Your body is amazing. It tells you when it is hungry, when it is tired, how much to eat, when to slow down and when to rev it up. In short, our bodies tell us more a lot more than our brains do. But sometimes those signals get a little lost in translation.
So when things go awry and we are not sure what to do, why do we always whip out our Cigna health insurance cards and visit the doctor? While many problems can be assessed by invasive tests (blood tests. Ouch!), our body will often tells us what is wrong. All we have to do is decode what your body is telling you.
Here is how to decode what our bodies are telling us.
The whites of your eyes are red. Dryness, allergies and irritation are often the biggest causes. If the red is consistent and persistent you might have pink eye, which can be a bacterial or viral infection. It is often remedied by a prescription. If your eyes are consistently itchy, watery and a little goobery, your allergies may have taken over your eyes. Opt for eye drops that contain an antihistamine, whether over the counter or prescription.
Your urine is dark yellow. For starters, you are not drinking enough water. When you are sufficiently hydrated your urine should be pale or clear. Amp up your water intake to see a change. However, certain things can change the tint of your urine. Certain vitamins or teas can dye your urine darker. And that is a good sign. Dark urine after taking a vitamin means that your body is absorbing all of the nutrients from the pill. If not, you might get a different vitamin that absorbs quicker.
The whites of your eyes are yellow. This is a sure fire sign of jaundice. While you might be able to use this as a self-diagnosis tool, this is not one problem that you want to wait out. Visit the doctor immediately because jaundice could be a sign of a dysfunctional liver.
You are craving salt. Your body is really telling you that you are stressed out, seriously. Your adrenal glands (the muscle behind your adrenaline) holds sodium. When you are stressed, your adrenal glands go on over drive and the sodium levels fall, which leads to a salt craving. Craving to reach for a bag of chips or anything salty you can get your hands on? Take time to relax and de-stress.
If you toss and turn all night. Sadly, you might be someone who suffers from a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea or restless less syndrome. To combat this exhausting problem, look at your habits. Are you getting enough exercise? Do you eat well? Are you depressed? Your answers can severely affect the quality of your sleep. Make some changes and you won’t be counting sheep anytime soon. If not, you should visit a sleep clinic for a sleep study. You might have an underlying problem.