At 22, You Know Your Bank Balance Better Than You Know Your Body.

Being young is not the same as knowing you are healthy

Young adulthood comes with a strange illusion. Because serious disease feels distant, health becomes something to handle later—after school, after NYSC, after getting a job, when there is more money or when something hurts.

Some important conditions do not make much noise. Hypertension is the obvious example. WHO describes high blood pressure as frequently symptomless; measuring it is the only way to know it is present.

You do not need to become obsessed with your health. You should simply know the basics and have somewhere reliable to take the questions that follow.

Know your blood pressure and family history

A blood-pressure check takes minutes and does not require a luxury executive-health package. One unusual reading is not automatically a diagnosis, but ‘I feel fine’ is not a measurement. Know the number—particularly if hypertension or stroke is common in your family.

Ask relatives which significant conditions occur in the family: hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, stroke, certain cancers, sickle cell disease, mental-health conditions or sudden deaths at unusually young ages. Family history does not determine your future; it can change which risks deserve attention.

Know your genotype—and do not turn it into judgement

Nigeria carries one of the world’s heaviest sickle cell burdens. If you genuinely do not know your genotype, obtain a reliable test and keep the result. Your health information should belong to you—not only to your mother’s memory or a form completed years ago.

Genotype awareness can inform reproductive decisions and counselling. It should never become permission to reduce or stigmatise a person living with sickle cell disease.

Sexual health is healthcare

If you are sexually active, learn which testing and contraception options are appropriate for your circumstances from a qualified professional. Understand consent. Know where reliable care is available. Do not use the absence of symptoms as proof that an infection cannot be present.

Embarrassment is not a healthcare strategy. If a provider humiliates or dismisses you, seek another qualified service where possible—but do not let one poor encounter turn a treatable condition into a private emergency.

Know your vaccination and dental history

Childhood vaccination cards disappear, families move and parents forget. Adulthood is a good time to begin documenting what you can confirm and asking a clinician which vaccines may be appropriate for your age, health status, occupation, travel or other risk.

Dental health also deserves attention before pain becomes the appointment system. Brush with fluoride toothpaste, pay attention to bleeding gums, persistent pain, swelling or changes in the mouth, and obtain professional assessment when something is wrong. Check-up frequency should reflect individual need and risk rather than a universal schedule copied from social media.

Know your normal

Pay attention to your usual sleep, appetite, mood, menstrual cycle where relevant, bowel habits, energy, skin and weight pattern. This is not an invitation to diagnose yourself each morning. It is a way to recognise and describe significant change.

Move consistently because your body belongs to you, not because the internet says a particular season is coming. WHO recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week for adults, or the vigorous equivalent, plus muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days. Walking, dancing, cycling, swimming, sport and structured exercise all count.

Know when the internet has reached the end of its qualifications

Search engines, artificial intelligence and health websites can help you understand a topic. None of them has examined you. Use the internet to prepare better questions, not to postpone assessment of a serious, persistent or worsening symptom.

Responsible preventive care is not ‘test everything’. Screening should be selected according to evidence and individual risk. For example, WHO’s cervical-cancer strategy generally begins screening later than age 22, with different timing for people living with HIV. More testing is not automatically better healthcare.

Build a small health file

Your health information should not exist entirely inside somebody else’s memory. Keep a secure, current record that you can access in an emergency.

• Blood group and genotype results you can verify
• Allergies, important diagnoses and current medicines
• Significant surgeries and vaccinations you can confirm
• Emergency contacts and relevant family history
• The name or contact details of your usual healthcare provider, where applicable

Adulthood has medical admin too

Nobody makes a coming-of-age film about finding a dentist. There is no birthday where everybody gathers around a cake and announces that you are now responsible for understanding your family history.

But somewhere between being taken to a clinic as a child and becoming the person who takes somebody else, responsibility quietly transfers.

You do not need to know everything about your body. Know more than you know now: your numbers, your history, your risks and where you would go if something changed. Your bank app will tell you when your balance is low. Your body does not always send a notification.