Why you should get your blood tested regularly

Management16 May 2024

Sponsored by Aware Health

From nutrition to prevention, regular blood tests can offer essential insights on your health and overall wellbeing

In this day and age, we are pretty much used to managing many aspects of our lives through data, from counting steps to measuring our sleep quality with specialised apps or wearable devices.

However, there is still a significant blind spot in this approach when it comes to our health: blood tests. Blood tests can deliver valuable insights that can help detect certain medical conditions before any symptoms set in.

Here are five reasons to get your blood checked regularly, so you can stay healthy and avoid getting sick in the first place.

Provide your body with the right nutrients

Even on a balanced diet, you can still develop deficiencies in certain nutrients. Be it vitamins, iron or calcium, lacking nutrition can have a profound negative impact on your overall health. It can lead to symptoms such as fatigue or trouble concentrating. With regular blood tests you can detect potential deficiencies before they turn into a problem, allowing you to take countermeasures and monitor your progress over time.

For example, ferritin is a mineral that is crucial in transporting oxygen through the body. It can also help ward off germs. The levels of ferritin in your blood can indicate whether your body‘s iron storage is depleting. This in turn gives you insights into how well your body is absorbing iron.

Optimise your exercise regimen

There is a close correlation between your blood levels, your physical performance and the way your body recuperates. By analysing certain biomarkers in your blood you can measure and track your progress over time and – based on your health data – make informed decisions regarding your exercise regimen.

For example: Haemoglobin and haematocrit levels offer insights on your blood‘s capacity to transport oxygen. They are important for your physical endurance and can be affected by physical activity, nutrition and even the altitude that you reside in.

Discover causes for fatigue or frequent colds

Sometimes we feel tired, weak, irritated, forgetful or moody for no apparent reason. The answer to that conundrum can often be found in our blood. Hormonal imbalances and inflammatory markers found through blood tests might tell you what is happening inside your body. Equipped with that knowledge, you can find strategies to avoid serious health problems.

For example, the so-called thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) takes part in – as the name implies – the regulation of your thyroid. This in turn impacts your body‘s metabolism. An overactive or underactive thyroid can lead to issues such as fatigue, hair loss, weight gain or depression.

Detect medical conditions early

For many illnesses, early detection is the key to successful treatment. Regular blood tests can help reveal potential risk factors or the onset of certain conditions. In some cases, early detection means that minor changes in lifestyle can go a long way in keeping you healthy.

For example, HbA1c (also called glycated haemoglobin) gives insights on your average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months. Hence, it can be an early warning sign of prediabetes.

Prediabetes is a condition marked by increased blood sugar levels that are, however, still too low for a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. Indeed, it is possible to adjust your blood sugar levels and revert prediabetes with appropriate changes in lifestyle.

Track changes over time

If you monitor your blood levels over longer stretches of time, you can learn more about how your blood makeup compares to average metrics for other people of your sex and age group. While singular blood tests mostly offer a snapshot of your current levels, biannual blood tests allow you to detect patterns which might be indicators of long-term changes in your health.

By combining innovative technologies with proven medical methods in blood testing, you can take care of your health in a new, more accessible way. The healthtech company Aware has developed a network of health labs across Germany where anyone can easily get their blood tested.

This network is linked to an app that gives tailored advice based on the users’ blood levels. Anyone, anytime, anywhere can check their smartphone to get an overview of their health. You can make informed decisions on your lifestyle and take an active role in your health management. The goal is to stay healthy rather than having to become healthy again.

Aware wants to make its services as affordable as possible: membership costs about as much as a Netflix subscription. Furthermore, Aware is looking into collaborations with private healthcare providers so they can prospectively reimburse up to 90 per cent of the cost of their blood tests (around €15 per month). Currently, potential arrangements with statutory health insurance providers are being discussed.

Do you want to take a more active role in your own health management? Learn about the benefits of regular blood tests at www.aware.app

By Florian Meissner, Co-founder and CEO, Aware

Florian Meissner is the co-founder and CEO of Aware, a Berlin-based healthtech company. He founded Aware three years ago with the goal of giving people more insight into their blood health. He has attracted investors such as Lakestar and Cherry Ventures. Since opening the first Aware lab in Berlin in October 2023, the company has expanded its network to include additional locations in Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich. Previously, Florian founded the photo sharing app EyeEm.