How to prepare for a life insurance medical exam

A life insurance company wants to know who they’re insuring and the known risks. After all, you’re contracting with them so your beneficiaries will receive a sum of money if you pass away while your life insurance policy is in force.

This is why, after answering questions about your health history and specifying the type of policy you want, your chosen carrier will often arrange for a medical professional to come to your house or business to give you a life insurance physical.

It’s important to take your life insurance medical exam seriously because the results can affect your rate classification, which helps determine your premiums. While you can’t entirely overhaul your lifestyle - including your diet, weight and exercise - in the few days before a life insurance exam, there are simple and short-term things you can do to ensure your body is in its best possible form when the paramedical examiner comes.

Here are some life insurance exam tips to help you prepare:

Eat healthy

During the life insurance physical, the examiner will take a blood sample for testing and he or she will check your blood pressure and pulse. You probably know that food affects your blood work, which is the reason those with high cholesterol are sometimes told to eat fewer animal products such as cheese and beef. For best results, avoid processed foods with a lot of sugar, salt and fat before the exam, and eat more vegetables such as leafy greens.

Drink water

Skip the alcohol for a few days before your life insurance exam because it has a dehydrating effect and can affect your liver enzymes, which show up on the blood test. Also, increase your water intake. Paramedical examiners say that you should start drinking eight glasses of water a day the week before the exam to help clean out toxins that can show up in your blood or urine sample. Also, being hydrated makes it easier to draw your blood. The caffeine in a cup of coffee can affect your blood pressure, so it’s best to delay that morning cup of joe until after a life insurance exam.

Consider fasting

When you schedule the life insurance physical, ask the examiner if you should fast for eight hours before the exam. Just as some labs want you to fast before getting your cholesterol tested, it may be a wise move before the life insurance medical exam. Eating before the physical can affect not only cholesterol but glucose levels.

Skip the gym

For the 24 hours before a life insurance medical exam, take it easy. Exercise, especially cardio work, can raise your pulse and blood pressure. It can also negatively affect your cholesterol levels and increase protein levels in your urine, which may then require retesting.

Get a good night's sleep

You feel better after a good night’s sleep, and your vital signs will reflect that in your pulse and blood pressure.

Wear lightweight clothing

If you usually weigh yourself wearing nothing or as little as possible wear lightweight clothing for a life insurance exam to get an accurate weight measurement. Weight can affect your rate class.

The life insurance physical affects how much money you will pay for your policy, so it’s in your interest to get the best results you can. By making some simple changes to your lifestyle you could create healthy savings over the life of a life insurance policy. If you make some of these changes permanent, such as eating more vegetables and fruits and eating fewer foods with high fat and salt content, you can even benefit your long-term health.

While a life insurance medical exam might impact your life insurance rates, you can get a general idea of how much you will be paying beforehand. Get a life insurance estimate online, or call 1-844-538-9998 to get a quote over the phone today.