Maintaining good health takes effort. It is not something you should take lightly. Irrespective of how hectic your schedule is, you should take the time to eat your meals at appropriate hours and fit in an exercise regime. Failure to maintain a healthy lifestyle can result in several health issues. If your lifestyle is sedentary, you may begin noticing some signs of deteriorating health. These signs and symptoms could indicate a serious medical condition like stroke or diabetes. Listen to your body carefully and pay attention to these health warning signs mentioned below.

1) Warning signs of a heart attack -

The heart is the most important organ in the body – when the heart stops working, nothing else does. Heart attacks can be triggered by various factors such as poor lifestyle choices (which include regularly eating a very high-fat meal, leading an inactive lifestyle, and smoking), stress, high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes, and high levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. Though some heart attacks are immediate and intense, most attacks start slowly with mild chest discomfort or upper body pain. Often people are unable to figure out what’s wrong and they wait too long before getting medical help.

Here are some heart symptoms you shouldn’t ignore:

● Chest discomfort: You may feel an uncomfortable pressure or sensation of squeezing, fullness, or pain in the centre of the chest. The discomfort may last a few minutes or it may go away and come back.
● Discomfort or pain in the upper body: You may have pain in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or abdomen.
● Difficulty in breathing
● A cold sweat
● Nausea or vomiting
● Fainting
● Light-headedness

2) Warning signs of a stroke

A stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted. It’s a medical emergency. In case one doesn’t seek medical help, the chance of stroke-related brain damage can increase. Here are a few body warning signs for a possible stroke.

● Sudden numbness or weakness or paralysis of the face and limbs
● Difficulty speaking
● Sudden vision problems
● Sudden trouble walking or loss of balance or coordination
● Intense headache with no known cause

With an alarming rise in the occurrence of heart disease and stroke in India, it’s important that you plan for your health care so that you are financially protected in case of a sudden critical illness or a bodily injury. SBI General’s Critical Illness Policy provides you with coverage against 13 critical illnesses. The critical illness health insurance policy is available in two plan options - 1-year plan and 3-year plan. The minimum coverage available under SBI General’s Critical Illness Policy is for Rs. 2,00,000 and the maximum is for Rs. 50,00,000.

3) Warning signs of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes -

Prediabetes is when your blood sugar levels are slightly higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnostic for diabetes. If you are prediabetic, your odds of developing type 2 diabetes are higher. Many people with prediabetes show no symptoms. However, there may be warning signs such as

● increased thirst
● a feeling of being tired most of the time
● a frequent desire to urinate

These are health symptoms you should never ignore. Yes, these signs are easy to overlook, but you need to be alert and watch out for the warning signs to catch the disease before it strikes.

Many people might not know that they have type-2 diabetes until it starts affecting their health. Schedule an appointment with your doctor right away if you notice these medical warning signs:

● excessive thirst and hunger
● frequent urination
● unexpected weight loss
● blurry vision
● unusual fatigue or cuts and bruises that are slow to heal

A critical illness policy should not be an afterthought

Taking care of your health and safeguarding it shouldn’t be an afterthought. Life follows no fixed rules, and a sudden critical illness can leave you financially vulnerable. As such, you need both; an all-encompassing health insurance policy as well as a dedicated critical illness policy.

Disclaimer: The above information is indicative in nature. For more details on the risk factor, terms and conditions, please refer to the Sales Brochure and Policy Wordings carefully before concluding a sale.