Taking care of your physical health is beyond crucial if you want to live a long life. People who don’t do it allow different diseases to spread throughout their bodies without intervention. If illnesses are spreading and they go unchecked, your life span will undoubtedly be shortened.

Some people choose to stay in denial about their physical health because they’re scared to learn the truth about what’s going on inside their bodies. Others stay in denial because they have phobias and fears surrounding doctors, needles, and medical appointments in general. And some are in denial because they don’t want to deal with the financial burden of financing whatever physical health issues they might have.

At the end of the day, paying attention to these warning signs can potentially save your life. Americans must fight back against a slew of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Here are 10 warning signs that diabetes might be something you’re dealing with now.

To compile this list of warning signs proving you’re in denial about your physical health, 24/7 Tempo collected insight and data from several health-specific sources.

Constant headaches

Dealing with a headache every once in a while isn’t cause for concern, but if headaches are occurring incessantly, this is a sign that you should schedule an appointment with a professional. You’ll know that your headache problems are serious if the pain doesn’t go away with oral painkillers.

Massaging your scalp and spending more time resting could be helpful in easing the tension that comes along with headaches. If these things aren’t working for you either, you simply shouldn’t remain in denial about what could be going on with your physical health.

Relentless fatigue

Feeling tired no matter how much sleep you clock at night isn’t pleasant for anyone. Often times, fatigue can be treated naturally when you make changes in your diet. Those who consume diets full of carbs and sugar are more liable to struggle with persistent fatigue problems.

Changing your diet and chowing down on healthier options won’t be enough of a solution if there is something more serious going on, though. It’s important to make an appointment so you can get a correct diagnosis regarding the fatigue you’re dealing with.

Persistent coughing

Mild coughs usually aren’t enough of a reason for anyone to get worked up about their physical health. But if your cough is persistent and hasn’t gone away for a noticeably long time, it’s certainly something to take note of. A nagging cough accompanied by hoarseness could be cancer of the throat or cancer of the larynx.

A typical nagging cough without any hoarseness could even be lung cancer. Someone who’s never dealt with sinus issues, asthma, or allergies, should pay attention to their persistent cough instead of remaining in denial about the severity.

Shaky hands

Noticing that your hands are shaky when you’re trying to pick things up or write things down means that it’s high time to schedule an appointment with a professional. Shaky hands aren’t normal and they aren’t something that should ever be ignored. People who have careers that require tons of hands-on action are directly impacted by shaky hands.

Doctors can evaluate the shakiness of your hands by having you scribble down a specific sentence multiple times in a row. If your handwriting changes with each line they see you jotting down, a more serious issue could be at play.

Shortness of breath

Shortness of breath is another sign of healthcare denial to keep an eye out for. Staying in denial about your physical health means you might be ignoring your experience with shortness of breath. If the same flight of stairs never left you breathless before, understand that it shouldn’t suddenly believing you breathless now.

People dealing with shortness of breath could be facing diagnoses of heart issues, pneumonia, a blood clot in the lungs, or asthma. Instead of denying that shortness of breath is a problem in your life, sitting down with a doctor to discuss the root cause could be a life-saving appointment.

Chest pain

Chest pains are one of the more intimidating issues to think about regarding your health. Since your heart is one of the most essential organs inside your body, it’s easy for people to remain in denial about any issues going on with it. No one wants to believe something could be wrong with their heart as it beats inside their chest.

Contact your doctor if you’re feeling any serious pains in your chest, though. This includes squeezing, tightness, or pressure. You definitely can’t stay in denial if the pain starts spreading to your left arm, your back, or your jaw. These symptoms could mean that a heart attack is about to occur.

Unhealed sores

A person who isn’t dealing with any underlying health issues is capable of healing up pretty quickly after they’re bruised or wounded. A person with underlying health issues they don’t know about doesn’t get to experience those luxuries, though. Any sores or wounds that can’t fully heal within a few months need to be analyzed by a medical professional.

This rule applies if the same sore or wound continually reopens after temporarily healing up. Sores and wounds that take forever to heal must be investigated since they could very well be signs of diabetes, cancer, or something else.

Severe dizziness

Have you been experiencing random bouts of dizziness lately? If so, this is a sign that you absolutely shouldn’t be neglecting your health. Dizziness isn’t normal, even if you want to believe that it isn’t a big deal. There are a handful of causes for dizziness including a bad reaction to new medication, falling into dehydration, or experiencing vertigo.

It’s much more serious if your dizziness is accompanied by vomiting, neck stiffness, numbness, or a high fever. Some might not understand how serious dizziness is if it comes and goes. During moments when everything feels balanced and clear, you might forget about your temporary bouts of dizziness. Still, it’s crucial to find out why dizziness is happening to you in the first place if it’s occurring frequently enough.

Inflamed gums

Inflammation of the gums is a major sign that you’re in denial about your physical health. Your gums should never be inflamed, regardless of what you’ve been eating and drinking. It’s easy to notice inflamed gums when you try to floss your teeth and end up spitting out tons of blood. Inflamed gums are often an early sign of gum disease.

Unfortunately, gum disease can potentially increase your chances of developing heart disease also. Instead of allowing diseases to fester in your mouth, it makes more sense to see a dentist. A dentist can put you on an action plan to start quickly reversing the issue. Remaining in denial about your health by ignoring inflamed gums will only lead to bigger problems down the line.

Unusual bleeding

Unexplained and unusual bleeding is extremely problematic. If you’ve been bleeding from different parts of your body without any recent injuries, this is a sign that you should check in with your doctor. Someone truly in denial about their physical health ignores unusual bleeding by trying to sweep this issue under the rug. The Healthy says this includes coughing up blood, which is often connected to lung cancer.

This also includes unusual vaginal bleeding, which is often connected to endometrial or cervical cancer. Seeing blood in your stool is a sign of rectal cancer. Seeing blood in your urine is a sign of kidney or bladder cancer. Noticing bloody nipple discharge is a sign of breast cancer. As far as diseases go, cancer is certainly one of the most common. Click here to read up on the 15 leading causes of death in America, including cancer and more.

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