Top Five Health Monitoring Tools Everyone Should be Using

Despite being familiar with the old adage that knowledge is power, when it comes to their health, most people are completely in the dark about what’s going on in their bodies on a daily basis.

By monitoring various aspects of your health on a regular basis, you can proactively address issues before they turn into serious medical problems.

If you’re not interested in monitoring because you think it’s too time-consuming or difficult, you might want to consider investing in these five tools to make tracking your health easier than ever.

1. Fitness Tracker

The latest fitness tracking watches do a lot more than just count your steps (although that’s still an important feature that can help you make sure you’re moving enough throughout the day).

Many watches can also monitor your heart rate and sleep. Some even have a feature that monitors your body’s recovery and lets you know how long you should wait before your next workout!
 
2. Oral Thermometer

A simple oral thermometer isn’t just for proving to your mom that you’re too sick to go to school.

You can also gather a lot of important information about your body by taking your temperature on a daily basis. For example, a consistently low body temperature is associated with conditions like a slower metabolism or underactive thyroid.

You can also learn the following from tracking your temperature:

• Whether you’re recovering or coming down with an illness
• When you’re ovulating and most likely to conceive
• Whether your body has recovered from an intense workout (low body temperature  is a signal that you need more recovery time)

3. Digital Scale

Of course, when it comes to measuring health, weight is not the be-all end-all. But, when combined with information about your body fat percentage and muscle mass, the scale can be an important tool for measuring progress.

Digital scales that track body fat and muscle mass percentages typically are not as accurate as body scans that can be performed in a lab. But, they’re better than using nothing at all.

These scales are more affordable and accessible than a lab scan and, if used on a regular basis, they can be “consistently inconsistent.”

This means that, while they may not be totally accurate, you can still see downward or upward trends and use that information to make educated decisions about whether or not you need to modify your lifestyle.

4. Blood Pressure Monitor

If you only get your blood pressure checked once or twice a year at the doctor’s office, you’re not getting a very comprehensive picture of your health. Your blood pressure can fluctuate quite a bit throughout the day based on your activity level, your emotional state, and even the fullness of your bladder!

To truly understand your blood pressure, measuring it on a daily basis is essential.

There are lots of digital blood pressure monitors that can import data directly to your smartphone. Some can even take things a step further and send this data to your physician.

A blood pressure monitor isn’t a substitute for regular visits to your doctor, of course. But, if you’re diligent about tracking your blood pressure, you’ll have more data to present to your doctor during your visits, which will improve the quality of care they’re able to give you.

5. Medication Adherence Tools

Medication non-adherence is a serious issue, and between 25 and 50 percent of patients are guilty of it.

Whether you or a loved one is consistently forgetting to take your medication, it is important to stay on top of your prescriptions if you want to see actual improvement in your health and wellness.

Lots of pill reminder and pill tracking apps are available to download on your smartphone, tablet, or other digital device. Some of the tops ones are MediSafe, CareZone, and Pillboxie. The most common feature among these apps is an alarm that reminds patients to take their medication. Some also take things a step further by alerting a family member or caregiver if the user hasn’t taken their medication by a predetermined time.

Don’t remain in the dark when it comes to your health. Start using these tools today to gather important data about yourself before other symptoms start to appear.

This is a guest blog entry.