“Know how to check cholesterol independently at home so that the results are accurate. Starting from preparing the right examination tools to cleaning hands before the examination.
Cholesterol has important functions in the body, such as producing hormones to vitamin D. However, you must keep cholesterol levels stable in the body so that the amount does not increase.
Too much cholesterol in the body increases the risk of various diseases, such as heart problems. Apart from health facilities, you can also check your cholesterol levels independently at home. Check out how to check cholesterol at home so you get optimal results.
How to Check Cholesterol at Home
When cholesterol is too high, it can cause plaque buildup in the arteries. So, if left unchecked, this condition increases the risk of heart attack or stroke in sufferers.
Knowing the condition of cholesterol levels every day is very helpful if you have a history of high cholesterol. This is done as a step to control your health condition.
If your cholesterol level is high enough at the time of checking, you can immediately take the right steps to reduce or prevent cholesterol from getting worse.
Apart from checking cholesterol levels at a hospital or health facility, you can also check cholesterol independently at home. However, there are various things that you need to pay attention to and prepare properly so that you can get accurate results.
You need a tool to measure body cholesterol levels. If you have prepared, do the following steps:
- Wash your hands to make sure your hands are clean.
- Then, wipe the tip of the finger where you will take the blood sample using alcohol to make it more sterile.
- Prick the fingertip that has been cleaned using a lancet.
- Press the finger until the blood sample comes out. Place it on the test strip.
- Insert the test strip into the cholesterol meter that has been provided.
- Wait a few moments to find out the amount of cholesterol in the blood.
You can also use a cholesterol test kit without a meter. Usually, the results of a test kit without a meter can be seen from the test strips you use. When the test strip is dripped with a blood sample, the color of the test strip may change.
The change in color or the final color that appears indicates how much cholesterol is in the blood. You can match it with the cholesterol value that is usually provided on the tool.
How Accurate is Self Cholesterol Check at Home?
There are various types of tools to measure the amount of cholesterol levels that you can get easily at the pharmacy. This makes the examination results also not 100 percent accurate.
It's best not to use the results of an independent cholesterol check as a measure of your health condition. The results of this check should only be used as an estimate and not a substitute for the results of tests carried out by a medical team or hospital.
Even if you get good results from measuring your cholesterol at home, it is still important to consult your doctor. This is done so that your health condition is always well maintained, so you can avoid various complications due to high cholesterol. Tips for Controlling Cholesterol Levels
In addition to checking regularly, you also need to adopt a healthy lifestyle so that cholesterol levels remain stable. Here are tips on controlling cholesterol levels that you can do at home:
- Do physical activity or exercise regularly to lower bad cholesterol levels in the body.
- Avoid consuming a variety of foods that contain bad fats, such as fried foods, fatty foods, and fast food.
- Increase your intake of fruits, vegetables and soluble fiber.
- Keep your weight to stay ideal.
- Avoid smoking.
Those are some simple ways you can do at home to control cholesterol levels. Don't forget to always take medication and other treatments recommended by your doctor.