A history of eating greasy burgers every day or chain-smoking. These are things you can't hide in your system (heart, lungs) before a life insurance medical exam. But what about a beer the day before, salty chips, Red Bulls and espresso shots? These you might be able to temporarily hide. And, why should you? So you don’t skew your test results.
The night before a medical exam for your life insurance is important and shouldn’t be taken lightly. While the exam might only take 30 minutes to an hour, what you eat, drink, and do might show up in the results. And, that can determine the premiums you’re charged. So, here are a few things not to do right before your life insurance medical exam.
Some people avoid drinking water before their exam. But, you should drink plenty of water and have a full glass before your exam. This helps when you take your urine test and you won’t be dehydrated. Dehydration can make it hard for your phlebotomist to find a good vein when they do your bloodwork.
Work keeps calling you? Couldn't find parking? Doctor taking too long? Don't stress it. To avoid a faster heart rate and elevated blood pressure, stay calm before your exam. A healthy resting heart rate is 60-100 beats per minute (BPM). Want to find your resting heart rate? If it's over 100, it might be stress (hypertension) or tachycardia. Under 100, it might be bradycardia, sometimes found in sedentary senior citizens.
If your instructions indicate that you should fast, don’t eat anything. The blood test will show an elevated glucose or triglyceride level. If you forgot and ate something, tell the medical technician.
Coca tea or mate de coca can give a false positive indicating there’s cocaine in your system. Why? It’s made from raw or dried leaves from coca plants used to make cocaine. Coca tea is used to help with: But, it will metabolize in the body in a similar manner to cocaine. So skip the tea.
Another no-no is poppy seed bagels. And, not because those little seeds get caught in your teeth. Certain types of poppy seeds can lead to a positive opiate test result. Poppy seeds (Papaver somniferum) are oilseeds that come from the opium poppy. They have trace amounts of opiates but are not used to make opium. So, skip the poppy seed and “everything” bagels.
Avoid salty foods, cigarettes, and alcohol right before your test to improve your exam results. How?
While a good workout feels good, avoid this before your exam. Why? It can increase the protein levels in your urine temporarily. Increased protein is indicative of kidney problems.
Losing sleep and taking stimulants can increase your heart rate and blood pressure. Tips:
For some, an elevated heart rate comes from anxiety over seeing a doctor. Tips:
There are a few tips that can help you prepare for your exam:
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It helps to prepare before a life insurance medical exam. By avoiding excess caffeine, salt, alcohol and cigarettes you won’t throw off the test findings. And, you can score a better premium.
Also, compare affordable life insurance quotes from Canada's best insurance providers.