What Your Vital Signs Can Reveal About Your Health

If you do not go to the doctor once a year for a physical exam, you should start now. A physical exam involves numerous steps including taking your vital signs, and did you realize that your vital signs can reveal a lot about your health? Your vital signs can help you find out if you have health problems, or if there are risks or concerns you should have. Here are several things you can learn simply from the doctor taking your vitals.

Heart Rate

One of the first vital signs the doctor may take from you is your heart rate, and this is done by taking your pulse. The rate at which your heart beats is important, because your heart is the central organ of your body that controls everything in your body. If your heart rate is normal, it should beat 60 to 100 times per minute. If your heart rate is above 100 beats per minute when resting, it may suggest heart problems.

In addition to taking your heart rate, the doctor will also listen to the way your heart beats. If your heart beats abnormally, it can be a sign of heart problems too.

Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a common problem with people who are older or overweight, but it is not something people can tell that they have. When you get a physical exam, the doctor will take your blood pressure to find out if it is normal. A normal blood pressure rate is 120 over 80. If yours is slightly above this, the doctor may not be concerned; however, he or she will be concerned if it is significantly higher. You may need to take medication for this or make some lifestyle changes, because having high blood pressure can lead to a variety of different health problems.

Oxygen Level

One other vital your doctor will examine is your oxygen level, and this is normally tested with a small device that is placed over your fingertip. This device is called a pulse oximeter, and it measures the amount of oxygen in your blood. The reading on the device should be somewhere between 95% to 100% if your oxygen level is normal. If it is below this, it may indicate some type of circulation problem in your body.

A lot of people avoid getting physical examinations because they do not want to know what is wrong with them. Unfortunately, you cannot treat a problem if you do not know it exists. If you want to get healthier, schedule an appointment with a doctor, such as at Summit View Clinic, for a physical exam today.


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