Most people go through life not worried about issues such as their cholesterol levels. High cholesterol levels are dangerous to your health. In some cases, they could prove fatal by increasing your risk to some of the most life-threatening diseases.

The human body needs as much cholesterol as it can get, but only at the right levels. For this reason, you should go for regular cholesterol checks to ensure that yours isn’t at a dangerously high level. A blood test done once every 4-6 years will tell you if your cholesterol is too high.

So, what is a high level? Is a cholesterol level of 5.3 extremely high or manageable?

Are there symptoms

The first thing that you will notice if something is wrong with your body is the presence of a set of symptoms. However, where high cholesterol levels are concerned, you will never display any symptoms. In such instances, you will only know after undergoing a blood test.

Despite that, some candidates should prioritize meeting a doctor for blood test. Anybody who is at risk of heart disease should make the blood test a matter of great priority. If your exposure to factors that increase risk to heart diseases is limited, then you need the blood test done:

1. Once if you are between 9 and 11 years
2. Repeated if you are between 17 and 19 years
3. Repeatedly once every five years for adults

What is a desirable cholesterol level?

Ideally, doctors determine a person’s cholesterol levels based on the following factors:

• Age
• Weight
• Gender

As you age, your body will always produce more cholesterol. For this reason, your levels will be higher today than they were 4-5 years ago. That explains why everybody needs to go through blood test to determine the cholesterol levels at least once every five years.

Despite all that, a cholesterol level of 5.3 will always be high for you depending on several factors, as stipulated above. However, not all high levels of cholesterol are bad. That is because the following three categories are used in measuring cholesterol levels:

• Total cholesterol
• LDL
• HDL

LDL is also known as the bad cholesterol. On the other hand, HDL is recognized as the good cholesterol. Based on that, LDL should be as low as possible at all times. Total cholesterol should always be low too.

HDL levels ought to be high. After all, it is the good cholesterol. The body needs it to function optimally. If HDL remains low, then the body will be unable to offer protection against the likelihood of developing stroke or heart attack.

How to keep the cholesterol levels low

Now that you have established that cholesterol levels of 5.3 could be high for you, it’s important to provide you with a few solutions to this problem. As earlier stated, you need to go for blood test first. Thereafter, the doctor will recommend what you need to do to lower it.

For the most part, you should embrace a healthy lifestyle. In this regard, eat as much healthy food as possible. Additionally, make sure that you take part in as much exercise as you can. The more you do this, the lower your dangerously high cholesterol levels will get.

Keep yourself active, especially if you have a family history of high cholesterol levels. In some instances, your doctor may advice you to take certain medication. That is fine, especially for women who are experiencing menopause.

Medication is also highly recommended for adults whose cholesterol levels are dangerously high. For them, medication is necessary since a change in diet or lifestyle may not be enough to produce the desired results.

Remember, a cholesterol level of 5.3 could be too high for you, thus increasing your risk of developing heart attacks or other related ailments. Therefore, start acting appropriately to keep these levels low for as long as you can despite the toll that the aging process has on you.