Hopefully you’ve done a biometric screening at your workplace (if not, please click here—for your own good!). If you’ve done a screening at work, you probably noticed that some of your employees were less than thrilled about it.
At any biometric screening, some people will be scared of needles or getting their fingers stuck. Some might be worried about the time spent at the screening, or even annoyed to be taking time out of their work day.
Almost every screening attendant, though, will probably be at least a little worried about what their screening results will say. They will be nervous that their numbers will fall in unhealthy ranges.
It’s important that your employees understand that a biometric screening is just a snapshot of their health at any given moment. It shows them what their numbers are on the day and at the time of your screening—which can be an excellent indicator of overall health, but it doesn’t always paint the whole picture.
Each employee’s snapshot can be impacted by what they’ve done in the few days before the screening. That’s because some of the health metrics at a biometric screening event are pretty sensitive. They pick up on subtle behaviors your employees take part in.
There are things that your employees can do to make sure their health snapshot is as accurate and as healthy as possible. By paying close attention to their habits leading up to their screening, they’ll be able to display the healthiest numbers possible for them—or the numbers that are closest to their baseline health level.
Share with your employees these tips to help them have their healthiest biometric screening yet!
Binging on Treats
Binging on candy or fatty foods the day before or day of your screening can really impact your results. Metrics like blood sugar and cholesterol can be directly impacted by the things you eat—especially if you’ve thrown moderation out the window.
Excessive Drinking
Drinking a lot of alcohol the night before can also mess with your screening results. As your body tries to recover and purge the alcohol from your system, it’ll be working in ways that aren’t necessarily normal for you. Your blood sugar and blood pressure can start to skyrocket.
Don’t Stress
And don’t come from a stressful event. Stress impacts your blood pressure almost instantly. If you’re stressing over a big project while at your screening, or if you walk in straight from a big meeting, you’re likely to have a higher-than-normal blood pressure reading.
Know Your Meds
We don’t suggest stopping any prescribed medications before getting your screening, but it is important to know which medications you’re on, how they interact with one another and what the potential side effects might be. All of those things can lead to whacky screening results.
Fast (if you can)
Fasting from food and beverages (besides water or black coffee/tea) is one of the greatest ways to ensure accurate screening results. It’s important to fast for 9-12 hours for the best results. For this reason, many screenings are in the morning. Just try to remember to skip breakfast that day.
Stay Calm and Still
During all of the different tests at your biometric screening, it’s important to stay calm and sit still. Your body’s best health level will be when you are at rest. That way your body won’t be trying to compensate for anything else you might be doing while trying to get screened.
Just Be Normal
The easiest way to ensure an accurate screening that truly represents your health is to just act normally. In the days leading up to your screening, go through your usual routine. Eat the things you’d usually eat, exercise as much as you’d usually exercise, work like you’d usually work. Just act natural, and you’ll get your most natural results.
A biometric screening is an excellent peek into the health of your workforce. But it’s just that—a peek. In order to get the most accurate, healthy screening results possible, your employees can be wary of the healthy choices they make leading up to their screening.
How accurate do you think your biometric screening was this year?
