Many people are so busy that sleep is the last thing on their minds. Many people work long hours and cut out sleep time in order to have more time for fun activities. Getting enough sleep can greatly affect a person’s overall health and fitness. The body needs enough sleep to recuperate from stressful daily activities. Not getting enough sleep can be harmful both mentally and physically. Even if a person exercises regularly, not getting enough sleep can wipe out the benefits of exercising. Lack of sleep is also associated with numerous other health problems including weight gain, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.Many times when people do go to bed they can not relax enough to fall asleep. There are a few things people can do to help them sleep better and improve their health and fitness. If possible people, that have trouble resting, should avoid caffeine. Caffeine takes a long time to metabolize, therefore the affects of caffeine can last a long time. This means that if someone has caffeine in the early afternoon, it could still have an effect on their ability to fall asleep late at night. People, who are having trouble sleeping, should avoid drinking alcohol. Even Though alcohol can make you tired, many times people who drink it wake up a few hours later and can not fall back asleep.There are a few other things people can do to get more sleep and improve their health and fitness. People, who are having trouble sleeping, should keep their room complete dark or as close to completely dark as possible. Not watching TV before bed will help keep the mind from becoming overstimulated. Not having a TV in the bedroom is the best way to resist the temptation to watch it before falling asleep. Many people find that listing to relaxation Cd’s, while they are in bed, helps them get a restful nights sleep. Keeping a journal and writing down thoughts before bedtime is another way to relax before falling asleep.If people try these things and are still worried about their health and fitness due to lack of sleep they should make an appointment to see their doctor. Their doctor can double check to make sure they are not taking any medication that could be keeping them awake. A doctor might also make suggestions on some vitamins or supplements to take to help them relax and sleep peacefully.

Did you know that healthcare expenses in India account for 4.1% of national GDP? In addition, private spending on healthcare (which means costs that the government will not bear) increases up to 70.8% of all country’s health expenditure, according to The Guardian. The alternative then for the common people is quite simple – investing in a small amount of preventive health checkups (which could be totally covered by your insurance) than shelling out large amounts during health crises.A preventive health checkup can help you in many ways. Not only you save yourself from the trouble of having to suffer through the symptoms of the disease, but it also saves money that you would otherwise be spending on hospital expenses. Continue reading to know why a preventive health checkup is worth the effort.Why Preventive Health Checkups?Most health experts agree that the best way to watch out for your health is annual health checkups. Here are some reasons to support the fact why this is important:Even your car is also serviced twice in a year. No one asks why time, effort, and money are spent on ensuring that their car is being serviced with all the necessary checks, on a regular basis. Our body also needs to be serviced regularly and checked for better functioning. Do you value your health as much as you do that of your vehicle?You are living a sedentary lifestyle. The reality is that today people are so hooked up to the digital gadgets & computers that even when you aren’t at work, you are surfing the web and basically spending both your leisure time and working hours sitting in front of some type of screen. Then there are those who drink, smoke and tremble at the very thought of daily exercise.Even healthy people can get sick. While we are young we feel invincible. But as we age, it all begins with random aches, pains and progresses to cholesterol increase, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart attack, to list the very few serious disorders. If we soon started caring about our health, most diseases can be prevented before they could even occur.Early diagnosis could lead to a cure. There are many diseases and illnesses that have a better prognosis when diagnosed early. This is particularly true for chronic and terminal illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer, and heart attack. Regular preventive health checkups help you find the best treatment alternatives as soon as possible, but also give you better chances of quickly recovering back to health.Family history tells more about your future health. Family history means you have more chances to end up suffering from a disease like your immediate family. For example, if your father has a history of heart problems or your grandmother has a high blood sugar level, you are likely to experience the same conditions sooner or later.You Get tax benefits. You also get tax benefits for such health checkups in accordance with Section 80-D of the Income Tax Act. In addition to all other benefits, you may get tax deductions up to 5,000 Rs for health checkups for you and your immediate family.Needless to say, today life is chaotic and stressful, which increases the likelihood of lifestyle disturbances.Despite the necessary care we take for our better health, uncertainties increase with our age, lifestyle and not to mention the habit to take our health for granted. Regular preventive health checkups can set a guideline for our health and help us keep tabs on how time progresses. For those who have major diseases running in their family, health checkups become crucial to have control or to slow down the progression of the disease and prepare a holistic approach to ensure healthy future ahead.