly need a root canal or a tooth removal to fix. What’s more, something like bleeding gums can be the first sign of a much more serious issue. Your dentist can spot the early stages of a range of different health conditions which is one of the reasons why it’s so important that you go regularly.
Pain Or Discomfort After Eating
We are all familiar with the feeling that something that we’ve eaten hasn’t agreed with us. It can be a sharp pain in your stomach, a tightness or swelling, or issues with bowel movements. When it happens, we tend to weather it out and hope that whatever the problem was has passed for good. It’s when these situations become a regular occurrence that you need to have a serious think about your diet. One of the problems with avoiding diet-related pain or discomfort is that it’s not always easy to identify what’s causing you so much trouble. And if it’s something like gluten or lactose, you may need to make some serious changes in your routine.
One of the best ways that you can weed out a dietary troublemaker is by testing for food intolerances. A simple hair test can identify what you might be struggling to cope with. If you want to learn more about how to identify a food intolerance, visit Check My Body Health. They have a range of different tests available that can test up to 970 different key food and drink items. Their tests are subject to regular inspections and third-party verifications for your peace of mind.
Pain Or Shortness Of Breath While Exercising
We may have all started the first lockdown by conscientiously doing an exercise routine every morning and stretching out with some yoga at the end of the day, but if we are being completely honest with ourselves: how many of us kept it up all the way through the pandemic? Now that the sun is out again and we’re all getting back out there, a lot of us are finding that we may not be in the same kind of shape that we were back in February 2020. It’s important to remember that, if you are getting back into an exercise routine again after a long period of not having one, you need to take things at a sensible pace. Don’t rush yourself into long periods of exercise that push you to your limit. Be careful and try to build your fitness levels slowly rather than rushing into anything.
If you find that you are regularly struggling with shortness of breath even after a very small amount of exercise, or if you notice that you have some sharp chest pains, then you need to talk to your doctor as soon as possible. It could be nothing at all, but these are common warning signs that your heart is struggling.
Think About Your Cholesterol Levels
We all enjoyed more takeaways than was probably healthy during the pandemic. We were all looking for ways to self-soothe, and there is definitely something comforting about a cheeseburger, a pizza or a milkshake. But the fact is that regular indulgence in the salty, the sweet and the fatty treats will push your cholesterol to unsafe levels. Even if you aren’t technically overweight, you could be putting an awful lot of strain on your body with unhealthy diet choices.
How can you turn this around? It’s actually pretty simple. To lower your cholesterol, you can start by cutting out those problematic meals that we mentioned above, and you should look at saying goodbye to those treat snacks in between meals. Try to eat more lean meats like chicken or fish (the latter of which has healthy fats and loads of great minerals). Get more fruit and vegetables into your diet, and make sure that you are exercising regularly. Get a brisk walk or jog in before or after work and try some gentle cardio to get your heartrate up. These simple good choices will help you to lower your cholesterol in no time.
Keep Talking About Your Mental Health
Finally, a note on mental health. It seems like there’s barely a week that goes by without a news item on the impact of the pandemic on our mental health, and you might be wondering what you can do about taking better care of yourself. The first step is simply listening to what your brain is telling you. If going to a bar with your friends feels like too much to deal with, stay home. If you need to take a mental health day, try to ignore the voice in your head that says that you’re asking too much. Try to talk to your friends and family about how you’re doing.
It can often feel like you’re going through mental health issues alone, but you will be surprised by how many people out there understand exactly what you are going through. Don’t push yourself to the point of burnout by pushing everything down and telling yourself it will get better later. Addressing these issues now will lead to brighter days down the road.
