There are a large amount of people who refuse to visit a doctor until they feel so sick that they are worried they can not look after themselves anymore. The truth is that you can have a better chance of curing or totally averting some illnesses simply by keeping better track of your health. This means getting yourself checked out for a variety of things frequently whether you feel sick or not. Here are a number of the important health checks that need to be performed regularly.

Nobody is too old to get his or her height assessed. There is a real and honest reason that your doctor--no matter which variety you might be visiting--that you are asked to stand against the height chart on the wall just before every examination. People actually do shrink while they get older. After somebody turns forty they ordinarily begin to lose about half an inch of height over each decade. This becomes even bigger after a person grows to seventy years of age. If you are losing more than that or are losing height before you turn forty this may be a sign of osteoporosis or other health problems. This is why it is very important that you keep an extremely close eye on your height—even if you only measure yourself at home.

You need to monitor your blood pressure. Blood pressure is known to give rise to things such as stroke, hypertension, heart attack and other health risks. You really want your blood pressure to stay low--obviously certainly not too low--but within the healthy range for your age, weight and height. Ask your doctor where your blood pressure needs to be and then get it checked out regularly to be sure that you're still in a healthy place. Almost any grocery store and pharmacy has a blood pressure checker that is either free or very cheap to use to evaluate your pressure. If the numbers appear different than they need to ask your physician the reason the numbers may be off and what you can do to get them back on track. You could steer clear of all kinds of health problems if you keep your blood pressure in a healthy range.

Check your hearing on a regular basis. Hearing loss is something we often don’t begin to notice until it is too late. Hearing loss often leads to feelings of isolation and can be an early indicator of cognitive function loss and other psychological issues. Take part in the no cost screenings if they are offered locally and ask your doctor to do routine checks whenever you are in for a check up. This will allow you to take preventative actions to protect your hearing for as long as you can.

This may not appear to be all that big a deal but the actual truth is that they all contribute to our general health right now and as we age. The genuine truth is that it is important to monitor what goes on in your body. Even tiny changes may be a sign of a bigger problems. Talk to your health care provider about things you need to keep an eye on and what you need to be checking on a regular basis.