If you’re a busy professional, you’ll know how difficult it is to keep on top of all your health requirements. Giving up time in your day just to go for a screening often seems like a waste, especially if you feel healthy in the first place.
The secret is to choose the highest-value health checks that are going to have the biggest impact on your work and productivity. If you know which to choose, you can often get a high return on your investment, so that you’re better off overall compared to having not gone to a test at all.
Sleep apnea screening
One of the highest-leverage tests for busy professionals is a sleep apnea screening. These screens test whether you have obstructive sleep apnea and whether it is leading to sleep fragmentation, which could impact your productivity. Many professionals with frequent travel and high stress tend to have sleep disorders, which leads to daytime fatigue. Dealing with this is often a fast fix and requires simple treatments like CPAP machines or simply a reduction in body weight.
Hearing test
Another option that generates a lot of value is to go for a hearing test. These screenings take about half an hour and require you to listen to a series of noises through a pair of headphones in a test known as an audiogram. Hearing tests are of high value for busy professionals because they can identify problems with your hearing and help you focus more on what your colleagues are saying during meetings. You can listen more effectively on the phone, feel less frustrated, and feel less tired at the same time. Remember, straining to hear all the time is a leading cause of fatigue, so it’s something that you’ll want to avoid if you can.
Metabolic blood panel
If you can get a metabolic blood panel, that’s also a high-leverage test that can tell you how your health is doing overall. Many busy professionals forget about lifestyle and focus solely on their jobs, leading to chaos when it comes to their glucose levels and total cholesterol. When you go for a metabolic blood panel, ask for the most important tests, including:
- ApoB, which measures the number of plaque-causing particles in your blood
- Fasting insulin, which can catch insulin resistance
If you want to know how much inflammation is in your body, go for an HS-CRP test. This can tell you how much damage poor recovery and high stress are causing to your body. You can then use this information to make decisions on how to modify and adjust your lifestyle.
Colonoscopy screening
Finally, you might want to go for a colonoscopy screening at age 45 if you’re a busy professional. The research has recently lowered the recommended age from 55 because of the sheer number of people now experiencing this cancer. Colonoscopy screenings are preventative, not just diagnostic. Doctors can identify dangerous-looking polyps and remove them from your bowel before they turn into cancer and derail your high-flying career.
