Preparing for a Life Insurance Medical Exam

If you are trying to get the best rates possible on your life insurance, you’ll need to plan for your medical exam. Don’t make the mistake of assuming you are in good health and not preparing for the exam. One ‘red flag’ during the exam and you could find yourself with hefty rates that you cannot afford.

[sc_content_link label=”Get today’s insurance rates.” cat=”life”]

Use the following tips to help you get the best results possible from your exam.

Eat Health and Drink Water

During the week or two leading up to your medical exam, make sure you drink plenty of water and eat healthily. This won’t transform any issues that are already apparent in your body, but it will help certain levels that the insurance company will test when drawing your blood.

Namely, avoid any of the following in excess:

• Sugar
• Salt
• Alcohol
• Fat

Any of these items in excess can lead to elevated levels in your blood, which could mean higher premiums. They could affect things like your blood pressure or cholesterol. Eating healthy for a few weeks beforehand can even things out and keep your levels down.

Don’t Exercise Before the Medical Exam

This may seem counterintuitive, but exercise can cause your levels to be out of whack when you go to the doctor. Exercise can increase your blood pressure, which you probably know, but don’t want the doctor thinking that is your normal rate. It can also increase the amount of protein in your urine, which could be indicative of other things that are wrong within your body, raising that red flag that you don’t want to raise.

[sc_content_link label=”Shop and compare insurance quotes.” cat=”life”]

Stay Calm

We know, this is easier said than done, but it’s important. Stress can cause all kinds of havoc on your body. It can cause high blood pressure and cause issues with your digestive system. Again, these are just things that could throw up red flags during your medical exam.

During the week or two leading up to the exam, try to do things that make you feel good. Take long walks, read a book, or just take time for yourself. If there’s something bothering you, make sure you have someone that you can talk to so that you can get it off your chest. Harboring your feelings inside will only cause issues within your body.

Don’t Eat Right Before the Medical Exam

Your insurance agent will likely tell you how long you have to fast before your medical exam, but definitely, don’t eat the morning of the exam. Typically, you’ll need to fast for 12 hours in order to get accurate test results. If you eat, it could mess up your blood tests and give the insurance company results that are not an accurate picture of your health. This could result in higher premiums than you anticipated.

Most importantly, don’t feel stressed! If you go to the appointment anxious, your blood pressure will likely be higher which can cause issues for you down the road. If you are nervous, talk to the examiner about taking your blood pressure last. After you get through some of the procedures, you might find that you feel better, which will lower your blood pressure. If you do feel that anything is inaccurate during your exam, talk with your agent to inquire about doing it over again. As always, though, be honest with your insurance agent. If there are any issues that you know are already there, let him know about it so that he can best steer you to the right product that you can afford.

[sc_content_link label=”Get the right insurance coverage.” cat=”home”]